Keep the Light Shining!

"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. ²¹ In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel."

Exodus 27:20-21

God commanded the lamp in the tabernacle and later the temple was to burn continually in the Holy Place.  From evening until morning it was to be carefully attended by the priests before the LORD.  Oil was to be added and wicks trimmed through the night to ensure it remained lit throughout the night.  Light was to shine continually in the Holy Place though the sun disappeared and night fell.

In the days of the Judges, we read men did what was right in their eyes.  Though God's Law had been committed to His people and the tabernacle had been erected according to God's design, the days were dark.  The priests had neglected the command of God to keep the light burning, and the implications for Christians today are enormous.  We read in 1 Samuel 3:1-4:  "Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. ² And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, ³ and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, ⁴ that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!" 

There are several telling observations from this text.  The word of the LORD was rare in those days.  There was no widespread revelation.  Eli, the High Priest descended from Aaron's line, was physically blind.  His eyes had grown increasingly dim to the point of blindness.  Whilst Eli laid himself to sleep, the lamp of God was permitted to burn out in the tabernacle of the LORD.  How suggestive is this!  Eli and his sons neglected to tend the lamp of God according to His command, and it was an indicator of their slack approach to God.  1 Samuel describes the sons of Eli as desperately wicked, and though Eli heard all about their debauchery he did nothing to stop them.  There is a clear connection in the passage between allowing the lamp of God to burn out and blindness, lack of vision and divine revelation, and the rarity of the word of the LORD.  The priests had despised the commandment of God and embraced sleep instead.  Darkness in the temple resulted in blindness, ignorance, and distance from God.

One glorious truth in this tragic passage is though the light was permitted to burn out, God spoke directly to a young boy who did not even know the LORD yet!  It may have seemed a helpless situation with ever-increasing darkness and wickedness, but God graciously revealed Himself to someone who would be faithful to hear and speak forth His truth.  The lamp of God was permitted to burn out, but the light of life shone through little Samuel even as a child, and none of his words fell to the ground.  Jesus said in John 8:12, "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  Jesus also told His followers in Matthew 5:14:  "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."  Jesus is the Light of the World, and all who repent and are born again through faith in Him have the Holy Spirit living within them.  Oil is a type of the Spirit who sets us aflame, the fuel to empower Christians to comprehend and live out the scriptures in truth.  We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus went on to say in Matthew 5:16:  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

If you are a Christian, consider these questions:  is hearing from God a rarity in your life?  Is fresh understanding and personal application from the scriptures seldom experienced by you?  When you read the Bible is it dry and dull?  Is your vision increasingly dim?  It could very well be due to the neglect of obedience to God's Word.  Perhaps you have never been baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  Maybe the Holy Spirit has been quenched, resisted, and grieved by decisions you have made.  Praise the LORD, there is hope for those born blind as well as those whose eyes have gone dim!  Acts 9:17-18 speaks of when Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and his eyes were opened.  "And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized."

How is your vision, dear Christian?  Have you recognised your desperate need for spiritual sight and light from the Holy Spirit?  If your heart has been darkened by sin, there is hope for you in Jesus Christ.  Jesus will forgive, heal, and restore those who admit they are blind, yet those who believe they see will remain blind.  No matter how dark the world becomes, Jesus remains the Light of the World.  Instead of doing what is right in your own eyes, obey God's commands faithfully night and day.  Keep His light shining bright!

Surrender, Praise, and Enjoy!

There is truly nothing more exciting, humbling, and amazing than being part of God's forever family.  The life God has for us is better and broader than we could ever have dreamed up for ourselves.  God is faithful to lead and guide His people faithfully, providing for our necessities and granting opportunities to serve all over the world.  It is wonderful when we experience the joy and peace of God and are content in our circumstances - only to have God prompt us to go through an open door He has sovereignly placed before us.  God's ways are past finding out, and what a joy to know it is He who will be faithful to lead us every step of the way.

Years ago I served on staff at Calvary Chapel El Cajon with Lynette Lynn.  A time came when God moved her to another local ministry where she has been serving for six years.  She posted a status update that took me back in my mind to the time when I discovered God had called me out of ministering in San Diego and would establish my family and me in Australia.  I was blessed by her honesty, transparency, and obedience to share what God revealed and confirmed to her heart.  And with her permission, I am delighted to share her exhortation to faith in God with you!

In early July I sat on the beach with Lord, journal in hand, asking Him to speak to me. As I stared out at the ocean God reminded me of my love for roller coasters. Just as quickly He reminded me of that love, He reminded me of one ride that I HATE at Magic Mountain called "Viper." The reason I hate Viper is because the beginning of the ride goes VERY slowly, giving me 30 seconds to think about all the possible ways I might die on the ride. I love roller coasters that start out fast and end fast because there is no time for me to think. Naturally, I asked God why He was talking to me about roller coasters. Clearly He impressed on my heart this message "Lynette, you have two choices when it comes to doing what I ask you to do. One choice is to hang on for dear life and white-knuckle this ride. The other choice is to put your hands up in surrender and praise and enjoy the ride. The reality is, the ride is taking the same course no matter how you decide to ride."

As I sat there marinating in that thought, God made it clear that my season at the Rock Church had ended. I sat there shocked...I've been there 6 years and I was convinced I would be there until the day I died. I left the beach and didn't tell anyone, including my husband what God had told me. I spent the longest week of my life wrestling with the Lord. I was anxious all the time. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat (much), was in tears at the drop of a hat. I was irritable, angry and just lacking peace. I finally decided I would tell my husband Bob what God had told me. His response: "Lynette, I would go anywhere God told us to go, even the desert." My response: "Whoa, that's just crazy talk! You know I am a beach girl." Well... as God would have it, one text, and 2 hours later I received an email from a church in Indian Wells, Ca. (IN THE DESERT) looking for a someone to direct their Kids Ministry!

I don't want to make this long post any longer but I will tell you that I have NEVER EVER seen God's hand so clearly in directing my life. I would say there has been a minimum of 20 different ways God has confirmed this is the way we should go. So the bottom line is, I am humbled and honored to say that I have accepted a position at Southwest Community Church. We are packing up our world in San Diego and moving to the DESERT (this must be God) early in the month of November. Everything is moving so fast, last night our house went on the market and today we are having an Open House. As Bob Goff would say "We are living on the edge of YIKES."

What I do want to say is that there is NO GREATER JOY than being in the center of God's will. The past month has been a crazy roller coaster ride and every day I have to CHOOSE to put my hands up in SURRENDER and PRAISE and enjoy this ride!  Friends, if God is calling you to do something, whether big or small JUST DO IT and receive the blessing He has for you!

The Wisdom From Above

In the Matrix film trilogy, there is a character deemed the "Oracle."  Morpheus and Neo sought her advice concerning the future because they believed she had wisdom they needed to be successful in their efforts.  Most things the Oracle said were ambiguous and unclear.  She limited herself and would not say all she knew, but said enough to put her seekers on the right path.  The implication is they would have to discover the truth for themselves - an approach which fits well in our current day of the embrace of relative truth.  Unfortunately this approach to wisdom is not limited to the science fiction but has been accepted as truth.  Relativism by many has been deemed absolute truth in a time when the existence of moral absolutes is flatly rejected.  There is great irony here for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

The wisdom of God is nothing like what often passes for wisdom in this world.  Wisdom is far more than information or even the correct appropriation or personal application of knowledge.  The Bible says the "Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."  True, genuine wisdom comes only from God.  Wisdom is not displayed by knowledge, belief, or mental understanding, but through the fear and reverence of God.  A wise man believes God exists, created all things, and is in control.  He recognises God is not like a man, and men are naturally opposed to God.  This means man, despite his best efforts, cannot know or walk in the wisdom of God.  The scriptures say that when fallen, faithless men see God's wisdom openly displayed, it appears to them foolishness (1 Cor. 2:14)!  Conversely, 1 Corinthians 3:19 says, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness."

The wise of this world flaunt their knowledge, yet the truly wise are revealed in their willingness to receive correction from God.  A wise man realises in his natural state he is not inclined to do God's will and therefore needs to be changed from within.  He must be born again and embrace a life of being changed more into the image of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Christianity is more than hearing God's Word and doing it:  the implication is after being born again we must choose to accept God's way of thinking and live in dependance and obedience to His Word.  Our old life and ways of thinking must be replaced with God's plans for our future.  Jesus told a parable in Matthew 7:24-28:  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

The foolish man in the parable heard the words of Jesus but chose to build in a place and in a way he saw fit.  He disregarded the instruction and correction of God.  Though he no doubt worked very hard at great expense, because his house was not firmly established on the rock it all fell to pieces when the storm hit.  He put aside God's plans for building his life and decided instead to build his dream home according to his own design and in the location he preferred.  He wanted beachfront property and he temporarily obtained his desire.  Sadly, all those efforts were a tragic waste.  The wise man heard the words of Jesus and chose to throw out his own plans.  He decided God's location and plans for building a life were better than his own.  He embraced all changes to his plans, methods, and future God demanded.  He built on the rock when a house on the beach still  sounded amazing.  Perhaps he would have been happy to build in the exclusive community that built on the sandy bluffs overlooking the sunrise.  I am not suggesting beachfront property cannot have a solid foundation on the rock.  The point is, wisdom is displayed in our willingness to admit our plans need to change, our way of thinking must change, our idea of a dream future on this earth must change, everything about us must change according to God's revealed design in His Word.

There are many smart, knowledgeable people in this world who do not possess wisdom from above.  They may be very wealthy, successful, influential, and powerful, yet they still lack God's wisdom.  James 3:13-18:  "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."  The wisdom is displayed through meekness, not arrogance or pride.  The wisdom of God is revealed in motives of love and humility.  True wisdom is not shown by how much we know or what we believe we have accomplished, but in gentleness and willingness to yield to God's control and commands in daily living.  The righteousness of a Christian is obtained by grace through faith in Christ, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace.  Wisdom is revealed when we accept chastening from God and even correction from men.

Are you willing to yield when Christ speaks?  Will wisdom from above be displayed in your life when you lay down your precious plans and adopt God's plans for your conduct, life, and thinking through scripture?  Only Christians have the wisdom from above, but do not be deceived to think by virtue of your beliefs by default you are living wisely.  How many times have we built something God condemned because it was not in His plans!  How easy it is to stray from building on the foundation of Christ because we have decided our ideas and plans are best.  Our plans are precious because we've poured our hearts into them, they cost us a fortune, and we are not willing to give them up!  True wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, and willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and hypocrisy.  When you read "partiality and hypocrisy," don't primarily think of how you relate to others, but how we can be partial and hypocritical concerning ourselves.  When it comes to biblical change, Christians are wise to adopt a "Me first!" approach.  Mary told the servants, "Whatever Jesus says, do it!" and we are wise to heed her words!  Wisdom is not something we discover on our own, but something Jesus is for us.  1 Corinthians 1:30-31 says, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- ³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."

Mourners and Mockers

Once a man named Jairus came to Jesus and asked him to heal his sick daughter.  As they made their way to his house, a messenger came bearing bad news:  the twelve-year-old girl had died.  "Do not trouble that Master any more," was the suggestion.  What more could Jesus do now?  Jesus told Jairus, "Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole."  They continued their trek to the house of Jairus.

When they arrived at the residence, many mourners wailed the passing of the girl.  Luke 8:52-53 says, "Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping." ⁵³ And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead."  The KJV says the mourners "laughed Jesus to scorn," knowing she was dead.  They knew a dead body when they saw one!  Who was this man who suggested they should cease mourning?  If she wasn't breathing, how could she be sleeping?  His suggesting was insulting and offensive.  They did not know it yet, but it was the mourners who were the offenders.  They insulted Jesus with their mockery, for they did not believe Jesus had power over death.

The mourners wailed over the girl's death, but Jesus was in the home to restore life.  They believe mourning was a more valid response than to suggest the girl merely slept.  Jesus, being God, was able to discern the truth concerning the girl's condition.  She appeared dead and lifeless, but it was not a time to sorrow for Jesus Christ had come.  Her permanent condition could be reversed because Jesus had the power to do whatever He wants.  After sending out the mourners turned mockers, Jesus took the little girl by the hand and told her to rise.  Her eyes opened and she stood up!  It was a remarkable display of the power of Jesus Christ to save, even when hope seemed an impossible dream.

How many times do we mourn because we do not believe anyone - even God - has the power to redeem or restore the situations we face!  This event proves even death is not a problem when the Resurrection and the Life is in the house.  If Jesus is our Saviour we are more than conquerors through Him.  The mourners and mockers were thrown out and did not see the miracle.  That is true for us as well.  Whether we mourn or mock in disbelief, insulted at the prospect of hope or restoration, we will not experience the power of God working in our lives.  How important it is we believe and trust, knowing that Jesus is able to accomplish what concerns us today according to God's perfect will.