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."
I read something this morning by Frances R Havergal that was very convicting about following Jesus...the words that caused me to read further were these:
“Following is the only proof of coming.”
Jesus here in John 8, vs 12 says that those who follow Him shall not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. How do we know we are following Him? “Following”, the article said, is not standing still and you can’t follow something without coming away from something else. Makes sense. If you are not deluding yourself or seeking refuge in lies, your following Jesus will be just as real as your coming to Jesus was. The author asks, “What have you left behind to follow Him?” What have you left off doing for His sake? Good questions...
Jesus left us an example, the Bible says, to follow in His steps...how closely matched are my own steps to Jesus’?
Here was the convicting part for me. The author urged the reader to go through just one gospel with the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the express purpose of noting the steps of Jesus. With that accomplished the author said, you would see very clearly whether are following or not. Using Acts 10:38 the author gives us one indication of what those steps might be.
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”—Acts 10:38
“Went about doing good”...it does not say that He went about doing no harm but that He proactively sought to do good. Umm...for me on most days that is a fail.
Being convicted is never pleasant but God’s ways...Wisdom’s ways...are ways of pleasantness and Wisdom’s paths peace. You, Father, will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Father...show me where my footsteps are not in alignment with Yours and by the power of Your Spirit give me that desire to walk pleasing You and may this be where my joy is found.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
A Heart Like David’s...
And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”—1 Samuel 16:12
Why was David chosen...what made him special. The answer is in 1 Samuel 13:14
The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord had commanded him to be commander over His people.
I so want a heart like David’s. A heart that desires what God desires. A heart that seeks Him with all that I have. How do we get a heart that seeks the heart of God? There is really only one way and that is from spending time with Him in His word and in prayer. Praying that with the time I have remaining on this earth that by His grace I would choose like Mary, to sit at His feet and learn from Him.
“Where did David get this heart?” I really enjoyed reading David Guzik here:
Obviously, from time spent with the Lord. But someone started him on that path. David says nothing of his father, but twice in the Psalms he refers to his mother as a maidservant of the Lord (Psalm 86:16 and Psa 116:16). Probably, it was David’s godly mother who poured her heart and love and devotion of the Lord into him, and gave him a foundation to build on in his own walk with the Lord. Like Timothy, God used David’s mother to pour into him a godly faith (2 Timothy 1:5).”
Be inspired and encouraged...choose the better part...the part that cannot be taken from you....and in so doing set an example for the little ones (and maybe even the bigger ones) in your life to do the same.
Why was David chosen...what made him special. The answer is in 1 Samuel 13:14
The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord had commanded him to be commander over His people.
I so want a heart like David’s. A heart that desires what God desires. A heart that seeks Him with all that I have. How do we get a heart that seeks the heart of God? There is really only one way and that is from spending time with Him in His word and in prayer. Praying that with the time I have remaining on this earth that by His grace I would choose like Mary, to sit at His feet and learn from Him.
“Where did David get this heart?” I really enjoyed reading David Guzik here:
Obviously, from time spent with the Lord. But someone started him on that path. David says nothing of his father, but twice in the Psalms he refers to his mother as a maidservant of the Lord (Psalm 86:16 and Psa 116:16). Probably, it was David’s godly mother who poured her heart and love and devotion of the Lord into him, and gave him a foundation to build on in his own walk with the Lord. Like Timothy, God used David’s mother to pour into him a godly faith (2 Timothy 1:5).”
Be inspired and encouraged...choose the better part...the part that cannot be taken from you....and in so doing set an example for the little ones (and maybe even the bigger ones) in your life to do the same.
Guilty of Loving too Much...
In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. (Psalms 109:4, ESV)
It doesn’t get much harder than verse 4 in the life of a believer. Romans 13, verse 8 tells us to owe no one anything but love because love does no harm...love fulfills the law. David tells us here that he is hated by them because he loved them. He was guilty of loving too much. What should have earned him gratitude and love earned him their hatred. The same was true for our Lord Jesus and the same will be true for us as believers...they will render to us evil for our good because we follow after who is good. (Ps 38:20)
But here is the beautiful picture that we see in David as well as Jesus.
“but I give myself to prayer”....in the Hebrew this is rendered “but I am prayer” David literally became prayer. He leaves his adversaries unanswered and goes to His Lord in prayer. He commits Himself to the One who judges righteously. Before his accusers, he is silent.
I am reminded of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:15:
“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
In Matthew 10 Jesus reminds us that the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. In the same chapter He says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Sadly, as believers we may face times of being rejected by those we love...even by those in whom we have literally poured our lives, simply because we love and follow Jesus.
Our hearts, as David’s was, will hurt and be wounded within us. But that’s okay...we are loved with an everlasting love and can entrust our hearts AND our souls to our God who who judges righteously. We are in good company and can make His footsteps our pathway.
Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?—John 10:32
And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.—Luke 6:11-12
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Psalms 69:13,
It doesn’t get much harder than verse 4 in the life of a believer. Romans 13, verse 8 tells us to owe no one anything but love because love does no harm...love fulfills the law. David tells us here that he is hated by them because he loved them. He was guilty of loving too much. What should have earned him gratitude and love earned him their hatred. The same was true for our Lord Jesus and the same will be true for us as believers...they will render to us evil for our good because we follow after who is good. (Ps 38:20)
But here is the beautiful picture that we see in David as well as Jesus.
“but I give myself to prayer”....in the Hebrew this is rendered “but I am prayer” David literally became prayer. He leaves his adversaries unanswered and goes to His Lord in prayer. He commits Himself to the One who judges righteously. Before his accusers, he is silent.
I am reminded of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:15:
“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
In Matthew 10 Jesus reminds us that the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. In the same chapter He says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Sadly, as believers we may face times of being rejected by those we love...even by those in whom we have literally poured our lives, simply because we love and follow Jesus.
Our hearts, as David’s was, will hurt and be wounded within us. But that’s okay...we are loved with an everlasting love and can entrust our hearts AND our souls to our God who who judges righteously. We are in good company and can make His footsteps our pathway.
Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?—John 10:32
And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.—Luke 6:11-12
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Psalms 69:13,
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