Be the Lamp on the Stand

I got to thinking tonight about the song "Hidden Away", as recorded by Josh Groban.  If you're thinking, "Here comes the sap" and you're not in the mood for any amount of sap, then perhaps you should read no further.  If I am a sap, so be it.  I am writing about this because I think it's important.

As I thought about the words, the meaning, and the significance of that song tonight, I realized that its message represents a lot of my recent frustrations.  Frustrations with myself, but also with people around me whom I know and care about, and even those whom I do not know.  These frustrations stem from the way we all just keep to ourselves so much.  TOO much.  This doesn't bother me because I wish to "know people's business", no.  It bothers me because it robs the world of blessing.  It robs those around us, of love.

We tend to be so cautious about how much HEART we pour out on each other.  We limit the amount of SOUL INTERACTION with others. I don't think that's a good thing.  I don't believe we're supposed to hide our hearts from others as much as we do.  We justify our "hiding", by declaring the "need" for privacy, or by thinking that we will be endangered somehow, or overly vulnerable to wound infliction from others.  I could analyze all the reasons why we hide our hearts, but that would make this too long.  So I will just keep the message simple:  

Don't hide your heart away from those in your sphere of influence.  GIVE IT away freely.  And see what happens.

Jesus didn't hide His heart from anyone.  He opened it unconditionally and poured it out on everyone around Him.  And they loved Him for it.  They knew how He felt about them.  They knew He loved them, because He demonstrated it without reservation.  Jesus was real with people.  He spoke honestly to them.  He spoke lovingly to them.  He was filled with boldness and meekness at the same time.  Not cowering, but welcoming others, even seeking them.  Revealing His heart without condition or expectation of renumeration.

If you've ever heard a person say of another person, "He's ALL HEART", I would venture to say that it was intended to be a compliment.  It's not a weakness or foolishness.  It's a blessing!  It's bold and strong and good.

The people we feel most connected to are the people who have not kept their hearts hidden from us.  I am not suggesting we should all be open books for the world to read.  I AM suggesting we take seriously Matthew 5:15-17, which tells us "we are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp, and put it under a basket, but on a stand- and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."  (Like we used to sing as kids, 'Hide it under a bushel? NO!! I'm gonna let it shine!')

Every time you open your heart to someone, even just to smile or meet their eyes with kindness, or speak an encouraging word, or lend a hand or a hug---  YOU ARE BEING LIGHT to that someone.  You don't do this so people will say how wonderful you are.  You do it so people will say how wonderful GOD is.  You give the glory to Him.  And the people notice, and they listen.  And many times, they totally get it and they stand in agreement with you about it.  It's so awesome when that happens.  People are ready to be led by YOUR HEART LIGHT!

To close, I am posting part of the song lyrics for "Hidden Away".  Read these with the mindset of opening your heart, showing your heart, revealing it - to those around you who NEED to see it!  Your expected end WILL be blessing.  Blessing to you and to the recipients, and to Jesus Himself.

Be the bright city on the hill.  BE THE LAMP ON THE STAND.

"Hidden Away"  

And all these words you were meant to say

Held in silence day after day

Words of kindness that our poor hearts crave

Please don't keep them hidden away

I want to free your heart, I want to see your heart

Please don't keep your heart hidden away!

You're a wonder, how bright you shine

A flickered candle in a short lifetime

A secret dreamer that never shows 

If no one sees you then no one knows

Sing it out, so I can finally breathe in

I can take in all the same

Reaching out for someone I believe in

All I really need today

I want to feel your love.  Will you reveal your love?

Please don't keep your love hidden away.

Revelation and Repentance

The stark reality of human suffering has hit me HARD again this past week, because of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan- and all that’s happening in the Middle East and in so many other places. Human suffering has LONG been a heavy burden pressing on my heart and mind. But it’s getting heavier with every article I read, with every news report I watch. My heart breaks a little more every day--over the unimaginable poverty of so many millions, the ravages of disease and death which pervade EVERY nation, the reign of humanity’s crimes and willful sin. All the abuse, all the debauchery, all the worship of everything but the One True God. It overwhelms me if I let it.

If God is real and if God is good- and I believe He is- then how can He let this go on? If Jesus is truly as loving and giving as the Bible says He is, then how can He allow this suffering to continue as long as it has? When is it going to be “enough already”?

I won’t pretend to know the ENTIRE answer to these questions.  There is a complexity to their answer-- a complexity which I am working to sort out by carefully studying the Bible. However, God has shown me in His Word a big PART of the answer. And the ROOT of it lies in these simple truths:

Men choose to disobey God’s Word, despite His revealing so much of His power, love, and glory. Men deny Him as their Savior. In doing so, they bring His wrath upon themselves.

The only way to appease (satisfy) God’s wrath is to repent of the sin we are born with and accept the sacrifice that Jesus paid when He suffered and died IN OUR PLACE. Many will do this in the midst of great suffering. He will show them Himself, but they must come to Him by their own choice.

God keeps giving mankind chances to change their ways, invitations to know Him, calls to obey Him. He keeps doing things to get their attention and to make them see the Truth of His Word. Many do! He allows suffering because He knows that through their suffering, many people will realize their need for Him. They will think about eternal things. They will ponder His existence and His intentions for them. They will seek Him and find Him. Through suffering, Christ followers will have new ways to demonstrate the love of Jesus, new ways to reach out to those in need, in Jesus's name. And the Gospel will reach places where it may not otherwise have been reached, as countries open their borders to aid and to practical "emergency response".

But at the same time- with every message God sends (like these powerful earthquakes), MANY men still continue to ignore Him, resist Him, deny Him, mock Him, hate Him, fight Him. God is HOLY and has commanded all men to repent of their sins and to choose Christ’s righteousness for His sake. As they refuse to obey Him, they reap His judgment in this life AND for eternity.

I am praying and believing that many people in Japan will come to know Jesus because of what has happened. I'm sure that many will turn to the Bible for answers, and they will find answers. For the first time in their lives, they'll consider that maybe the Bible is true. We won't see this on CNN and Fox News. But this kind of revelation IS seen in the spiritual realm!! What we perceive as a great loss at first look can be turned to a great victory in the end. If even 2 souls are saved for eternity for every 1 person that perished in the tsunami, then the Kingdom of Jesus has been furthered and His work in the world has been strengthened! We cannot know why the Lord would allow so many to perish in such a tragic way. We have to trust that He is working a bigger plan than what we see! He is working to heal broken hearts and bring people to Himself for eternity...giving them true peace and a measure of love they've never felt before.

Mark and I spent a long time yesterday reading and studying Mark 13 and related passages, especially Revelation 6-8. The theme of REPENTANCE kept coming back. Men NEED TO REPENT and BELIEVE that JESUS SAVED THEM from their sin!

Jesus said in Matthew 4, “REPENT! For the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus said in Mark 1, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent. And believe the Gospel!” Revelation 9 speaks of how men will still live in their sin even after all the disasters they will witness—which are tragedies described in Revelation that don’t even compare with what’s happened in Japan and Haiti. People will still be murdering, stealing, fornicating, and practicing sorcery, after living through the worst horror the world has ever witnessed. Millions of men will NOT repent, even after experiencing the mass destruction and death that God will allow at the end of the world as we know it.

Yes, that’s right. I said END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT. I believe it’s coming. And sooner than we think. I don’t say this to scare you, but to challenge you to think hard about it. Don’t just blow this off. It’s important!

If you believe the Bible is ALL true, then what do you make of Revelation? Do you avoid it because it’s hard to understand? Do you see it as not applicable to the time we’re living in? Is it all symbolic to you, or is it literal and real? I watch the news and I see how God is aligning everything for Christ’s Kingdom on Earth. Things are going to get WAY worse- SERIOUSLY much, much worse- before His Kingdom comes. And THEN we will all be judged based on our relationship with Jesus! Did we accept Jesus as the Sacrifice for our sin? Did we repent and ask Him to remove our sin from our record? If not, we face eternal torment.

This is the first post I am writing on this “subject”. I will be writing several more. Mostly, I want to summarize what the Bible says is going to happen in the “last days”. How much of what it says will happen has ALREADY happened? How far along are we, on God’s timescale? What’s going to happen when it’s “over”? If you are curious or just want to think about it, please read my posts and feel free to ask me questions. I promise to study the Bible and other published works of Bible scholars, and I will provide you with the answers I find, in a simple, easy-to-understand way. I will never “put you down” for disagreeing with me. But I will plead with you to accept the Bible as Truth, to accept Jesus Christ as the ONLY Salvation of sin, the only Way to heaven. I write about this because it’s the most important thing I could ever write about. It’s a matter of eternal life and death.

For now, I challenge you to REPENT and accept Jesus as the Ruler of your LIFE, if you haven’t already. If you HAVE done that, I challenge you to renew the passion for purity and for God’s Word, which may have died out in you. Or perhaps, ask God to give you that passion for the first time. He WILL! Spread the good news of the Gospel EVERY CHANCE YOU GET. Tell others how Jesus has freed you, how His love has made a difference in your life now and forever.

We’ve seen glimpses of God’s judgments AND of His mercy. But the “end of the world” will truly terrify everyone who is living without Jesus as Savior. Don’t let that be you.

At the very END of the Bible, the Lord says, “Don’t let the prophecy of Revelation be sealed up! Because the time is NEAR! I am coming soon, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. The Spirit of God and the Church invite you to COME! Let the one who is thirsty COME (to Me)! Let the one who wishes take the FREE GIFT of eternal LIFE!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. AMEN!” - Revelation 22

AMEN

The Quest for Purity of Heart

If I were to write a book about my life, I would write about the specific revelation which the Lord has given me, in many different particular times of my life, going back to when I was very young, and continuing to this present time. I’ll never cease marveling at the way God reveals Himself, in the exact times that I need to see and hear Him, as He tends to my individual needs, responding to whatever unique perplexity I am experiencing at the time. When I reflect on certain hard times in my life, as an adolescent then young woman then NOT-so-young woman…I see how the Lord has led me through very different and very specific life lessons, teaching me, all the while holding me in His perfect mighty tender loving hands. This is one of those times.

The past few months, the Lord has been showing me His PURITY. And the more I see the complete purity of His love for me, the more I am blown away by it, but also made aware of my need for a PURE love in my own heart. My need for purity of thoughts, purity of mind, of emotion, of motivations, speech, vision, purity of WHOLE SPIRIT! I share this here NOT to claim that I have achieved this, but to proclaim that it CAN be achieved in this life- with deliberate attention targeted straight against its opposite. As I combat my fallen flesh day in and day out, my battle is made simple by striving for this one thing: A PURE HEART.

We can have this! But only by living a life of complete obedience to His commands, complete submission to Him as the Bridegroom Lover of our souls.

As I write this “note”, I ENTREAT YOU to strive after this with me! In overcoming the temptations which are ever upon us, we will stand out to the others in this world who don’t realize or accept Christ’s love for them yet. We will bid them come to HIM just by the nature of our pure hearts. And as Christ’s bride, we will shine gloriously for our Lover, and we’ll be found spotless when He comes for us! AND our earthly marriages will be sanctified before Him! MAJOR BONUS!

We are often asked to view the Lord as our Judge, as our Redeemer, as our Father, as our Friend and Comforter. But He is also our BRIDEGROOM! Ephesians 5 is built on and around this pictorius. It starts with an identification of Christ as the ultimate Giver of love, the sweet-smelling Sacrifice Who gave Himself for us, Who died to His own will completely so we could receive the love of the Father for eternity, and dwell in His presence. Think about that for a minute.

Then, in the VERY NEXT verses of Ephesians 5, we are told to have NOTHING TO DO WITH uncleanness, fornication, filthiness, covetousness, foolish talking and vain jesting. It tells us to REPROVE all of the above. To walk carefully in His light. Giving NO PLACE to anything that would defile us, WISELY KNOWING HIS WILL. And THANKING Him for it! NOT wishing we could live our own way, but THANKING HIM for choosing us out, to live for HIS purposes of purity! WOW again!!

THEN, after all that, the chapter gives the application to the marriage relationship. The husband being the head of one wife, loving her and giving up His own life in sacrifice for her. The wife submitting to his lead, giving up her own life as well, in accepting reverence of him. Verse 33 is not an if-then statement! I believe that the commission it presents is NOT cancelled if one or the other partners fails to fulfill it. It is a directive given separately to both parts of the marriage union! This is the part that goes against the nature of our flesh. If the human wife fails to submit in reverence to her husband, he is still to love her! Christ continues to love us when we don’t submit to Him! Likewise, if the human husband fails to love the wife selflessly, she is STILL TO FOLLOW AFTER HIM! Disobedience to verse 33 on either person’s part does not nullify all the verses in the beginning of the chapter! It doesn’t excuse lasciviousness or extra-marital covetousness of ANY KIND! EVER!

There are times when a husband and wife will not feel fulfilled, justified, appreciated, recognized or even loved. Those times do not excuse a selfish pursuit of sin-justification or seeking out of love from any other source other than God Himself. HE WILL FILL THE VOIDS and give us what we need in those times! And we must always evaluate our “needs” against the reflection of Christ’s image of purity. We don’t “need” ANYTHING that is contrary to His Word! The enemy would have us seek to fill the “voids” in ways that ultimately break down our PURITY of heart. This leads to the reign of sin in our homes and in our communities. We must guard our purity like we would guard our family against an intruding perpetrator trying to get into our home on a dark night.

Proverbs 22:11 tells us that whoever loves pureness of heart will have the king’s friendship; that his lips will grace the king’s presence. Matthew 5:8 tells us that the pure in heart will be blessed, and they will see God. I don’t think Jesus meant they will WAIT to see Him when they die. They’ll see Him NOW! I Timothy tells us of love for each other that comes from a pure heart, love that is of a good conscience, of faith unfeigned. WOW! Shall I continue?? Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on pure things. Proverbs 15 tells us that the words of the pure are pleasant, and that their opposite are a wicked abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 30:5 tells us that EVERY WORD GOD SPEAKS is PURE and that He is a shield to anyone who trusts Him. II Timothy tells us to call unto God out of a pure heart. Hebrews 10 tells us to wash our bodies with pure water, because they are sprinkled with an evil conscience. Revelation 22 describes a river of PURE water in the presence of God. It is a PURE crystal river of life, flowing from the throne of God and the spotless Lamb. James 3 tells us that WISDOM from above is “FIRST of all PURE”. I John 3 tells us that being pure makes us LIKE the most pure Himself.

The Lord doesn’t bring us to an entire understanding of Himself all at once. Our feeble human minds can’t handle it. John the apostle whom Jesus loved came close to this on Patmos. And look how his revelation has brought large volumes of books and commentaries about its meaning, and we STILL cannot fully understand its meaning!

The Lord is unfathomable. But He does lead us consistently through a solid understanding of Himself part by part, gradually, as we seek Him out and continue to find Him. Every lesson he teaches us is woven together for our good, for fulfilling His perfection in us. The Potter’s work in us continues to mold us as we let Him put His hands on our lives. Otherwise we are just formless wet clay spinning on the Potter’s wheel out of control, faster and faster, splattering everywhere making a mess of things, not taking the shape we are intended to. Submitting to Him is giving His hands the control on the wheel that is our very life. So thankful for His suffering, which brought us salvation—that we can’t bring ourselves to hurt Him further with our willful sin, which feels good only for a season. When we see our sin the way He sees it, only then can we grow into what He really wants us to be. Then our communion with Him is richer, sweeter, closer than any human relationship we can ever attain. It is so beautiful.

May you overcome the temptations that present themselves to you, that the Lord allows you to endure, with an upright spirit. May you be entire and wanting nothing. James 1. I want this for every single one of my Facebook friends! I love you.

I give you one last passage; just soak it up like a thirsty sponge! I am meditating on this passage today. From II Timothy 2:

“You then, my child, BE STRONG in the GRACE that is in Christ JESUS. Endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs- he wants to please his commanding officer. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. God’s Word is not chained. I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. If we died with Him, we will also LIVE with Him! If we ENDURE, we will also REIGN with Him! If we disown Him, He will also disown us. But if we are faithless, He WILL REMAIN FAITHFUL, for He cannot disown Himself.”

~AMEN over and over and over until the Lord Jesus takes me in death or in His sweet rapture~

Davida