Tag:

Darkness

Thank You Jesus

by TerryLema

Lately I have been exposed to new music, at least, music that is new to me. I find songs I have not heard before on Sunday mornings at Christian Faith Center Caldwell. I found new songs when I attended church with family while in California. I have found new worship songs as I search YouTube worship music.

I often change my Bible translation because I tend to fall into “ruts” using the same one. I like to be exposed to different translations as it perks me up in my studies. I think we do the same thing with our music. We find songs that we are comfortable with, and we stick with them, but it is good to be exposed to others also.

The one that has resonated with me most lately is, “Thank You Jesus for the Blood,” performed by Charity Gayle. I woke up singing the chorus to that song this morning.

“Thank you, Jesus, for the blood applied. Thank you, Jesus, You have washed me white. Thank you, Jesus, You have saved my life. Brought me out of darkness into glorious light.”

There is so much good theology in this song. This morning I was thinking about the light, that glorious light that we now dwell in, and that now dwells in us.

Colossians 1:13: “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.” [HCSB]

1 Peter 2:9: “Proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” [HCSB]

John 8:12: “Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.’” [HCSB]

“Thank you, Jesus, for the blood applied…Brought me out of darkness into glorious light.”

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Light and Darkness

by TerryLema

The Bible gives a clear picture of the attitudes and actions of the last days. Paul tells Timothy in his second letter that the last days will become increasingly difficult.

“Know this,” Paul writes, “Difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.” [3:1-5a HCSB]

Proof of this is all around us. Our movies, television shows, and online media all reflect it. Our evening news reports it. Our educational facilities are confronted with it. No matter where we turn, the darkness that is to characterize the last days is expanding around us.

How often have we heard (or even uttered) the phrase, “The world is getting darker.” And yes, it is getting darker. But where the darkness increases, light shines brighter. And our God is ALL LIGHT!  

“Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.” [1 John 1:5 HCSB]

Are you noticing how God’s Light is shining brighter against the darkness? Revivals or renewals are springing up, young people are responding to God’s invitation of salvation, churches are being reborn. After all, darkness does not stand a chance against Light.  Darkness has no ability to overcome Light.

“And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.”  [Ecclesiastes 2:13 HCSB]

Light, beyond all doubt, has the advantage!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Darkness and Light

by TerryLema

A few years ago, I took my then 18-year-old grandson to Washington DC. One of the places we toured was the National Art Gallery. There was a display of an artist I particularly wanted to see in Gallery 50-something. Carter, however, wanted to start our tour in Gallery 1 and hit every gallery in between, which we did.

One thing I noticed was the way ancient artists displayed the Christ Child, usually with a halo, but always with a glorious light surrounding His face, or His manger.  In many paintings, He looked like a glowing little old man sitting on Mary’s lap.

I’m not sure that’s what Mary saw that night.  I think she saw a newborn baby, common in every way. There was no halo, no supernatural light in that stable or around that manger. That perhaps is the most miraculous thing about this child. God with us. Housed in a common body. Born in a common way. To common everyday folks.

But with that common birth, everything changed. Darkness was doomed. Light now broke through the darkness that had permeated the human race since Adam was banished from the Garden.

Light, God’s light, would soon take up residence in the hearts of men and women who would come to Him through His grace by faith.  For through this little common newborn, God would redeem mankind and give us light to behold His glory.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” [2 Cor 4:6]

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The Dark Ages

by TerryLema

We have probably all heard the term, “The Dark Ages.” We may have even studied it in history. There is some debate about the exact time frame and the exact meaning or who even coined the phrase.

I hear a lot today about our world getting darker and darker. “They” say it as if darkness is something new. I beg to differ.  This world has been dark for generations, ever since the first generation caved to the temptation of the enemy in the Garden and doubted God and His Word.  Sin and death entered, and the world became a hostile, dark, ugly realm.

We know it was so dark in the days of Noah that God even regretted creating mankind. [Genesis 6:5-6]

It was dark in the days of Moses when Pharaoh oppressed the people of God with slavery and heavy burdens.

It was dark in the days of Jeremiah when God’s people were so occupied with idols that He had to send them into captivity to get their attention.

It was dark in the 400 years after Malachi prophesied leading up to birth of Jesus recorded in the Gospels.

Then Christ came, and light entered those who placed their trust in Him. But still, the unbelieving world was dark. And as Paul told Timothy in his second letter, perilous times will come in the last days. [2 Timothy 3]

Darkness reigns in this world until Christ Jesus, the Light of the World, comes and banishes sin and death into eternal oblivion. The Dark Ages began in the Garden, but their reign is coming to an end. Christ Jesus, the King of Kings and LORD of Lords defeated them at the cross and will abolish them eternally when this world’s kingdom becomes the Kingdom of our God and King. [Revelation 12:10]

Our Father …Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

0 comment
FacebookEmail

His Light Shines Upon Us

by TerryLema

Psalm 118: 27-29: “The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

What a beautiful way to end a difficult month. Our LORD is God. Christ Jesus has made His light shine upon us. The world around us can be a dark, scary place but our citizenship is not in the darkness, it is in the light. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” [2 Corinthians 4:6]

And if that doesn’t make your heart leap for joy, let Colossians 1:14 remind you that “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

In Idaho, our Governor is allowing churches to open their doors after May 1 in the first step of starting up our economy. I am so pleased that on May 10, we will have our first indoor church service. (Granted there are restrictions about social distancing and masks, etc.)

For many, the opening of our economy again is as if the “light” is finally breaking through our current darkness. While that may be true from the world’s perspective, in God’s perspective we broke through into the light the moment we surrendered our lives to Jesus as Savior and LORD. He took us out of the dark scary place we were in and translated us into the kingdom of His Dear Son – a kingdom of light and love and forgiveness and redemption.

What a joy Psalm 118 has been to my heart. I pray it has been to yours also. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Amen & Amen.

0 comment
FacebookEmail