Worship Call 0704 Being the LIght
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Worship Call 0704
Monday August 8, 2022
Being the Light
It’s MONDAY, August 8th in the two thousand and twenty second year of our Lord and here is today's devotion from George Whitten of worthy news .com
Friends, stand in faith, receive your inheritance!
Numbers 14:6-11 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them." And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. Then the Lord said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
Numbers 14:26-30 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, 'As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upwards, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
As hundreds of rockets were launched from Gaza this past Saturday night, Jews worldwide observed Tisha B'Av. Many ominous events mark this particular day in Jewish history. On this day, the first and the second Temple were destroyed. Jews were expelled out of England, France, and Spain in different years on this very day. But this day of infamy was initially marked when 10 of the 12 spies came back and gave a bad report of the land. When the twelve spies returned from spying out the promised land, only Joshua and Caleb gave a good report, saying the land was full of milk and honey. They believed the promise of God so emphatically that they tore their clothes and implored the children of Israel, saying, "the Lord is with us, do not fear them!" Israel's reaction was unbelievably severe. They were ready to STONE the faithful spies!
It is unquestionable that the report of the other 10 spies was terrifying, and that it had spread fear throughout the camp. But let's consider a lesson from this event! Would the faith of two witnesses stand against the overwhelming majority? How often has the voice of the majority, with all of its "common sense" stood as a consensus against your "crazy" faith? What kinds of attacks and threats have you received for standing on the Lord's word or promise or simply for believing in His salvation? In these days as the darkness deepens, our light will shine more brightly, but it may also seem that our stand of faith makes less common sense than ever, and will bring severe opposition against us!
Joshua and Caleb stood firm, and it's wonderful to see how even the most vicious threats could not affect their position of trust. And we know how the Lord rewarded them. These two men became the only ones from their generation to enter the promised land.
friends, test the word that God has given you; be as sure as you can that He has spoken it, just as Joshua and Caleb were concerning the Lord's promise of Canaan. When the opposition arises, and it will; when the threats are severe, and they may be, remember that the majority against you with all its fear and "common sense" will not receive the reward of faith, but will lose its inheritance... while you will please the Lord and receive yours in full.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Dallas, Texas
And this is another fine day in the Lord
Proverbs 6:23 (NASB95) — 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
Psalm 119:105 (NASB95) — 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Light is Revelation. A directional beacon out of the darkness.
After the tower of Babel God called the nation out from amongst a lost and dying world. through Abraham the Lord would call a nation to Himself. A nation of priest. It would be for a time the light of the world. a bright and shining city on the hill.
God revealed himself to the world through this covenanted people.
Ruth was one outside of the commonwealth of Israel that saw the light of the Lord through one who at one point had to be a power woman in the faith.
With the death of her husband and her sons Naomi was left alone in a foreign land with her two daughters in law. Both Moabites. Her sons married these women while living outside of the land of Israel.
During the time spent together, Naomi must have been the light that shown in the presence of these two pagan women.
When Naomi made the decision to depart and return to her land, Ruth and Opah begged to go with her. Naomi was able to discourage Opah, but Ruth held on and gave one of the most beautiful dissertations I believe that is found in the bible.
Ruth 1:16–17 (NASB95) — 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lorddo to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
Could it be that Ruth heard about Yahweh from another source? Could it had been that she had already grown-up knowing Yahweh.
Maybe.
But I lean toward the influence of one who was light in the life of these two women, Naomi.
As women went about their wifely duties each day, Naomi would tell her daughters about Yahweh and about all that the Lord had accomplished for the people of Israel. From morning to night whether washing clothes, cooking, drawing water, there was an endless dialogue between the woman up until the husbands died.
Ruth and Opah was born in a pagan society who only know other gods within the pantheon of gods. What hope did these pagan women have unless light had come into their lives.
Matthew 5:15 (NASB95) — 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
How do we put our lamps under a basket?
Neglect of the spiritual life
Suppressing the ministry of God the Holy Spirit within us.
Disobedience
And where there is a loss of personal love for God our relationship with man becomes strained with a loss of unconditional love which leads to.
Hatred
Bitterness
Anger
Jealousy
Prejudice
Person sin
What hope does the pagan world have where there is no light. when we hide our light under the basket who will be the influence who would have a chance to come out of the darkness.
Who have you wrote off lately that you have judged that is not worthy to see the light. Who have you hidden the light from because of your prejudice, hatred, animosity, jealousy anger etc.
The first question asked by the lord in the bible is probably the most important for any of us whether believer or unbeliever
Where are you?
Of course, the Lord was aware with perfect knowledge the exact spot where Adam was hiding. The Question must be,
Adam where are you in relationship with your God?
People are and people are doing and the things that the people buy into is the fact based on what they are doing but where they are in their relationship with God their creator.
People are doing because of where they are in the darkness. It is not what they are in the darkness it is that they are in the darkness while the result are being played out in that darkness.
Christians, we are not at liberty to hate the people in the world. God is the Judge. And in due time the wicked will meet their end and their end will be in the pits of hell. God sends them there not us.
We live in a world that is universally in the darkness under condemnation.
The Pharisees spent much time and effort to turn the hearts against Jesus. While Jesus planted the seeds that led to life, the Pharisees planted the seeds that led to death.
In this world the seeds of descension against Christ and the offer of salvation has been sown with the use of TV, news agencies, internet, books magazines. Phones. classrooms from kindergarten to college universities the campaign of false propaganda that there is no God has reached every corner of our society.
For the one who has accepted the lie and whose tore lose the fetters of God’s righteousness has done so because he has grown up believing all the propaganda that he has heard in the darkness. The man dressing up in drag may disgust us to no end. Others who are repeating the filth of unrighteousness may be appalling to us, but if the remnant stops being the light reflecting the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, what chance does any who have been born and are walking in darkness have to be called out of it?
While depravity is on full display, our light must not be kept under a basket.
Matthew 5:16 (NASB95) — 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Is it all the world’s fault that they have rejected the light when that which was supposed to be on a lampstand was hidden under a basket of negative volition?
Many were being saved and was being rescued from the darkness during the time of the early Church.
As a response to the Grace that was seen through the salvation people responded.
Many were being saved and coming into the faith. They declared their allegiance to Jesus the Nazarene who died on the Cross and was said to have rose again.
They responded to the one who died for them, Jesus was innocent, taking upon himself their sins that they might have eternal life.
The love and compassion for Jesus was reflected in those who had received and responded to the Gospel.
A new attitude began to emerge which was different that any had witnessed in the society in which they lived. and this attitude was found in the Church which began with the majority of Jews.
They were being publicly Baptized, declaring to put behind them the old way of life and declaring allegiance to the Kingdom of the risen savior. This would be the death sentence of many.
Despite the threat of death being cast out from families, confiscation of property, and even suffering and put to death, The Christian stood firmly for Christ letting his and her light shine.
In persecution the Church did not exchange insult for insult or evil for evil, but would be known to pray for their enemies and even go an additional mile for them.
Discarded babies who had deformities or were cast out for no other reason because they were the wrong sex, thrown into the place of refuge the garbage dump. These unusual people of the faith would be seen going out and rescuing these unwanted persons. It was the church who began orphanages.
Where the sick was left to die without care, the Church reflected the compassion of Christ, and they would take strangers in and care for them and nurse them back to health even absorbing the cost.
They would share the little that they had with others who were in need.
They would not take advantage of the elderly which was the practice but would also take them in and care for them when even their own families rejected them.
When told to recant their newfound faith or die they chose death, horrible deaths. They watched their loved ones get savagely dismembered in the arena’s filled with hungry lions before they themselves were devoured. And yet they stood boldly unwavering for their faith.
Did all of this have an impact on a lost and dying world?
You bet it did.
Man knew that man was no damn good. Man was aware of his own depravity. Man lived in darkness. IN that darkness however a light began to shine and people took notice, and many would follow that light right out of the darkness into salvation for themselves and their families.
1 Peter 2:9–12 (NASB95) — 9 But you are a chosen race, aroyal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.