Skip to main content

Tuesday... These are dark times, aren't they?


Tuesday... These are dark times, aren't they? So how is it going for you?

But look at this verse. Psalm 112:4 (NLT) says, "Light shines in the darkness for the godly." That maybe is exactly what you needed to hear today. The same verse in The MESSAGE says, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people."

I was reading this morning in Matthew 2 of the wise men who came to see the baby Jesus. For them and Joseph and Mary, Jesus' earthly parents, the birth of this child was a long awaited time but it was also in a time of great darkness. But in this time of darkness there was a star, a light that appeared to the wise men and they followed it and found the child. Now why did they see the star? Because they were looking for it.  "Light shines in the darkness for the godly."

Now there was an evil man who was king over this city where Jesus was born, He was greatly disturbed when he heard from the wise men about this child. And he told them, when you find him come back and tell me where he is. He didn't want to see him, he wanted to kill him. It truly was a dark time. 

Look at these verses. Matthew 2:9-10 says, "Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves. They were in the right place at the right time." And then verse 11 says, "They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother."

Then verse 12 (NLT) says, "When it was time for them to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod." He was the evil king.

Now the story goes on, Verse 13 says, "After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,' the angel said. 'Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.'"

And the angel appeared again in verses 19-20, "When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 'Get up! the angel said. 'Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.'" Verse 21, "So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother."   

I don't know what you are going through but the Psalmist writes, "Light shines in the darkness for the godly." "Light shines in the darkness for the godly." If you are a follower of Christ that is you. "Light shines in the darkness for the godly." 

I don't know how the light will appear to you but it is there. The NIV says, "He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate." Remember, that same God is here in your darkness. Just reach out to Him and He will shed His light on you. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call  out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.  It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...