looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV).
The Light House
Life is foggy. There may be a moment or two of clarity here and there when you have a fairly good sense of where you're headed, but most of the time you have no idea what you'll run into over the next hour, let alone the next day or week or year. It pays then to know where the Light House is, and to keep your eye locked on it, lest you find yourself torn apart on the rocks or tossed about in the wind and the waves of the rough seas of daily life and completely lose your way.
It is no accident that Jesus self-describes his purpose as the "light of the world." The Book of John is where He says it most.
Joh 1:4* In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:9* That [Jesus] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
Joh 8:12* Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Joh 9:5* “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Joh 12:46 “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
He points us to Himself as the Light-bearer, the One who leads the way and destroys the darkness.
The word translated "looking" in the verse cited above above means "fix an unwavering gaze upon." It is an act of will based on faith. It is what enabled Peter, in a magnificent display of outrageous faith, to step out of the boat amidst the stormy sea and walk on water… until He took his gaze off the Lord and began to sink. Even then, he did the next best thing and cried out, "Lord! Save me!" And Jesus reached out His hand and pulled him up. That is what He desires to do for all of us.
Know too, as it says above, that Jesus, our light and life, endured the Cross "for the joy that was set before Him." We who need the light, and look to the light, ARE THAT JOY. His death on the cross in our place was not something He did grudgingly. It was, in fact, motivated by JOY. He did it out of love for us and the Father, and for JOY that in doing so, He would save us and give us the only antidote to eternal darkness, His light.
Given all that, and the fact the He is what enables us to escape from "blackness and darkness forever", and knowing that with Him in view, guiding the way like that Light House firmly established and blazing forth from the shore, the fog of daily life is a piece of cake. No matter how rough the seas get.
Life is foggy. There may be a moment or two of clarity here and there when you have a fairly good sense of where you're headed, but most of the time you have no idea what you'll run into over the next hour, let alone the next day or week or year. It pays then to know where the Light House is, and to keep your eye locked on it, lest you find yourself torn apart on the rocks or tossed about in the wind and the waves of the rough seas of daily life and completely lose your way.
It is no accident that Jesus self-describes his purpose as the "light of the world." The Book of John is where He says it most.
Joh 1:4* In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:9* That [Jesus] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
Joh 8:12* Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Joh 9:5* “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Joh 12:46 “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
He points us to Himself as the Light-bearer, the One who leads the way and destroys the darkness.
The word translated "looking" in the verse cited above above means "fix an unwavering gaze upon." It is an act of will based on faith. It is what enabled Peter, in a magnificent display of outrageous faith, to step out of the boat amidst the stormy sea and walk on water… until He took his gaze off the Lord and began to sink. Even then, he did the next best thing and cried out, "Lord! Save me!" And Jesus reached out His hand and pulled him up. That is what He desires to do for all of us.
Know too, as it says above, that Jesus, our light and life, endured the Cross "for the joy that was set before Him." We who need the light, and look to the light, ARE THAT JOY. His death on the cross in our place was not something He did grudgingly. It was, in fact, motivated by JOY. He did it out of love for us and the Father, and for JOY that in doing so, He would save us and give us the only antidote to eternal darkness, His light.
Given all that, and the fact the He is what enables us to escape from "blackness and darkness forever", and knowing that with Him in view, guiding the way like that Light House firmly established and blazing forth from the shore, the fog of daily life is a piece of cake. No matter how rough the seas get.
Of course, you may need to get capsized a view times to take this seriously. Very often that is what the storms are intended to do, get you to realize how flimsy that boat really is, how bad a pilot you really are, and how big the waves can become. Being the blockheads we humans are, it's not surprising that we need to get knocked around a bit before we come to the end of ourselves. For a lot of us, it's the only way to get our attention.
Look, He gives us a choice. Focus on the wind and the waves and the fog that leads inevitably to darkness, or fix our gaze upon the One who desires with all His heart to lead us to safety.
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15, NKJV).
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15, NKJV).
