On Light

Walking in the Light

(John 8:12-30)


5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just toforgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I have been thinking of how in God there is light and in him is no darkness at all. In winter or on cloudy days when the days are short I've not wanted to go out at night or drive in the darkness. Yet often there will be things on in the evenings - all the prayer groups tended to meet in night and I would drive alone to houses where we would pray. The lights would be on but I would be thinking why do we need to do this if we could pray and have fellowship during the day, but so often people would be working in secular jobs where there is no time for prayer in the day at all.

I also sometimes would work evening shifts and would wonder why anyone would come out at night to go shopping or to the library. Working at night seems counterintuitive, but shows and entertainment and nightlife are when people socialise, or people get together in dark theatres and cinemas (in olden days) and all these things would take place in darkness.

Then there's this 1 Thessalonians 5
1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

What does this mean - insomnia is good? Or is it meaning we should keep a vigil. I had about of insomnia recently that meant I couldn't sleep. I got prescribed melatonin but taking it messed me up and made me drowsy. If we don't get enough sunlight or Vitamin D that can mess us up too. So I'm wondering what this all means.

I don't like being in the dark...but I have been in some very dark churches with no windows...its like being in a dark theatre even when they have their services in the morning. These are the newer type churches that are big on screens and flashy powerpoints. Shouldn't we be having fellowship with each other in the light and see each others faces rather than be anonymously alone in darkness. As that's how it can feel. I have often thought why can't we just worship outside (on non rainy days) but that doesn't occur very often. Why are people hiding their light under a bushel?
 
Hi, Lanolin!
I haven't seen you on here in awhile, it is good to see you here again. You are right about Paul meaning for us to keep a vigil. He is speaking metaphorically about light and darkness, talking about our spirit not our flesh. We are to keep watching for the signs of Christ's return, surely we are seeing the world becoming more and more dark spiritually. When he says for us to walk in the light, he is telling us to live according to God's word.
 
Good morning, Lanolin;

God bless you and thank you for sharing On Light.

You mentioned you don't like being or driving in the dark, especially when attending a prayer group. Many Churches meet in the evening because most of their members work or have other tasks during the day.

There most likely is a day prayer and Bible study in your community but it's probably word of mouth. I'll lift this prayer request to the Lord on your behalf.

Over here there is a prayer and Bible study group that meets on Thursday mornings at 10am. They started about 19 years and I remember the early years when they first met in the evening.

The attendees are good people from different Churches and they enjoy the morning gathering instead of going out at night.

They never announced it to the neighborhood. It was always word of mouth.

It's been a couple of years since I last attended and they still meet. We ran into the Bible study teacher and his wife at Costco about 3 weeks ago and I got the itch to start going again but with my schedule I put it off the last 3 weeks.

Next Thursday I'm going to make the time to see some old friends again.

God bless
you, Lanolin.


Bob






 
It is coming to daylight saving time here, turning from spring to summer.
I love it when its light in the evenings.
Unfortunately our sun in nz is very harsh during the day between 10 and 4pm. You can get burned because of the hole in the ozone layer. So what is a good thing (light) can be very dangerous and full of UV rays, the light is glaring. I have been thinking about skin and hair tone and wondered why God seemed to favour blonde/fair hair or white hair, blue eyes and pale skin. I don't know, it's something I struggle with, having dark eyes and hair. Your light can't fully shine before men if your eyes and hair are dark. Is it wrong of me to think this way? We can't make our hair white until we grow old....and then Jesus hair was white in revelation.

In NZ the fashion is to wear black clothing and support the All Blacks (rugby). When talking about dark and light, do people consider our clothing and skin colours and whether God sees colours in the same way as humans seem to judge colour. It just seems unfair for many people just can't help what colour they are..and the darker people are the more they are judged. God our Heavenly Father has no darkness in him at all. So how do we reconcile being His children if we have literal darkness in us, our skin and hair and eyes that can't be changed?
 
Lanolin,
Remember that Jesus was born as a child of a jewish mother. He most likely had dark hair and dark eyes and at the very least a brown color to his skin. This is not a difference of light and dark, but rather a contrast of good and evil. Belief that someone is somehow inferior because of the color of their skin,eyes, or hair is man made not from God. It was Darwin who stated that whites were more evolved than those with light brown skin and those with black skin were just above the apes. THIS IS NOT FROM GOD! We are all equal in His eyes, He does not favor one group over another.
If God has a preference it is only for those of us who have accepted Christ Jesus over those that reject Him. Just offering my opinion.
 
most times the Scriptures dont speak to me personally, instead, like you lanolin they make me wonder, and I drift into a land where I feel quite free to roam and play around and enjoy the words they say...its all brilliantly done.. to keep us interested in Him, I believe.

When I first became spellbound by the bible it wasn't because of my suffering, It was because I was drawn to people who shown me a side to humanity that was different. they showed me a way of being that affected me. I knew I was suffering, but I didnt think any scriptures could heal me. I was absorbed by the dark. That became Light for me.

but I think He likes to keeps us interested in any way He can.


The fact that you're enjoying your time in His arms right now reminds me of me not so long ago.
Sometimes when scriptures don't really sink in they leave a gentle breeze upon your soul.
 
Oh....I often think about how God made the places and times appointed for our habitation. Acts 17:26-

From one mandHe made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.

27God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’e As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’f 29Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

Of course God is spirit (invisible) but came in the flesh as Jesus..his blood is red..I just wondered why there's so much racism in this world, with skin hair and eye colour being so divisive, maybe even more than tongues. I don't know, just seems that in this world the darker your features are, the more inferior you are. I know its from eugenics and that was from Darwin. That is not from God..its just everywhere institutionalised in many countries and and we can't escape it. Not sure if its just nobody acknowledging it if it doesn't directly affect them.

Its even said in the Bible that in Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Though 'fair' is translated as beautiful in other Bibles, it had me thinking the daughters of men were blonde..because fair hair is blonde hair. Not sure why I thought this...but its true, you are sort of invisible if you are a darker. People just don't sat hello to you and ignore you cos they don't literally see you! I've lived with this a lot and people who are lighter aren't ignored, because people can literally see them - they stand out.

It just makes me wonder the way God sees us or whether we will be literally sunburned in His presence since His light is overwhelming. Its said Jesus hair is white like wool or as white as snow did he just get old or that was always his natural colour in Revelation. Maybe that is meant to be everyones hair colour at harvest time?
It said God knows every hair on our head and we ourselves can't make it white or black..
 
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