“¹²Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12 (ESV)

I was brought to the above verse again this morning for the 3^rd time in my study. First was when studying the word “walk” and then the word “follow” and this time as I study the word “darkness”. Each time I have been able to more deeply understand the verse and how I am to apply it to my life and walk with Christ.

First as I “walk” I am going with Christ through the darkness and not on my own. In October of 2018 I wrote: “But, God will shine through the darkness. In the New International Version (NIV) the 2^nd half of verse 5 above says “but the darkness has not understood it”. So, God confuses the darkness allowing for us to walk right through.”

There I was referring to verse 5 of John 1 to go along with John 8:12.

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

I will be walking through the darkness with Christ and not in the darkness alone.

Secondly the verse indicates to me that first I am to go with Christ every step of the way. As I wrote in January of this year: “Following is more that just the physical action of going. We are to learn and apply based on that learning as well. Below is the commentary from my NIV Bible that helped me with my understanding of what it means to follow Christ.

‘As a soldier follows his captain, so we should follow Christ, our commander. As a slave follows his master, so we should follow Christ, our Lord. As we follow the advice of a trusted counselor, so we should follow Jesus’ commands to us in Scripture. As we follow the laws of our nation, so we should follow the laws of the kingdom of heaven.’”

And today, I see that the I have light wherever I go and that light is Christ. I no longer have to be in the darkness, but only temporarily pass through it with Christ as my light to navigate the difficult turns along the way. The darkness is all around me, but does not consume me as I have light coming from me that is provided by Christ who is my savior and deliverer.

When you encounter darkness, what is your attitude toward that state? Are you able to walk with Christ and follow Him through the darkness? Are you able to rely on Christ as your light in that darkness?

I know that God is my light in the darkness and I should look to Him when things are not going as planned and seem to be in a negative state. What I have to remember is that God is in control of the darkness just as He is in control of the light.

“⁹He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. ¹⁰He rode on ta cherub and flew; he cam swiftly on the wings of the wind. ¹¹He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.” – Psalm 18:9-11 (ESV)

As God is the light, I can see in the verses above that He also is in full control of the darkness. When needed, God will use darkness and reside there for me to call on when I need Him.

“²¹The people stood far off, while Moses drew near tot he thick darkness where God was.” – Exodus 20:21 (ESV)

God is where we need Him and controls all. I find myself sometimes in that area of adversity and needing guidance as to where and how to proceed. I need to be looking up and seeking the light that is God. He will be there in the darkness with me, by my side, as a guide through the difficulty.

Too often I am complacent with God’s presence in the light, as I am not “in need” of Him at that moment. And nothing could be further from the truth. I may not “need” His guidance at that time, but I have to remember that with His guidance I will prosper. My path is smoother with the light that God is providing even in the light.

And whereas that light provided by God in the light is great, the light He provides when I seek Him out in the darkness will be even greater. God wants and desires to be there and light my path, and when times are the darkest for me, I must seek Him out all the more, because He is there in the darkness with me as well.

When things are going great, how often are you seeking for the light that is God? Are you looking to Him to bring greater light to your path? What about when things are darkest, are you seeking Him out to allow Him to light the path for you?

“²⁹For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.” – 2 Samuel 22:29 (ESV)

Such a simple verse that ring so true for me. As I move through my days and nights, I have the opportunity to work in the light of day and rest in the darkness of night. I get the chance to recharge over the nighttime and prepare for the day ahead of doing the work of the LORD.

There are times, when I will be tasked with working for God in the darkness before me. I will be presented adversity that seems to strong for me to see where the good lies in what I am set to accomplish. I will have darkness all around me in the form of persecution and despair. It will feel as though there is nowhere to go and I am set on a path of failure. But just when all of that darkness is surrounding me, all I need is to look to God and my path will be lightened.

I have to remember that even in the darkest of rooms, a simple candle burning will light things up. The LORD is my candle. I need to make sure that He is lit in my life at all times. When I do, I will not be walking or working in darkness, but in the light provided by God.

When I am presented with the darkest of times, I will remember that God is with me always. As He is with me, I will never need to walk in darkness as He is the light unto my path.

“¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

At some point you will be walking in the dark, what do you have to light your way? Are you aware of the light that is provided by God? Will you allow the LORD to lighten the darkness for you?

“²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. ³And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” – Genesis 1:2-5 (ESV)

In the beginning of creation, there was darkness. That darkness was not the vision of God and therefor He created the light. And, “the light was good” so God separated the light from the darkness.

As a Christian, I know that the light is good and that I should let that light shine for all the world to see. What I find interesting is that God did not do away with the darkness, as he has the full power to do. What I do see is that separation that is clearly defined for me.

I remember the saying from parents, and have likely said the same, “nothing good comes after midnight” or something to that effect. I see now that God intended the “Day” to be for our work and the “Night” for our rest. Light is good and therefor good comes during that time. Darkness is not good and therefor holds the less than good events.

I want to be careful here and iterate here that I am aware that some of us work and do God’s work during the night time hours, and for that we are to continue. The concern is that when I work during the “Day” and put in my time for God during that time, I should be taking the “Night” to rest and recharge so that I am able to get back after it tomorrow with everything I have to offer.

I go to events that take place after the work day is done, and on the ride home from the events, there is in effect no one out on the road. Although as the months and years progress, there are more and more out “after midnight” and that is not what was intended by God.

It is in the “Day” where I am to do the work of God. I am to devote my waking hours to the spread of the gospel and to serve those around me. And at “Night” I am to rest and recharge to be sure and have all of my energy to continue working for God the next “Day”.

How much time are you spending in the darkness? Are you able to devote your “Day” to the work of God? Will you use the darkness as the opportunity to rest and recharge for God?

How does it work when we have shared in the glory of God and then turn away?

“⁴For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” – Hebrews 6:4-6 (ESV)

Well as the writer of Hebrews tells us that “it is impossible…to restore them again”.

It is hard to believe that I would fall away from Christ now that I have accepted His glory and salvation. I may have taken a lazy approach to my faith as in missing church for the fellowship with others. I may have not actively served. I may have allowed life to get in the way. But walking away from God that I find would be difficult for me to do.

God has provided for my needs when I strictly look at what I am in NEED. I have not missed out on His glory, even when I was not actively seeking Him daily. I still had a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, a wife and family to love and experience their love, and friends that I could reach out to at any time. I did not, and at this point, don’t see myself turning away from God and abandoning all that He gives.

I will say that I am not sure if I have met someone that has actively and purposefully turned away from God and fallen from His grace. I may know those that have not accepted Christ or may not be active as I have been in the past, but those that have turned away from Him I do not know. But if I have, I should be praying for them, for as noted in verses 4-6 above, it is impossible for them to be restored.

Once I was accepted as a child of God I “shared in the Holy Spirit” and “tasted the heavenly gift” that came with my salvation. I do not see a reason to turn away from those amazing things. I desire to continue sharing in those and only wish that each of you will have the opportunity to share in them and once you do, will continue to do so for all of eternity.

What does it look like for you to accept the gift provided by Christ? Will you take the opportunity to taste “the heavenly gift”? Will you continue to share in the gift that came/comes with salvation?

“¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” – 1 Peter 4:12-13 (ESV)

It is so easy for me to be glad when things are going great and God is being glorified and positive impact is being made in the lives of others. But the other times, how am I to rejoice when things are at their darkest and I feel as though I am being beat down at every turn I take?

First, there is no guarantee from God that everything will be great and easy. I am going to suffer as I have studied and completely understand. I will have difficult times as I continue in this world, and that will not change.

Second, I have to look for what is to come and not spend too much time in a state of worry. Concern with the past or worry about the future are not in my best interest. I should simply take things as they come daily and work to make each situation the best it can through the glorification of God.

Peter reminds us to “rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings”. That suffering Christ endured was all for the glory of God as noted in the verse below.

“⁴¹And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, ⁴²saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.’” – Luke 22:41-42 (ESV)

Even as He was headed to the cross, Jesus was willing to suffer for the sake of the glory of God. I should be willing to rejoice in my suffering for the glory of God as well.

I would be remiss if I did not also express our rejoicing in the glory that is to come. When I am finished in this world and have shared in all of the sufferings, I will find my way to heaven and share in the joy that I will find there. My suffering here will be rewarded with the shared experiences of love and joy in heaven.

When you look out at your sufferings each day, what do you make of them? Are you seeing them as the difficulty they are? Are you willing to rejoice in your shared experience of suffering as well as the joy that is to come?

Sharing of what I have is important. I should remember that God provides what I need and everything else is just extra that takes up space. What then should I be doing with the extra?

“¹⁵Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. ¹⁶Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” – Hebrews 13:15-16 (ESV)

I see now. I should be sharing to the point of sacrifice. Once I have all that I need, I am to remember to share everything else with those around me. I am to be content with the provisions of my need and the extra I should be sharing with others.

How do we know we are sharing to the point of sacrifice?

This is a valid question that I believe I may know the answer, based on this and other passages.

“¹¹And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’” – Luke 3:11 (ESV)

“²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ³Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” – Hebrews 13:2-3 (ESV)

I see here that I should be willing to give half of what I have to others as I may not know who I am ultimately serving. I am only responsible to serve, not to worry with who I am serving as long as my motives are rooted in the pleasing of God. I don’t know about you, but if I am sharing half, that is certainly a sacrifice for me. I should go back to remember that God gives to our NEEDs and if he is calling us to give half to others, then I do not NEED that half to serve Him.

Serving and/or sharing to the point of sacrifice is our call to action in praising and serving God. It is my duty to do so with a glad heart and remember the points of provision that come from God as a result.

When you are sharing with others, what are your parameters? Are you willing to give half of your possessions in service to others? Are you willing to share to the point of sacrifice?

I am reminded of the words of parents everywhere before disciplining the child: “This will hurt me more than it will hurt you.” When hearing those words, it is difficult to fathom what is meant by them as the one giving is not having to endure the pain of receiving.

Until I grew older and then understood. I was not taking into account the pain that was being felt from the fact that the discipline was required for actions taken that were not pleasing or in line with what had been taught. The internal pain of knowing that my child did not utilize the knowledge that had been given whether intentional or not, gives an initial feeling of failure, and how many of us like to fail.

“¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:10-11 (ESV)

Reading the words in Hebrews, I see that discipline is necessary for the good of the child, and it is good for the parent as well. Now both have the opportunity to share in the experience together and grow from it. Sharing the reward that comes once the discipline is complete provides so much joy for both the parent and the child. Less discipline is needed as they get older as they have learned from the discretion they engaged in before and therefor avoid them for the future.

How much better am I when I learn from God through the discipline He provides. It is painful for me to experience at the time, however I learn and therefor avoid the same mistake in the future. God shares my pain as He feels the disappointment in my failure and the fact that He has to carry out the discipline in the first place. But, the two of us get to share in the glory that comes from my learning and the idea that I will not (or at least should not) make the same mistake again in the future.

When you are on the receiving end of discipline, what is going through your mind? Are you thinking of the disappointment you have caused for the one delivering the discipline and the hurt that comes with that disappointment? Are you able to share the immediate pain and subsequently the joy in the future outcomes from the discipline?

When asked about the greatest influence in my life I tend to gravitate to speaking about mom, teachers, or coaches as they are the ones on the ground and in the trenches with me. But what about Jesus?

“¹Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in the heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, ²who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.” – Hebrews 3:1-2 (ESV)

I have been missing out on lifting up the greatest influence in my life, Jesus. He is the one that I work to be like each day. He is who I want to be an example for others to view and ask about. So why would I not exclaim Jesus as the greatest influence in my life?

I have to consider the question. Is it because I am afraid? Am I embarrassed? Will I be mocked? Will I be persecuted? Will I have to explain why? All of those questions are valid and all of them are simply excuses for me to duck and cover.

If I am honest with myself, it is that I am not bold enough. I am not the Type A Controlling personality that others are and therefor spend a lot of time analyzing and calculating. Without that boldness, I am waiting for someone to come to me instead of taking the lead as Christ did and go to them.

A few years ago a chose the word “Stand” as my word of the year. And what I learned is to be more assertive, up front, and confident in saying what needs to be said. I will say that where I have been able to be more in the front of the group and outspoken, I have not taken that same approach in every aspect of my life, such as sharing Jesus.

I will be remedying that going forward. When asked about the influences in my life, mom, teachers, and coaches are still on the list, however Jesus is not at the top of that list. I will not be afraid. I will not concern myself with embarrassment. I will not worry about being mocked. I will invite persecution. I will embrace explaining why. I am proud to be a child of God and as such I am proud to share Jesus.

Who influences your life? If Jesus is on the list, where does He rank? What would it take for you to be bold enough to share Jesus as the lead influence in you life?

Receiving something from someone is something that I am sure that we all enjoy. Getting a check in the mail, the neighbor brings over a pie to welcome you to the neighborhood, an unexpected free item thanking you for your purchase, or that shout-out from a colleague are all pretty cool.

“¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:11 (ESV)

See the words written by Paul stating that “by any means possible” we would like those things to come about. I will admit that receiving those things are nice and whereas I believe I am willing to do almost anything to receive them, am I really willing to truly pay the price? Am I willing to suffer in all to receive it all?

“¹⁰that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” – Philippians 3:10 (ESV)

Receiving something is nice and certainly something that I am willing to do. I will take my spoils and run to the bank, tell those around me, and exclaim on high, but am I really willing to work for it? What did I do to “deserve” that reward? Was I willing to suffer through the bad times and work my way through the adversity to receive it?

I have been given the gift of salvation, which is the ultimate gift. I have received it fully and am grateful that I will receive my reward in heaven as a culmination of that gift. But I have work to do here yet. God has me here for a reason and I am obligated to fulfill that reason and complete my tasks.

It will not be easy and I will likely suffer whether physically, emotionally, personally, or financially. I should be taking the same approach as Paul, knowing that it is for the spreading of the gospel and not personal. My suffering is necessary for me to fully share in the suffering of Christ even up to His death on the cross.

In order for me to fully receive the blessings from Christ, I must share in the suffering, the difficulty, the adversity, and all else that comes with being a child of God. Even as I have received the gifts from God, to enjoy them, I must do the work which includes suffering to understand more what Christ gave for me.

When you look at your receipts, have you really done the work for them? Have you embraced the work still needed? Are you willing to share in the suffering of Christ as you receive your gift of salvation?