NEWS Embracing the Light
Here's a little meditation for you today inspired by something T. Austin-Sparks said back in the mid-1906s. May it be light to you. Sparks said:
"The first effect of the Light in Christ is to reveal the true state of man's heart. If man does not like to have his true condition revealed, he will crucify Christ. He will persecute and fight against the Lord Jesus. But if we are prepared to have our true condition revealed, we shall go down on our knees, and say, 'I am a sinful man, O Lord.'"
The first effect of the Light in Christ is to reveal the true state of a man's heart. That is right on the mark. One of the first things I do when I meet people who are earnestly seeking Love and ask me for guidance, is have them examine their heart and write down all the things they see. I encourage people to take their time, and above all else, be brutally honest. It is not an easy exercise, by any means. It is often filled with pain and tears.
Once they have complied the list, I then ask them to compare what they see in their heart to God's heart of Christ, which is described in 1 Corinthians 13. What's in our hearts that is not of Christ must be dealt with decisively through the Cross. That's where the real work begins. The process of purifying the heart can take years - even decades and lifetimes - but there is great power associated with purified hearts. As the Lord says, pure hearts see God and are blessed (Matthew 5:8).
It is important to have the true state of our hearts revealed if we desire to follow God and walk in love. Religious people loathe having their hearts examined, and therefore are in bondage to darkness. Jesus said of the scribes and Pharisees: "You are of your father the devil." That was a revelation to the people who were listening to the Lord! Who would ever dare to say such a thing about the powerful religious scribes and Pharisees? After all, weren't they "men of God?" "Crucify Him!," cried the scribes and Pharisees.
Jesus spoke the truth about religious hearts. Many people are afraid of the Light. They refuse to let the light of the truth set them free. Religious hearts always crucify Christ and persecute those who are led by the Spirit. That truth is revealed in the Scriptures. The Lord's desire is to transform all hearts into hearts filled with Love, Light and Life - that is, with Christ. Christ is God's solution for all that ails humanity. Oh, to see the light of the Son. The Lord's wondrous remedy.
Job's experience with the Light is instructive and amplifies what Sparks said above:
"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes."
(Job 42:5-6)
God bless, Job!
May you embrace the Light.
Agape,
Steve
"The first effect of the Light in Christ is to reveal the true state of man's heart. If man does not like to have his true condition revealed, he will crucify Christ. He will persecute and fight against the Lord Jesus. But if we are prepared to have our true condition revealed, we shall go down on our knees, and say, 'I am a sinful man, O Lord.'"
The first effect of the Light in Christ is to reveal the true state of a man's heart. That is right on the mark. One of the first things I do when I meet people who are earnestly seeking Love and ask me for guidance, is have them examine their heart and write down all the things they see. I encourage people to take their time, and above all else, be brutally honest. It is not an easy exercise, by any means. It is often filled with pain and tears.
Once they have complied the list, I then ask them to compare what they see in their heart to God's heart of Christ, which is described in 1 Corinthians 13. What's in our hearts that is not of Christ must be dealt with decisively through the Cross. That's where the real work begins. The process of purifying the heart can take years - even decades and lifetimes - but there is great power associated with purified hearts. As the Lord says, pure hearts see God and are blessed (Matthew 5:8).
It is important to have the true state of our hearts revealed if we desire to follow God and walk in love. Religious people loathe having their hearts examined, and therefore are in bondage to darkness. Jesus said of the scribes and Pharisees: "You are of your father the devil." That was a revelation to the people who were listening to the Lord! Who would ever dare to say such a thing about the powerful religious scribes and Pharisees? After all, weren't they "men of God?" "Crucify Him!," cried the scribes and Pharisees.
Jesus spoke the truth about religious hearts. Many people are afraid of the Light. They refuse to let the light of the truth set them free. Religious hearts always crucify Christ and persecute those who are led by the Spirit. That truth is revealed in the Scriptures. The Lord's desire is to transform all hearts into hearts filled with Love, Light and Life - that is, with Christ. Christ is God's solution for all that ails humanity. Oh, to see the light of the Son. The Lord's wondrous remedy.
Job's experience with the Light is instructive and amplifies what Sparks said above:
"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes."
(Job 42:5-6)
God bless, Job!
May you embrace the Light.
Agape,
Steve
posted by Steve at
9:49 AM
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