Yes, as the dawning light arrives, you too can break forth real bright. Do so for the Lord. Oh SO right with no blight or fleshly fight. Just shine.
Has it grown darker in our day? It doesn't have to for you!
Shine. Choose to, pray to. You know how marriages don’t collapse in our day by blowout, O no, but they fail by slow leak. Little concessions towards worldly luke-warmness, spiritual compromises here there,
Kurt, do you believe that you’ve been saved? Yup, in all three tenses. Been saved from the penalty of sin, been saved from the power of sin, and will be saved from the very presence of sin. Me..not better than, but sure am better off. and it get’s better and better and better for all of us!
“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.” Proverbs 4:18
What’s “EGO” to me - it’s edging God out. Why do it? No more intimate relationship with Him. That'd be worse than horrible. Don’t want to do it. I like closeness better.
Call on God, but row away from the rocks. From all the treacherous rocky places where your boat can crash and sink.
Run from four things idol useful lust, sexual immorality. The Bible says, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness..” 1 Tim. 6:11.
Paul warns his readers to flee (twice to Corinthians and twice to Timothy). How do ya defined flee? "To ditch, to bail from, to get away.. get on out from, to run from and not get close to it..not even later on. Do not stay around or flirt with."
In 1 Corinthians 6:18 - it’s "flee fornication." It is hard to improve on his definition. Christians can save themselves from "many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6: 10) by learning to heed Paul's admonitions to flee.
Paul says, "Flee idolatry" (10:14). Do not see how close you can get without being contaminated by religious error and other weirdnesses?
Flee. To bail out, to quickly ditch. Too many people compromise spiritually (it’s never right to). They are playin’ moral and spiritual brinkmanship -- seeing how close to the brink they can get without toppling over. Seein’ how much of they world they can have and be a saint.
They be Mugwumps. Not a comfortable place to be. Their mug is on one side of the fence while their wump hangs on the other side. Miserable inside.
They have too much of the world to be happy in the Kingdom, and too much of the Kingdom to actually live happy in this world.
So many people vigorously pursue happiness minus Christ, and they simply cannot find it in this world. True joy and happiness is only found in a born again relationship with God minus spiritual compromise today.. not puttin’ the decision off until tomorrow.
Now > Mañana
You know, life's most dangerous word is mañana / tomorrow. It sounds so innocent that word, but it's life's most dangerous word. Sayin’ tomorrow, it’s like that road that leads to the town called Never. Tomorrow is the barred and bolted door that shuts people out of Heaven."
"Flee sexual immorality” (fornication - KJV). If people of any age really want to please God in Christ by avoiding sexual immorality, they simply flee it. They limit their time with lost or lukewarm folk, with worldly and religious nominal Christians -- they do well to limit themselves by not long hangin’ out with em. By stayin’ away from people into sinning, and places or predicaments that would be conducive to immorality. It’s a need for us to avoid the pre-fornication condition of "lasciviousness" -- it’s a personal choice of modesty and holy living. Holy is happy! We need help with this. To steer clear of even the stylish sexually provocative dress, the inappropriate speech and actions. It does little good to apply the brakes after one has revved the motor to high RPMs for full speed with the throttle wide open. No one among us says it is always easy as pie to flee fornication in a sensually saturated society. In Him, it can be done.
"Flee youthful lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22). The warning came as Paul condemns strife caused by foolish and ignorant disputes (2 Tim. 2:14). Could a youthful lust be an inordinate love of controversy?
One cannot, nor should he try to, avoid all controversy. The Gospel Message is controversial. It has always been. Read of the controversy it provoked in the book of Acts. One with no stomach for controversy does not need to preach. However, there is a difference in being set for the defense of the gospel and just being argumentative. "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel.." (2:23-26). “Youth” in our day has been a lot about sex sins (not always, but I mean outside of a marriage to one of the opposite sex that God has planned for you).
For some “youth” has been about excessive love for argumentation too - to make a fun sport and challenge out of winning an argument at any price. I’d rather in love win a friend to Jesus, than merely win an argument.
Flee temptation. Flee materialism -- it has a powerful pull here. While there of course is room for improvement in a home, or in our country, there’s really no room for materialism. Why love temporal stuff more than God or people? Do you desire to be rich more than anything? "But you, O man of God, flee these things.."
But..the Christian life is so hard. Too hard. Nope, it’s actually impossible.. unless you allow the Holy Spirit in to guide and enable you.
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh -- your old fleshly nature. It’s a daily choice. A lot of believers think that when they are born again, their old fleshly nature just goes away forever. Not so. If that were so, believer, then why are you the way you are with the battles you fight or easily lose to?
“Two natures beat within my breast
The one is foul, the one is blessed
The one I love, the one I hate.
The one I feed will dominate.” ~ Anonymous
"When I get up in the morning I put on my clothes, intending them to be part of me all day, to go where I go and do what I do. . .In the same way Paul is saying to us, 'Put on Jesus Christ when you get up in the morning.’” ~ Ray Stedman
"Let us walk decently, as in the daytime, not in partying and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensual indulgence, not in fighting and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh."
Romans 13:11-14
God said, “Let there be light; and there was light.” I say, live bright, cuz He can make it all right.. yes, you too.
Make Christ a part of your life that day. Put on kind Jesus -- Let Him speak to, empower, bless, and lead you by His good Spirit. Intend that Jesus go with you everywhere you go, leading, and that he act in an appropriate way through you in everything you do. Cuz that’s how He is. Call upon Him, ask for his refilling and wisdom. Live your life “in Christ.” In touch, communication, with honest intimacy.
The next event on the biblical timeline is the rapture of the Church. After than will be the seven years of great tribulation and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Please live rapture-ready and help others get ready.
That is why John Wesley could comment on the words we hear read tomorrow, words that brought transformation to St Augustine: "Herein is contained the whole of our salvation."
I am who God says I am, not who others say I am..not even who I sometimes think I am. Listen, learn, understand and wisely apply the Bible. Get your marching orders from the Lord..like the clear direction provided by the apostle Paul. As this series concludes, Dr. David Jeremiah gives explicit instructions to help believers remain virtuous and vigilant in today’s world.
Confidence can be difficult to muster during times like these. But in the midst of chaos, we have a choice to make: Will we focus on our circumstances or the certain hope that will sustain us through troubled days? This timely resource from Dr. David Jeremiah provides a biblical roadmap to navigating uncertain times. It offers ten practical strategies from God’s
Word for living a fulfilling and courageous life as we await Christ’s imminent return with a renewed perspective.
Have ya stumbled or fallen on your face? Choose to shine again, believer. Get back up and shine out! Live it, think bright, say it. Lose that dead religion and find something new -- real life. Live the life, tell it. The Message. Yeah, today is good for that.
1. What does it mean that the light shines in the darkness (John 1:5)? What is the meaning of John 1:5?
2. What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12)? How is Jesus the light of the world?
3. What does it mean that God is light? In what ways is God like light?
5. What does it mean to walk in the light? How can I learn to more faithfully walk in the light?
6. What does it mean that Satan masquerades as an angel of light? What is the meaning of 'angel of light' in 2 Corinthians 11:13?
7. Why did God say, “Let there be light,” during creation? Was it important for God to actually say the words, “Let there be light”?
8. How can the light of stars billions of light years away from the earth have reached us if the earth is only thousands of years old? Listen, real history is His story. And real science is 100% in harmony with the Bible.
9. Why does the Bible describe the moon as a light? Is the Bible inaccurate when it refers to moonlight? I know that in the dark and night, I want to reflect the light on the Son.
10. What does it mean that believers are to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16)? What does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Live it, speak it ..when the time is right.
11. What does it mean that “the Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1)? No good, odd or bad works are going to save anyone. What is the meaning of Psalm 27:1?
12. What is the Brotherhood of Light? Is the Brotherhood of Light a cult? What are the beliefs of the Brotherhood of Light? Are you tired of all the false teachers out talkin' about light, karma and energy? There are so many cults (I call em counterfeits of the real thing) out there in the world deceiving people today. More so than ever before. Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life..
13. What does it mean when Jesus says, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30)? How is Jesus’ yoke easy and the burden light when life seems to have gotten so heavy in our day?
14. What is spiritual darkness? What does it mean for something to be spiritually dark?
15. Is it biblical to pay a dime and light some candles for the dead? Are they really praying for that person when I am not. Does this make people feel better inside. Will it spring anyone from Purgatory (that non-existent place)? Is lighting a candle for someone who has died contradictory to the teachings of the Bible?
16. What is the lamp of the wicked? What is the meaning of Job 18:5? Is this really in the Word of God? Where is the lamp of the wicked mentioned in the Bible?
17. How should we live in light of God saying, “Be holy for I am holy” (Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16)? Some tell me.. "Kurt, you need positive energy, dude." Really? I feel so grateful -- ain’t livin’ negative out whining, griping, complaining. Hey, light on earth is not God, but God is indeed light, and in him is no darkness at all. Not evil or mean or bad -- not him. He's never been that way. Love ain't God, but God is also love.
Matthew 5:14 - You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Philippians 2:15 - so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
2 Samuel 23:4 - is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.'
Job 11:17 - Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
Job 17:9 - Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
Psalm 84:7 - They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 97:11 - Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
Proverbs 2:9 - Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity--every good path.
Proverbs 2:20 - So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
Proverbs 13:9 - The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
Proverbs 15:24 - The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
Isaiah 26:7 - The path of the righteous is level; You clear a straight path for the upright.
Daniel 12:3 - Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
I need somethin’ dif, and different just like You, Lord. Come to..or come back to Him.
fish4souls.org .. Photos by Jessica Ruscello and Rachel Cook
