THIS LIGHT OF MINE

When I was a little boy we would sing, “This Little Light of Mine” and do all of the hand jives to keep Satan from blowing out our light or testifying I will not hide it under a bushel, but never did we sing about us or a friend blowing it out. One thing I have noticed in my many years walking with the LORD is when I meet someone who thinks my light is a little brighter than their light there is sudden discord. I wonder why we think our light is brighter than somebody else’s? I wonder why we think we are more spiritual than the next person? If we really knew what God was doing in our brothers and sisters lives we would be shocked and probably jealous, but there is the rub. We are to just keep our light lit and not worry about someone else’s light, but it seems we often get off track with a bushel basket in hand and go looking for lights who are dimmer than ours. This is not the way God has arranged things. Why do we think our light is brighter than someone else’s? Paul talked a lot about this problem with regards to the early church. In Galatia Paul writes, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” (Galatians 6:2-4) At the Church in Rome Paul shares these words, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3) I wonder why we think we are greater than we are and more highly exalted than what we are? We all are just one breathe from eternity yet we think we are greater than our fellow Christian brothers or sisters. We have no ability in God except for what God gives us. Our words (if from God) are His words. Why do we say we have a special revelation from God? After all but for God seeking us we would be lost. Sometimes we are told this and think we are seeking God, but that is not true He is always seeking us. He even loved us while we were yet in sin. He has been seeking us from the day He sought Adam and He has never been yet satisfied. The eternal attitude of God toward humanity is that of a seeking God. I find it funny when people say they are chasing after God, but how can we run after someone who is to be inside of us? As we advance in God and as we move on in Him it is wonderful how the Holy Spirit can keep projecting before us unexplored areas in us and in the world that we have yet to move into. We say He reigns and rules in our heart; this is very true, but has He found the absolute and perfect control and possession of us? The longer I go the more I see God’s desire to possess me, but I also see how I resist His approach. Paul said it this, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18) but, God’s goal in all of this is to be able to reveal our heart to us. Revelation in God opens our eyes to a situation or an area then goes deeper to reveal how we measure up in this area or situation. He shows us about love and then reveals how loveless we can be at times. He shows us faithfulness and then reveals how faithless we can be at times, all to train and develop us. He wants to take hold of us, to shape us, mold us, even do miracles in us (our change of character and nature), and with us. And someday Jesus will take us out of this world, out of time, and present us to the Ancient of Days the great desire of His heart. He desires that He shall have something to present to His Father. Now do not let your heart be deceived into thinking that any experience, I do not care how profound it may be, how moving it may be, how very revolutionizing it may be which God leads you will ever mature you. Do not allow yourself to come under the power of an experience and then live in that and build your life around it. Someday when we are released from this earth and taken to be with the LORD we cannot come back and have a redo what we have done in the past will be what we present. What of any spiritual value in us will be all we will be able to carry with us into the next age from what we have allowed God to work in our lives. Our Christian life with God is not about working for God, but becoming something in God. We must not be upset if God is not using us to make a manifestation out here of our life; say as a preacher, teacher, a great evangelist, or missionary. He does not want that from us. He is not expecting it from us. He had one Paul, and He had one Peter. He has one of you and you are the only specific edition of who you are. He is desirous of possessing every last individual that He can find to accomplish in that individual the thing for which He has brought you into time to experience. If He has called you to be a great preacher, then preach. If He has called you to be a good farmer, then be a good farmer. The whole thing swings from this perspective “whosoever will do the will of God” that is all that He is asking. If it is to plant potatoes, then plant the potatoes to the glory of God, and sing all the while you are planting them. We become entangled in the mechanism and forget the objective. Do not lose your objective. Keep it always before you: the Glory of God and our life surrendered. Did you know commitment leads to surrender? There is a huge difference. We will never surrender our life to God as He desires unless first we are committed to Him and His ways. The totality of us being disciplined, educated, trained, and conformed happens by the 1,000 and one things that God throws into our lives. If I am called to be a meat cutter, how many know that this is a sacred calling? What makes it sacred? Cutting meat? No! What makes it holy? It is the will of God for my life. Not the meat cutting, but the will of God. And if we can do this, then we can move on as none of us have arrived. We are in the process of becoming and we will be in this process until the LORD takes us home. God dealt with our sin. He did that in a very short order, but it takes a life time to deal with our character and nature. The LORD is saying, “I have been dealing with all that externally. Now I want to come in here and get a hold of you.” This is what makes it difficult. Truth will always disturb you. But it has a two-fold way of disturbing and moving. If we allow it truth will actually slay us. But it will also be the truth that will resurrect us at the same time. We see this in operation in 1 Samuel, “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.” (1 Samuel 2:6) How can God do this? Do you see these two opposing forces and how we can vacillate between them? What a strange effect it has upon life. He talks about death, but He also talks about life. He talks about the slaying, the crucifying, but He also talks about the resurrection and the life, but listen all that must have correct application or otherwise we become unbalanced and get over in thinking we are greater than someone else, greater than we really are, or that our light is brighter than others. Make no mistake my friend for those who cannot handle the truth – truth will kill them and every relationship that they have that is not built on a Godly foundation, but at the same time the Spirit will give life as long as there is an open heart by the receiver and a heart willing to give love. Paul told the Church at Corinth, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) In other words Paul was telling them without “charity” (love) their lights are not the brightest lights on the tree. Our revelation of God must change our character and if it does not then it is nothing more than “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” My friend when someone thinks their light is brighter than another’s they will think they are superior to another brother or sister, but this nothing but arrogance and pride something God despises. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples He did not tell them how much better He was than them. When someone operates in ministry with this type of thinking their ministry becomes all about them and what God is going in them and not about what God is doing for others through them. Self-projection through over spiritualization of events is one’s life can develop this spiritual superiority among the brethren and if we have not allowed God to deal with this character flaw in our lives it will only serve to magnify this character flaw even the more. For example: wanting someone to carry your bag, always wanting the front seat of car, or looking to be exalted in basic conversation. A deep revelation of God my friend should cause us to be more compassionate and giving and not selfish wanting to be served. Again, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples He placed no condition for His friendship. I have good friend (I still call him friend and brother) who has not talked to me in three years because I told him the truth about a question he asked me about himself and in order to reestablish our relationship I must meet certain requirements and conditions he has established. I now see our past 30 year relationship was always one sided, but he would never admit it. As long as I did the things he thought I should do to maintain our friendship things were fine, but if I ever broke any of these unstated rules he would separate himself from our friendship as he did. After all his light is brighter than mine (he told me so) after all he is more spiritual than I am (he told me so) and has a richer, deeper more fuller (he told me so) revelation of God than I do. But that is not what Paul said, “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” My friend when we think our light is brighter than our brothers and sisters we are deceiving ourselves. Let us not think we are better or greater than others. Let us take heed not to think our little light is brighter than the next man if so God will show us it is not and blow our little light out. Written by David Stahl

A MEDITATION ON EASTER

Around Christmas time last year I shared some thoughts on Christ not being a baby and now as we draw closer to what many call the Easter season I would like to share some thoughts on this topic. First, the word we use to express the great victory of Christ, “Easter” is found once in the KJV of the Bible and has nothing to do with the Gospel; the death, the burial, and (our blessed hope of glory) the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word “Easter” is found in Acts and is talking about Peter not Jesus, “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” (Acts 12:4) and is translated from the Greek as Passover, again it has nothing to do with the Gospel message. I am not going to go into all of the pagan rituals and religious traditional practices that surround the historical myth of Easter my intent is to lift up the name of Jesus. But, my friend we have “truly” (taking something from the physical realm and projecting it into the spiritual realm) drifted so far from the true meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the great price He paid for my sin and your sin. We have insulted God’s supreme act of giving His only begotten Son and the truth for an emotional swell during the holiday season, to increase church attendance, and to spread ones denominational message under the guise of sharing the Gospel. We do so much in church that displeases God and cover it up by saying we are sharing the Gospel. God please forgive us. God does not need special services that effect our emotions and feelings to share the Gospel message. God needs dedicated and consistent children to follow Him and His basic plan. A few years ago I heard a statement from a pastor (of a church we once attended) that just shook me to my knees. He said after Jesus was arrested and crucified the light of the world went out. How my spirit quivered within me. How my stomach churned and ached for this fellow’s words were not true, but was in keeping with the emotional Easter tradition. At no point in time has Jesus not been the light of the world. My friend even when Jesus obediently and willfully laid His life down, He was still in control; of all Heaven, earth, hell, and will always be the light of the world. His light will never go out. Death could not hold Him, the grave could not hold Him, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) Because this is true about Jesus we too can say, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” Let us not be led by our emotions and plans to practice an Easter season, but be led by the Holy Spirit to know and understand the true message of the Gospel. This my friend is the message that will change your life forever. At the Passover Supper (before He went out into the garden) Jesus knew the garden experience was there and He knew that the cross, death, the grave, and hell was waiting Him. Yet Jesus went out with a hymn in His heart, “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:29) How could He do that? He could sing because He had the victory already in His heart. The victory and trust He had in His Father to carry Him through the garden, onto the cross, and into and out of the grave. He knew His Father would never leave Him nor forsake Him. The victory was first won as the Father pressed out the life and will of Jesus at Gethsemane (which means where oil is pressed), “Then saith he unto them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:38-39) Knowing what was before Him Jesus could still break bread with His disciples, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) Knowing what was ahead for Him Jesus could still give thanks, “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28) He could only do this because it was the most sublime manifestation of faith ever expressed. We think He had faith when He restored sight to the blind, strengthened limbs, and raised the dead. Yes that was wonderful, but we must see the spiritual side of things. We must see the necessity of faith in the realm of the Spirit, not in the flesh (like the Easter myth), but the realm of the Spirit where we have the faith to dare to believe like Jesus. It is Jesus’ victorious life which leads up to His victorious death and that is what presents Him as the Lamb without spot and blemish. When seen on the Mount of Transfiguration, He is a Lamb without spot or blemish, but it is a Lamb that has been slain! We are not saved by His life we are saved by His death. His life is exemplary it is beautiful, but He did not come to display great character and to do miracles, He came to die for us. The way of life is through a region of death and unless we partake of His death we shall never reign with Him. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” (Romans 6:3-5) The truth of the season is a bitter sweet message of death so that we may live. It is not about new clothing, many church activities, special foods, and musical programs to get people to come to church, but it is about us loving God enough to be willing (like Jesus) to fall into the ground and die, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24)And, to love God’s word enough in simplicity to share it without fanfare and emotional ceremony knowing the Holy Spirit will do His work in lives. Then too we will be able to say we have before the throne (our heart) of God today a victorious risen Lord. Let us keep the love feast of Jesus’ sacrifice. Let us honor Him and His work in us and for those who we are to lead to the cross for His glory. Let not this season be a myth or holiday, but an invitation to life, the life of God. Written by David Stahl