I John 2: 9-11 ERV, “Someone might say, “I am in the light,” but if they hate any of their brothers or sisters in God’s family, they are still in the darkness.  Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong. But whoever hates their brother or sister is in darkness. They live in darkness. They don’t know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind.”

As I was getting my coffee this morning, I heard Shannon rummaging through stuff on the table in the dark. “Why don’t you turn the light on?” I asked. She laughed and said, “Because that would be too easy!” As I read my morning verses, he conversation came back to me and I heard the Lord say, “My people walk in darkness all the time. They stumble around with no light because they refuse to forgive and love. They would rather hang out in the dark then walk in the light of my love and grace.”

Then John goes on in verses 15-17 saying, “Don’t love this evil world or the things in it. If you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  This is all there is in the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. But none of these comes from the Father. They come from the world.  The world is passing away, and all the things that people want in the world are passing away. But whoever does what God wants will live forever.”

So, what is it we need to do in order to live right in the bright love of Gods light? What do we need to flip the switch? Let’s go back to verses 5 and 6; “But when we obey God’s teaching, his love is truly working in us. This is how we know that we are living in him.  If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived.” How did Jesus live? Loving, giving and serving. I John 1:7 says, “We should live in the light, where God is. If we live in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood sacrifice of Jesus, God’s Son, washes away every sin and makes us clean.”

Turn on the light so you can see better! We were meant to be light to a lost and dying world. We were sent to be Love and Light. It really shouldn’t be that difficult, it simply takes your hand flipping the switch, turning on the light. Stop focusing on the darkness in the world and focus on the light. It’s light that chases away darkness. Focus on Jesus. Glance at the darkness. Do what God instructs you to do because that’s the only way light can affect darkness.

When God speaks to you to pray for those in the Middle East, pray as if it’s your children there being threatened. Stop making excuses of being too busy with your own agenda and remember that you live by the grace of God to help others, not yourself. His is not a selfish Kingdom, it’s a selfless one. Your life is not your own so get used to it. Live like Jesus. He only did what he saw the Father do and he only said what he heard the Father say. Reach your hand up and flip the switch today.

Ephesians 3:14-19 ERV, “So I bow in prayer before the Father.  Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him.  I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit.  I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love.  And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.”

What a beautiful yet powerful prayer that Paul prayed for us. He asked Father to make us strong in our spirits through His Spirit, strong in love. As I thought of this, my mind went back to I John 4:8, that anyone who does not love, doesn’t know God because God is love. Love seems to be a key to a lot of things in the Bible. It even says that the world will know we are Christians by our love.

One popular music artist sang, “What’s love got to do with it, got to do with it? What’s love, but a second-hand emotion.” Obviously, he had little understanding of God, yet by our actions, so go some of us. We place such little value on the largest of all character traits a Christian should possess, love. Not only should we possess it, it should possess us, or rather, HE should possess us. Imagine with me for a moment, how different our world would be if everything we did or said was motivated by love. 

In Matthew 10:8, Jesus was sending out his disciples to the surrounding villages to announce the Kingdom of God. In this verse, he has told them to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers and raise the dead but he qualifies it with this statement; freely you have received, freely give. It struck me this morning that we should love like this. Be strong to love, love those who hurt you and do you wrong. Don’t just love those who love you, that’s easy! Find the vilest of the vile and love them. Choose the hardest person to love and just watch the love of God break the tough exterior away and reveal their need for Love.

That’s what happened to us, after all. God loved us so much, he broke down the walls we had surrounded ourselves with and wrapped us in His amazing love. Hurt, broken, wounded, stinky, crusty with hate, masking our need with drugs, alcohol, porn, food, money, anything to make the hurt go away. Yet God loved us so much that he made a way for us to come to Him so that He could show us love. It’s the one thing satan hates the most because once a person experiences the love of God, it changes them forever. We were made to love. It’s not attached to rules or laws, it’s free of all that. 

Paul ends his prayer with this; “And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.”

Did you see that? Then you can be filled with everything God has for you. It comes through love! We seek for what we need when all we need is love. Seeking love and giving love opens us up to everything God has for us. Remember the saying, ‘Love isn’t love till you give it away’? Well, the more we give love, the more love is given to us. It’s the law of sowing and reaping in a nutshell. You just can’t out give love. Whew! I’m not holding back anymore. I’m going to love lavishly, just like God loves me. It’s only then I am truly His disciple.

Father, I lay aside my need to be right and live selfishly. I want to be what you created me to be, love. Please possess me. Make me like you. Fill me to overflow so that I may be a river of your love to others around me. To be a reflection of who you are to a world that needs love. It’s the only way because it’s Your way. Make me burn with love, like you’ve lit me with a match and I’m on fire. May my imperfections be hidden by your glorious love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

John 13:12-17 ERV;  When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you? You call me ‘Teacher.’ And you call me ‘Lord.’ And this is right, because that is what I am.  I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet.  I did this as an example for you. So you should serve each other just as I served you.  Believe me, servants are not greater than their master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one who sent them.  If you know these things, great blessings will be yours if you do them.”

Did you see that? He said that servants are not greater than their master. We’ve all been sent into the world to preach the good news, heal the sick and raise the dead, but we must keep in mind that we are merely messengers, servants, doing what we’ve been sent to do. We represent our Father, not ourselves. It’s not ‘my’ ministry, it’s His. It’s not your church, it’s His. If God asks you to do something and He backs you up, provides the resources and the ability, who gets the credit for that? Not you! God does. 

What is greater, the hammer or the nail? The hammer is a powerful tool and very useful. The nail holds things together when applied. Neither can do anything without someone holding the hammer and applying it to the nail. That’s what God is, He holds the hammer and applies the power to the nail which holds things together. We are tools in Gods hands and we must always remember that without Him, we are useless. I want to be a hammer in the hand of God. Can you even imagine what could be done if the Master Carpenter gets ahold of all the right tools?

Father, I seek to serve you in anyway I can. If you have a message to bring, use my mouth, I yield it to you. Oh, that means that I must watch what comes out of my mouth because I’ve yielded it to you. Well, than I ask that you place a guard on my mouth so that what I say will be pleasing to you. I know that my words are a direct result of what I think on and what I watch, so I ask that you guard my eyes and help me to keep my thoughts on you. To think good things about others based on the great love you have for me. 

Help me to constantly be aware that I’m on a mission. I’m a servant with a message of love, Your love. Help me to communicate that love by being love and compassion to a world that is steeped in hate and selfishness, to show them that there’s a better way, Your way. You are the Way, the Truth and the Light, no one comes to the Father but by way of the blood you shed, Jesus. It’s in Your Name I pray, Amen.

Matthew 7:1-2 ERV “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you.  If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others.”

Ouch! Judge? Who does that? We all do! We judge how people drive, how they spend their money, how they raise their children. We judge the clothes they wear, the way they sing, if they’re right or wrong, thin or fat, ugly or pretty. There’s not a day that goes by when we don’t judge someone or something. And we wonder why the blessings of God elude us. 

Verses 3-5 “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own?  Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.”

I believe what Jesus is saying here is, ‘Hold up a mirror to your own face and you work on you, I will work on them.’ Something happens when we recognize we can’t fix others, only God can do that. In the pursuit of that process of holiness, others see how you’ve changed and want what you have, then you can direct them to the only true fixer; Jesus. 

A few weeks ago, I was listening to someone say, “It really bothers me when someone spills something on the floor and doesn’t clean it up. But then I realized, (she laughed) that I do the same thing and it doesn’t bother me when I do it.” That, is a prime example of judging.  I believe it should bother us more when WE do it then when we see others do it. In fact, if we are to be like Jesus, we should not just clean up our own messes, but be a servant and clean up theirs as well. 

Father, you are always showing me things that keep me from being the best I can be. Thank you for that. Help me not to criticize others, but to ask you to show me when I fail at something. I want to reflect you, your goodness, mercy, love and compassion. I want to serve others in a way that glorifies you and not me. It’s not my job to tell someone they messed up, it’s my job to cover them, their mess up’s, and clean up after them so others think well of them. You’ll take care of them just as you take care of me. I love that about you, Lord. You cover me.

Isaiah 1:18; “I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.”

I was thinking about worship this morning and how it makes glad the heart of God. I began by reading Psalm 100 in several translations but settled on ERV; “Earth, sing to the Lord! Be happy as you serve the Lord! Come before him with happy songs! Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep he takes care of. Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him. Enter his courtyards with songs of praise. Honor him and bless his name. The Lord is good! There is no end to his faithful love. We can trust him forever and ever!”

I don’t know about you, but I love it when my family come to visit and the first thing they do is to throw their arms around my neck, kiss my face and tell me they love me. Then it’s usually, “What’s for dinner?” So many times they share their heart with me, telling me about their day, or weekend, how the pastor spoke directly to them or confirmed something to their spirit. I picture God in the same way. When I go to visit, I love on Him, sharing a song that’s in my heart, a word of praise. Sometimes I tell him about a verse I read and ask what he’s trying to show me. I never get tired of spending time with God. He’s my best friend, my confidant, so wise and caring, so full of love and mercy. 

The more time I spend with Him, the more I change. It’s like that in the natural as well, you become like who you hang around with. If you don’t believe me, watch your children. If they spend too much time with the wrong people, it influences them to go in the wrong direction. That’s one of the benefits of getting your kids involved in a youth group that teaches your kids to reach after God. Sending them to church camps instead of sports camps. Not that sports camps are bad, but balance them out so that your children know the value of seeking God first and when they attend band camp or sports camp, they will be a light.

My point this morning is this; we must spend time with God everyday so that we can be his instruments in the earth. Not the awkward silence of strangers, but the warm exchange of friends. I am a friend of Gods. I knock on the door, open the door and enter in. I announce, “I’m here! It’s me, Lord!” I don’t have to ask if he has time, He always has time for me. I get so excited just thinking about that. He always has time for me. Praise God! Sometimes I talk his ear off, sometimes I just listen. It’s never a one sided conversation when I sit in his presence. It’s an exchange.

Love you Lord! This is going to be such an awesome, amazing day because I started it with you.  You put this song in my heart so I will sing it to you. “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart! Down in my heart! Down in my heart! I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart! Down in my heart to stay. And I’m so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart. And I’m so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart!” Ha! You liked that, didn’t you! Well, I have to get ready for work now, but I’ll be thinking about you all day. Thank you for never leaving me. I sure could use your help in what I have to do at work. I know I’d never be able to do it on my own so come with me, please. Thank you! Amen

Imagine being in a very dark room with no windows and no light. Suddenly someone enters the room with a small candle in their hand. Where does your eyes go to? The light of the candle. Now look around you. Everywhere you look there is evil, lawlessness, murderers, perverts and the list goes on and on. The world is dark, darker than it has ever been. No hope. Fear is everywhere and fear brings it’s friend torment. Just then, God sends you into that job, that neighborhood, that city. How much oil is in your lamp? Will it continue to burn bright until Jesus returns?

We used kerosene lanterns in Haiti when I lived there because the village we lived in had no electricity. The one thing I remember most is that the globes had to be cleaned and the wicks trimmed. Depending on how much you used them, they also had to be filled often. If the globes got smokey, it drastically reduced the amount of light that the lamp gave out. Many people couldn’t afford the fuel, so they used cheap candles. The problem with candles is that in the slightest breeze, it would blow out the light and you were constantly having to light them again.

What sort of light are you? Are you a candle that when the slightest breeze comes, your light goes out or are you a lamp full of oil, clean and ready to shine? Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Father, I want to be a useful light to my world. I want to show people to the God that is in me, the one who gives me hope, helps me to love, shows mercy and grace to those around me. I want to be filled with the oil of your Spirit that never runs dry. I want my heart to be clean and pure so that it shows forth the light of your love. Father, if we are the only hope for this world, let us do what you designed us to do, show light. Bright shining beacons for those who are cast away by the storms of life. In Jesus Name. Amen

I Peter 3:1-7 ERV, “In the same way, you wives should be willing to serve your husbands. Then, even those who have refused to accept God’s teaching will be persuaded to believe because of the way you live. You will not need to say anything.  Your husbands will see the pure lives that you live with respect for God.  It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful.  No, your beauty should come from inside you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God.  It was the same with the holy women who lived long ago and followed God. They made themselves beautiful in that same way. They were willing to serve their husbands.  I am talking about women like Sarah. She obeyed Abraham, her husband, and called him her master. And you women are true children of Sarah if you always do what is right and are not afraid. In the same way, you husbands should live with your wives in an understanding way, since they are weaker than you. You should show them respect, because God gives them the same blessing he gives you—the grace of true life. Do this so that nothing will stop your prayers from being heard.”

If I’m to be like Christ, I must be a servant to everyone in my life. I must serve my boss at work, my husband and children at home, even the people that surround me. Now being a servant is not being a doormat, being a servant is to attend or wait upon others. Jesus was a servant to all. He didn’t come into this world to be served as most kings do, he came to serve. Everywhere he went, he did good to others. He put others needs before his own. He healed, taught, raised the dead, pouring himself out but never empty, because he spent time with the Father getting filled back up.

I’ve had this on my mind for awhile now but was unsure how to pen this properly. I’ve heard ‘submission’ teaching for years that just didn’t set right with my spirit. Perhaps it was my observation of the misuse of the teaching or maybe I just didn’t understand what was trying to be conveyed. Usually those teaching that wives should submit to their husbands, seem to brush over Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives the same as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.” Being a servant is called grace, unconditional, undeserved favor. Jesus was our supply of grace, he was and is a giver or supplier of everything we need and he is our example of servanthood.

The law demands and can never be satisfied, but grace constantly supplies. I love that. If I love like Jesus, then doing and giving out of his vast supply of grace should be as natural as breathing. I never have to think about my own needs being met, mine are met by Jesus who supplies me with seed so that I can sow and never lack. Serving should be the only thing I think about. How can I serve him? How can I serve her? Father, what would you have me say, what would you have me do? Wait, so my needs aren’t important? Yes, but the way to get your needs met is just like everything else in the Kingdom of God, to get you must give. 

I could preach a sermon on this, there is just so much to it, but time doesn’t allow me this morning. I pray instead that the Lord will begin to open the eyes of your understanding and show you what His Kingdom looks like; a bunch of servants running around trying to out do each other. Shining bright in the earth, healing the sick, raising the dead. Selfless servants at home, at work, at school, at church, at the store. Wherever life takes you, tell God you want to be His servant, then go have fun shining in the earth.

If you’ve ever had the chance to put something together, a book shelf, a swing set, whatever it was always came with instructions. Some have great pictures that you can simply see how it’s assembled, other things are a bit more difficult and come with pages of diagrams and details, tools and screws, some even package the different screws individually. The point is, it’s easier to put things together if the instructions are clear.

I think Proverbs 12:1 sums it up wonderfully; “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” What could take an hour or less with instructions, could take all day if you try to do it without them. Trust me, I’ve seen this play out so many times in my life. “Why don’t you look at the instructions?” To which the general reply is, “Who needs instructions?” Lord, we ALL need instructions. To navigate through my day, I need instructions.

In reading through the Bible, all of the great victories were due to the people getting instructions from the Lord first. David even asked if they should fight the battle because he refused to go out without the Lord on his side. He found it was easier to pray first and fight second than to risk fighting on his own and losing. From taking down the giant, to the final battle, David never went out without instructions. Now that’s a wise man!

Lord, daily I will seek your instructions. As Job 22:22 begs, Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. I have hidden your Words in my heart so I won’t sin against you. Daily I come to you and the one thing I desire the most is that I will never be too busy to hear your voice giving me direction. I am as the blind, constantly needing a helper to show me the right path to take. My help comes from You, Lord. So I wait on you, patiently resting in the knowledge that you hold the instructions and I need you to put this all together.