GREENE STREET LETTERS: KEEPING IN THE LIGHT

Sunday, October 9, 2022

KEEPING IN THE LIGHT

Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a lamp to my path.

I love this verse from Psalm 119, as well as the picture above. To me the picture represents the truth about life. The person in the picture is walking surrounded by darkness. Periodically light shines on their way as they pass by each lamp post. It gives just enough light to get them to the next post where there will be more light.

Isn't life like that when you are trying to follow God? He sheds or illuminates your path just enough to keep you moving forward. But then there are those times when you find yourself between lamp posts (so to speak). A place where there is light behind you as well as in front of you, yet you are in a measure of darkness.

As we travel, or move through this life, God illuminates our past (what is behind us) just enough to remind us of our history in following Him. Those moments where we might not have understood exactly what was going on, but we knew and were aware of that something greater than ourselves was at work. Such events that happened in our past should bring us comfort today.

So as we move forward from our past, we find ourselves in a kind of in-between place where we haven't reached the next lamp post of God's instruction. We can see and feel the darkness that is all around us. Yet there before us is the next point of illumination that God has planned for us. Do we cut and run? Afraid of what may be next? Or do we push forward knowing that with the light that we will walk into, there will be a clearer understanding of our situations and circumstances. Being bathed in the light affords us an opportunity to repent of any sin that we may have picked up during our time in the darkness. Being bathed in the light will remind us of how much God loves us, and His desire to see us grow and mature in Him.

In the picture above, there are only four lamp posts. Beyond the 4th light, stretches more darkness with no light in sight. That represents our future. We can't see what is headed our way.....but we must trust that by the time we move beyond that fourth lamp post, There will be others that God has placed along our way. Trust Him........Obey Him......Listen for Him......Love Him.

God on you....

michael b.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Sunday, October 9, 2022

KEEPING IN THE LIGHT

No comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD