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Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends.
This weekend I hope you have some enjoyable things planned, where-ever you are in our world. But the truth is, everywhere you go, you will see evidence of people in the bondage of discouragement, fear, defeat, perhaps even despair. And that’s why we’re looking at these very hopeful words from Jesus: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…in the same way, let your light shine before everyone, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-16)
For more than a full year I’ve been producing “Walking with Jesus” in an effort to help us, thousands of us around the world, WALK with Confidence and Courage in an upside down world, as we “walk with Jesus”. When Jesus invited those disciples, and several dear women to follow Him, they walked confidently from town to town listening and watching Him and experiencing remarkable miracles. All they needed to do was keep their eye on Jesus, and walk with Him, and they knew they’d be part of amazing, miraculous things that would change their lives and the life of every person who came in contact with Jesus!
And that’s what we are trying to do. . .walk with Jesus. But they had a huge advantage over us, didn’t they? They could see Jesus, He was physically with them. They could hear Jesus as He spoke, they could talk with Him asking Him any question anytime. They could have meals with Jesus, go fishing with Jesus, spend the evenings and nights with Jesus as they traveled. Do you sometimes find yourself envious, because you wish Jesus’ presence was that real?
Here’s another great Life Principle that I glean from Jesus’ words on the hillside that day as He talked about our being Salt & Light:
Light Illuminates the Path of Life!
Do you remember Jesus once said “I am the light of the world, whoever follows ME will not walk in darkness.” (John 8:12) Listen to Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Or Psalm 86:11 “Teach me Your ways, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth, give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name.”
Now when we put those three Scriptures together, what do you hear from Jesus? Here, let me add one more…“Let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Father.” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Do you see God’s promise that we need not worry about navigating uncharted waters in life, as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus? And do you see that God’s Word acts like a lantern, illuminating our path? What picture comes into your mind? For me, I find myself in broad daylight, feeling as though sometimes I’m walking in the darkness, but with God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, they illuminate enough of the path before me, that I can follow Jesus a few steps at a time. Just like Peter walking on the water, remember (Matt. 14:22-33). My problem, just like Peter, is when I turn my eyes away from Jesus and God’s Word, and I focus on the storms raging around me, or the darkness, or I get concerned that I can’t see very far ahead… Oh my, what about you?
Friends, have you noticed that when God allows you to see far ahead, when your life seems to be settled into a nice, predictable routine… that you tend to turn your eyes away from Jesus and focus on the nice view? You tend to set your Bible aside and enjoy the nice ride? That is precisely why God normally doesn’t give us more than the light, the guidance, we need for a few steps ahead. That keeps us dependent on Jesus and digging deeply, daily into God’s Word!
Here’s another great Life Principle:
Radiant Christ Followers shed focused light to Enable Strategic action!
If you serve in any leadership capacity this is especially for you: The people you lead depend on your God given wisdom, your clear thinking, your insightful discernment. So when action is needed, when decisions need to be made, you can provide guiding help if you are ‘walking with Jesus’ and receiving from Jesus the guidance you need to help others. Now you may need to read that again. . .
When you sit in the dentist chair, why does your dentist turn on the little light on his/her forehead, when there’s already a big light shining on you and your mouth, and there’s even a bigger light illuminating the whole room? It’s to enable the dentist to focus specifically on a small area and do a strategic, delicate work in your mouth. The same is true in the operating suite of a hospital with a surgeon. And my friends, the same can be true for you and me in life.
We are surrounded by so much activity, so much noise, that it’s sometimes difficult to focus in on a precise point of need with careful, strategic precision. That’s where the light of God’s Word, illuminated by the Holy Spirit can guide you as a leader in a strategic situation. Do you have that ability my friends, to find in God’s Word the guidance you need for a specific, even strategic situation? This is why memorizing God’s Word is so important. Then when you especially face unexpected, urgent situations, you can recall God’s Word in your mind and heart, and the Holy Spirit will help you apply it with focus to your specific need.
Did you know Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, and every one of the 176 verses speaks of the strategicness of God’s powerful Scripture! In that Psalm Scripture is called “decrees” or “statutes” or “commands” or “Your Word” or “promises” or “precepts”. May I invite you to an outrageous endeavor… over this week? Would you try reading the entire, long Psalm 119, and listen closely to what Jesus speaks into your heart, about how to use His Scripture strategically in this confusing, controversial, confrontational world?
I think you’ll be amazed at what Jesus says to you my friends and how it will help you live making a strategic difference in our world. “You are the Salt of the earth. . .You are the Light of the World…” Wow, what a challenging statement from Jesus to every one of His followers, from that day on that Galilean hillside, all the way to this weekend in August, 2020!
Lord Jesus, give us an appetite for your Word, and help us apply it strategically to very significant situations.
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapter: Matthew 5:8-16; Psalm 119. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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