When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
In a recent sermon by Chuck Swindoll, he shares one of the benefits about walking in the light. Walking in the light is not being afraid to let the truth of your struggles be known. Admitting your life has parts of failure and that you sometimes need help is a benefit of walking with the savior. If you take note of the people Jesus interacted with during his 3 years of ministry, you'll notice that he helped nearly everyone who asked it of him. This is because those who had needs and weaknesses drew attention to it.
They did so not by keeping it under wraps treating their need as a "cloak and dagger issue." instead they brought it out in to the open for all to see. Having one's weakness, ailment, or shortcoming unveiled in the presence of their Yeshua gave them a sense of hope! "Healing will come," they cry. "Surely my insecurities will not be a burden in the presence of the Savior!"
They proclaim with shouts of joy, "If anyone can make good of my dark past, surely it is Jesus the chosen one of Israel!" for He is the light of the world. Whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
This makes me think of my own journey with the Lord; as one who has obvious weaknesses and limitations in my own abilities. Why run from it? Why not embrace it and boast about it? The Apostle Paul did and God blessed him for it.
I'm curioous what you guys think... Am I on to something? Or am I blowing smoke up my own pipe?
Paul surely did boast about his faith in the Lord which saw him through an abundance of trials and helped him grow deeper in understanding. II Corr.11/23-27, and II Corr.12/7-11, however the thought of Paul bosting of his capture and elimination of his fellow Jews, huh! One more note, isn't Yeshua a word full of controversy and ambiguity? Yet, I suppose you are using it to draw attention to the parallel in the writing that surrounds it. Yes, it does remind me of the formation of words in the surrounding tripe.
ReplyDeletePT
well hello PT,
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment on my blog.
in response to your comments about the word "Yeshua." i am aware of some of the controversy sourounding the use of the word, and though i do not know what you mean by the writing that sourounds it... i am using it to bring a more personal and intimate appeal Christ may have had with those whom he did heal. consider for example, Jesus touching the man with leprosy. (Matt. 8:1-3).
the typical jewish custom for a leper was to leave them for dead. once a person had leprosy, they were deemed unclean and jewish law forbade them to experience human touch ever again! any family the leper had prior to the disease would leave them. so when Jesus touched the leper, chances are it meant the world to him. this means the leper was no longer an out cast and could return to their former life .... including holding any loved ones they left for exile.
i could be merely exagerating, but i find it hard to believe that a diseased individual like the leper in matthew 8 wouldn't be the most thankful for human touch let alone becoming clean and having all dignity restored. in my estimation, one faced with the same trials as the lepers would have used a more intimate term for Jesus, like ABBA or Yeshua