John 1:4-5, 9
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.
ALL that God has surrounded us with serves a greater purpose, we just need "eyes to see" and a desire to understand.
Light is so much more than mere illumination which exposes what is hidden from sight by darkness...
"Believe in the Light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light..." John 12:36
Why do we so quickly default to a superficial understanding of Light?
We think of our sinful actions being hidden by darkness, then Jesus enters the room with His flashlight to expose what is occurring. Light simply allows us to see what had been cloaked in darkness.
But...
What is it about how God made LIGHT?
Why are we told that God dwells in unapproachable LIGHT?
Why did Jesus' face shine like the sun, and clothes become white as LIGHT?
Genesis 1:3 / 1 Timothy 6:16 / Matthew 17:2
Why do we say that an evil person has a "black heart"?
There is much more about Light for us to learn from.
Before people understood how a prism works, God manifested the components of Light in the sky.
Light is more than illumination; it exposes the way everything in Creation interacts with it. Objects appear as the color which they reflect, white reflects all while black absorbs all.
Light is an object lesson in Love... God emits love as the sun emits light.
Light flows from the Sun and is a necessity for life on this world. Some plants feed upon the light and produce fruit, vegetables, grains, herbs, materials for building. Other plants feed upon the light and produce thorns or poison, they encroach into areas and overtake other plants, roads, structures.
Some receive the light and act like wheat while others take and act like tares.
Love flows from God and has enabled all people to "Live and move and have our being".
God gives the crown jewel of His Creation life and sustenance; not merely bread and water, monotone in color, and flat in landscape. Look around at the diversity and beauty, look at the abilities and opportunities... His Love, from Him to us.
God Loves in abundance, so that mankind (made in His image and His likeness) is enabled to Love as He loves.
"We love because He first Loved us". - 1 John 4:19
But mankind (made male/female) decided to follow Satan's example and hoard portions of God's Love for themselves, thus breaking the Greatest of all Commands (Matthew 22:37).
God's Love (as pure Bright Light) no longer shown upon mankind as the gleaming white reflection of their Creator, but now displayed the attributes of absorption. No longer were we white as snow, but now our sins shown bold as scarlet.
Sin was actualized into existence and affected all of Creation with its consequence.
When the created hoard God's sustenance for our own self, it drains.
We, as with all objects in His universe, began to retain portions of God's provision which manifests what Science identified as the Laws of Thermodynamics. The Universe cannot actually "drain" omnipotence, but the God of radiant love did not make creation to take, yet God showed mercy and granted a portion of time for Repentance and Redemption.
God set a time limit for this rebellion to cease, and ALL of Creation began to wind down as this effect of sin governed it.
LIGHT EXPOSES
Why is the "Holy city Jerusalem coming down from Heaven" clear (as crystal)?
Why is the gold in Heaven "as clear glass"? - Revelation 21:11,18, 21
Why then, in the presence of the Lamb, is there no longer need for the sun and there will be, "No more night"? - Revelation 22:23, 25
Why did Peter, James and John see Jesus transfigured in such a way that, "His face shown like the sun, and His clothes become white as Light"? - Matthew 17:1-2
Because purity absorbs nothing!
The disciples upon the Mount of Transfiguration beheld Christ in His glory, His natural state... Pure Radiant Love. This Gleaming Brightness came into our dark world of absorption, a Pure Love that our darkened hearts of stone could not comprehend.
"And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, and the people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil." - John 3:19
Why did people hate Jesus?
How could anyone, then and now, hate Love Incarnate? Because their actions were evil, they wanted to keep love to themself, and Jesus showed a more excellent way... The greatest way of Love (Completely Sacrificial).
Jesus declared, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for My sake (on account of Me) will find it." - Matthew 16:25
Satan despises and hates Radiant Love.
Satan declared, "I will..." five times (Isaiah 14:13-14).
Satan deceived Eve and tempted Adam into rebelling from loving God with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength; and to instead "love themself".
Then, once sin (selfishness) was actualized, Satan accused them before a Holy God and mankind knew they were exposed and attempted to hide in darkness. Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her and Adam blamed God for giving him the woman.
SELF was now aware and absorbing... "We are naked!! Let us hide ourselves from God!"
Why have Governments throughout history fervently despised and hated Christians (people who are commanded to live in peace and obedience to their rulers)?
Why do people continue today to disparage, ridicule, marginalize, and hate Christians?
People enjoy loving self and taking what they can. We justify this by saying, "I worked for that, I deserve that, That's mine." We use God's time and talents to produce for me, my, mine first and foremost. We appease conscience with religion and charity. The Holy Spirit's attempts to conform us to the Image of Christ are stagnated by our continued justification for loving Self.
"God wants me (my, mine) happy with MY life." We think that the obvious hoarding of God's provision is His "Blessing" for us, the fruit of our own labor, the consequence of being good.
But Scripture declares, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." - Luke 12:48
Governments are animated by fallen people, and fallen people hoard (accumulate power and possessions) for SELF.
Rulers, and the ruling class, want to dictate what love is and how love will be disseminated. Kingdoms of this world do not want to be exposed by expressions of genuine Godlike love, so caring for the sick, abandoned, and poor have been co-opted from the Church. The Church has allowed Government to take over orphanages, hospitals, universities; all of which began by obedient followers of Christ to care for the needy and equip people for service. Government has coerced the Christians to turn inward with their expressions of Love and Devotion, to turn from a free exercise of Faith (living out one's convictions) into a free exercise of Worship (an inward dedication and devotion).
The American Church now focuses on me, my, mine while appeasing conscience with random acts of charity and support. We claim to be rich and obedient, but at best we are neither hot nor cold. We claim to need nothing (other than a newer or larger building, a newer or larger Church bus, a larger attendance or contributions) but we continue to look no more like Christ this year than last, this decade than last.
These seem like such harsh words, but the human heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. The "rich" can rarely (if ever) find the more excellent way precisely because it is the very attributes that lead to accumulating possessions and wealth that keep us from Loving like Christ.
The Love of God shines upon us, but we absorb more than reflect. We love me, my, mine more than "The least of these My brethren".
Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:26
Obedient Love, as Christ displayed, is receiving God's Love with faith and gratitude then as good stewards meeting the needs of others (and the needs of our self for service) in order to Glorify the God of Love, which is done by Loving like God.
Godlike love is meeting my and other's needs (to the neglect of me, my, and mine's greed).
Worldly love is meeting my and other's greeds (to the neglect of those in need).
This verse in Luke (vs.14:26) declares how we must hate the "selfishness" found in me, my, mine which inhibits or prohibits us from growing in "otherness" like Jesus displayed.
Christlikeness is not found in the love of nepotism.
God designed and purposed family to draw an individual out of self, but the World repurposed (perverted) family into a safe bastion for self. Within Family we build esteem and cater to the very self that Christ commands us to deny.
"If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24
Those with Jesus assumed that He would want to prioritize His family above others, but when prompted to do so Jesus displayed the more excellent way.
Jesus said, "Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?" And looking around at those who sat around Him, "Here are My mother and brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." - Mark 3:31-35
Do you prioritize your spouse well above others? Cater to her/his desires far beyond needs... because you have created the means to do so? Do you lovingly "spoil" them?
What if, your first spouse died early so you remarried. But likewise, your second, third, and forth spouse passed on before you did... Which wife or husband do you owe more allegiance and affection to in the next life? Who do you "spoil" in Heaven?
Jesus corrected our thinking, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." - Matthew 22:29
The very priorities we place on who we love and how we love do not exist in the Kingdom... All will love like God, perfectly (not worldly).
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:26
These are the very principles which lead to Repentance and Revival within a family, a church, a community, a nation.
To understand key aspects of discipleship such as sin, repentance, obedience, love...
We must look to the Light.
Sin is selfishness, absorbing based on greed over need.
Repentance is reflecting God's love, providing for others in need.
Obedience is Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (a pure bright reflection). Love, loving outwardly, is radiant... like Christ.
"And this is the verdict: The Light has come into this the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil." - John 3:19
But Jesus proclaimed, "I, the Light, have come to the world, that no one who believes in Me shall abide in darkness." - John 12:46
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