You Need Not

You need not fear the darkness. He is the Light of the World. Even the darkness is light to Him--as bright as the shining sun.

You need not fear your doubts, your "whys," your struggles. If anyone--even you--lacks wisdom, let Him ask of God who gives it in abundance--and is always delighted that you have come to Him to ask.

You need not fear the loneliness. Whether you sense it or not, you are moment-by-moment wrapped in the everlasting arms of inescapable love.

You need not fear your failures--whether they are embedded in your past or flourishing in your present. You are more than a conqueror through His love for you--His irreversible victory over sin, and His eager forgiveness even for the nights you sat by the fire and fearfully betrayed Him. Even as your heart condemns you, His understanding of your love for Him is greater than your heart.

You need not fear for those who have gone off to pursue the riches of this world--its approval, its praise, its materialism. its pleasures, its "freedoms," its illusions. He knows how to bring the wanderer home--even if the path must lead to the empty loneliness of the pig sty. Keep the fatted calf handy.

You need not fear an unknown future--it may be worse than you've imagined. But the One who never forsakes or leaves His child alone will be with you--His unseen hand doing good for you in light of the inheritance He has planned for you--your future with Him, the never-ending glory.

You need not fear the intimidation of the roaring lion--He has been crushed by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah--your Savior, your God, your Father.

You need not.

Danger Zone

The most dangerous condition in which a man or woman can find themselves is without a reverential awe and fear of God. A total indifference toward the Sovereign God puts one as near as possible to having a stone heart incapable of repentance for if God's "opinion" doesn't matter, than my choices are my own. I seek only the approval of others and myself--which are in essence the same thing. Blessing or judgment are irrelevant since the goodness and judgment of God are irrelevant. Such a man or woman believes that the "blessing" is of his or her own doing--and earned, deserved. Such a man or woman believes that God's judgment is a product of coincidence and accident. They exclaim, "Do not bring up the name of God in my presence" or they claim that God's loving attempt to restore them is unjust, vindictive. There is a reason why God tells us that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom," the foundation for understanding. There is a reason why God tells us that a rich, full, meaningful life is impossible without the fear of God in one's heart. Wise men and women seek Him in reverential fear, and find obedience to His commandments a joyful labor of love. See Joseph. Others live lives "blindfolded in a world of illusion." See Joseph's brothers.

"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him."

You

I was just reading about you today:

Thank God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that in His great mercy we men have been born again into a life full of hope, through Jesus Christ's rising again from the dead! You can now hope for a perfect inheritance beyond the reach of change and decay, "reserved" in Heaven for you. And in the meantime you are guarded by the power of God operating through your faith, till you enter fully into the salvation which is all ready for the denouement of the last day. This means tremendous joy to you, I know, even though at present you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident--it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold, and gold as you know, even though it is ultimately perishable, must be purified by fire. This proving of your faith is planned to result in praise and honor and glory in the day when Jesus Christ reveals himself. And though you have never seen Him yet I know that you love Him. At present you trust Him without being able to see Him, and even now He brings you a joy that words cannot express and which has in it a hint of the glories of Heaven; and all the time you are receiving the result of your faith in Him--the salvation of your souls. (I Peter 1:3-9--Phillips)

Bathed in mercy
A life full of hope--a perfect inheritance reserved for you in Heaven guaranteed by the ever-living Savior.
Guarded by the power of God
Temporarily harassed--not by accident--but so that He can use you to bring praise and honor and glory to Him on that day. All three.
Purification of your faith by fire--to create in you a faith more rich than gold, And more imperishable than gold
A sense of His presence that deepens your trust in His promises
A joy that cannot be expressed in words.
The salvation of your souls.

See. I told you I was reading about you this morning.

Danger

When the majority determines right and wrong, the idea of morality loses all meaning.

"But you must realize that in the last days the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered, greedy for money, full of big words. The will be proud and contemptuous, without any regard for what their parents taught them. They will be utterly lacking in gratitude, purity, and normal human affections. They will be men of unscrupulous speech and have no control over themselves. They will be passionate and unprincipled, treacherous, self-willed and conceited, loving all the time what gives them pleasure instead of loving God. They will maintain a facade of "religion," but their conduct will deny its validity."
"Yet you must go on steadily in those things that you have learned, that you know are true. Remember from what sort of people your knowledge has come, and how from early childhood your mind has been familiar with the holy scriptures which can open the mind to the salvation that comes through believing in Jesus Christ." (The New Testament in Modern English--Phillips)

Endure, love, be patient. Prove, correct, and encourage. Preach the Word with a sense of urgency. Stand fast. The King is coming to judge the living and the dead. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Shine in the darkness

Perspective

Perspective: Whenever in my self-absorption I begin to murmur, the Spirit lovingly and instructively brings to my mind those that I love and cherish who are facing far greater challenges then me--and challenges that are significant and not trivial like mine. As He humbles my pride, He empowers me to pray prayers of thanksgiving for all He has given me and prayers of intercession for those I know are in need of a sense of His presence. I am reminded often of that line in the old hymn, "the many forms of love He wears." Thankfully, one of them is the right perspective--the opening of my eyes and heart to see as He sees and to love as He loves.

Ever Learning

Education--learning--is not necessarily the pathway to truth. Paul told Timothy that the men of today would be always learning--always--but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. In Romans he says that men in an attempt to prove that they are wise, will suppress the truth and, claiming to be wise, become fools. Their minds and hearts darkened. Even the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus' day, searched the Scriptures, but Jesus told them that they had no idea what the truth was. He stood right in front of them and they didn't comprehend. Blind minds with blind hearts.
The problem is the same. When you begin your pursuit of truth by denying what--Who--is the Truth, you have no chance of finding truth. All truth resides in, flows from, and relates back to the character of the Triune God. If one's pursuit of truth is not grounded in His revelation--the written Word and the Living Word--then the search is futile. A thousand degrees behind your name will just be evidence of the depth of your blindness, and the desperation of your groundless search.
The pursuit of excellence and learning is not a bad thing. No one should have a greater understanding of humanity, history, science, literature, math, art than the student who knows "that all truth is God's truth" and thus worthy of exploration and mastery. And no one should ignore the fact that the learning of those things provides him or her with the ability--and responsibility--to use that knowledge to glorify Him. And the more you know, the greater the opportunity you have to form relationships with those of like interest, who are yet unaware of the One who is the source of truth--their Savior or their Judge.
And, if I may get personal for a moment, that is the beauty of teaching at Worthington Christian. Yes, we are a highly academic school, but that is not our main focus. We are not a highly academic school that also happens to be Christian. We are a Christ-centered, discipleship-oriented school that also happens to be academically challenging. We desire our students to see Jesus in all things.
In a culture that worships education, we must be committed to teaching our children with our words and with our lives that all truth abides in Him. Such a journey begins in the home. We must not conform to the image of the world--an empty pursuit of knowledge apart from Him. We must teach our children to transform a world and its educational system so that those pursuing emptiness might, too, see Jesus in all things. And so find Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Vociferous Desperation

It used to be said that men are living lives of "quiet desperation." And, no doubt, many still are. But today, in our culture, it seems to me that men are living lives of vociferous desperation. As they look at a world full of disarray and decay, they latch on to a cause or causes that they believe will give meaning and hope to the world, and thus, to their lives. When they achieve their "cause," and life still has no meaning, they strike out at those who they think are the source of their frustrations. They vilify others--hatefully; they who claim to hate exclusivity, become champions of exclusivity--if you do not support their cause, you are treated with disdain, relentless personal attacks, and sometime even acts of violence. They are a victim--and if you criticize their conclusions, you are an oppressor--worthy of hatred. I don't see any hope of it getting better. Desperation seems to always take root in bitterness and hate. The world is full of Esau's.
Christians must not respond in like manner. We must not expect those who do not have a relationship with our Savior to act as if they do. That's irrational.
What must me do? We must fill our lives and infuse our encounters with gentleness and grace. No matter how people respond to our light, we must immerse them in the loving grace of His heart. The Christian does not retaliate and spew forth hatred. The Christian prays that the desperate will come to the arms of Him who has grace enough to give them hope and a life full with meaning--a life of servant-hood to all those in need of His lavish love. The Christian forgives because they know that the desperate know not what they do. Truth must be spoken in love or it is harshness and arrogant and ungodly. And when they call us haters," they will be right. To be light in our desperate world, the Christian must be an inexhaustible fountain of gracious love.

Must.