If…The Big Little Word

Saturday – (Until Christ is formed in us) – and IF you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. (Isa. 58:10) Spend some time today meditating on Isaiah 58. What do you hear God saying to you?

May today bring us a more illumined understanding of the true object of life. Let us not be blinded by the religious or worldly bling, but rather let our hearts be ablaze with the blessed knowledge of whose we are and what we are called to be. The light of the world! Life shines when empowered by the practice of simplicity, honesty, truthfulness, purity, and integrity. The source of this power for living the bright and beautiful life is free through the gracious provision of our loving Father.  Let us light up this world with the pureness of our thoughts, and unselfish sacrificial activities. Diminish the  darkness in someones’ life today with a sympathizing word or kind deed. IF we perform such services as these then the Light of Christ shines to brighten the lives darkened by demonic dominion.

When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. This move completed Isaiah’s sermon:

Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
road to the sea, over Jordan,
Galilee, crossroads for the nations.
People sitting out their lives in the dark
saw a huge light;
Sitting in that dark, dark country of death,
they watched the sun come up.

This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”  Matthew 4:12-17 (The Message)