Jesus ~ Light of the World

Light of the World:

Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying,

"I am the Light of the world.

He who follows me will not walk in the darkness,

but will have the light of life."

~John 8:12

What is darker than a black crayon?

…a black marker.

What is darker than a black marker?                       

…a moonless night.

What is darker than a moonless night?

…a cave.

What is darker than a cave?

…outer space.

What is darker than outer space?

…a black hole.

What is darker than a black hole?

…my sin.

What is darker than my sin?

…to be without God.

“Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;

He is gracious, merciful and righteous.”

~Psalm 112:4

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.”

~Psalm 119:105

“Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O Lord.”

~Psalm 4:6

“…At one time you were darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord. 

Walk as children of Light...”

~Ephesians 5:8

Thank You, Jesus.

Jesus ~ Lamb of God

Lamb of God:

“The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said,

"Behold, the Lamb of God,

who takes away the sin of the world!”

~John 1:29

He was not called

The Bear of God

for He did not lumber with a larger-than-life presence into our midst

to ravage, frighten and dominate us,

but came to earth as a tiny, helpless baby.

He was not called

The Eagle of God

for He did not soar above us

nor swoop down to grasp us in his mighty talons,

but relinquished his grasp of godly power to be fully human.

He was not called

The Fox of God

for He did not slyly trick us into following His counsel

nor did he devour our offspring,

but was tempted, shared sorrow, became hungry,

and cared for the poor, the weak, the little ones,

all for the sake of Love.

He was not called

The Snake of God

for He did not weave about with the lure of hypnotic trance,

infuse us with poison nor seek to squeeze the life from us,

but offered His compassionate touch of healing and forgiveness.

He was not called

The Fish of God

for He did not abide separately from us,

but willingly walked among us

and taught us to be fishers of men.

He was not called

The Wolf of God

for He did not creep up silently from behind us

nor lead others with an insatiable lust for carnage,

but laid down His life willingly

to become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

He is the sacrificial Lamb,

the precious, the holy Lamb,

the Lamb who is without spot or blemish...

He is called

The Lamb of God.

Jesus ~ King of the Nations

 King of the Nations:

“There is none like You, O Lord;

You are great, and great is Your name in might.

Who would not fear You, O King of the Nations?

Indeed it is Your due!

“For among all the wise men of the nations

and in all their kingdoms,

there is none like You…

The Lord is the true God;

“He is the living God and the everlasting King. 

At His wrath the earth quakes,

And the nations cannot endure His indignation.”

Jeremiah 10:6-7,10

“And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God,

and the song of the Lamb saying,

‘Great and marvelous are Your works,

O Lord God the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways,

King of the Nations!’” 

 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? 

For You alone are holy;

for all the nations will come and worship before You,

for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

~Revelation 15:3,4

“’For from the rising of the sun even to its setting,

My name will be great among the nations,

and in every place

incense it going to be offered to My name,

and a grain offering that is pure;

for My name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

~Malachi 1:11

“In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,

for You will answer me. 

There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,

nor are there any works like Yours. 

“All nations whom You have made

shall come and worship before You, O Lord,

and they shall glorify Your name. 

For You are great and do wondrous deeds;

You alone are God. 

“Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

unite my heart to fear Your name. 

“I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God,

with all my heart,

and will glorify Your name forever.”

~Psalm 86:7-12

Jesus ~ Judge

Judge:

“And He ordered us to preach to the people,

and solemnly to testify that this is the One

who has been appointed by God

as Judge of the living and the dead.” 

~Acts 10:42

“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,

the One who is able to save and to destroy…”

~James 4:12

 God spoke to Peter in a vision (Acts 10:10-16)

in which he was instructed to kill and eat animals

previously deemed unclean

according to Levitical law. (Lev. 11)

“But Peter said,

’By no means, Lord,

for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.”

~Acts 10:14

*gulp* …this hits close to home for me.

How easily it is to jump to conclusions,

to assume exaggerated understanding,

to presume upon authority that is not mine,

to judge.

The judgments of God

are pure and good and righteous,

and there is a depth of joy,

peace of mind,

and hope for the future

in knowing that they are His,

… not mine.

 “I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the course,

I have kept the faith;

in the future there is laid up for me

the crown of righteousness,

which the Lord,

the righteous Judge,

will award to me on that day;

and not only to me,

but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 

~II Timothy 4:7,8

Jesus ~ Image of God

Image of God:

“Therefore, since we have this ministry,

as we received mercy,

we do not lose heart…

“…And even if our gospel is veiled,

it is veiled to those who are perishing,

in whose case the god of this world

has blinded the minds of the unbelieving,

so that they might not see the light

 of the gospel of glory of Christ,

who is the image of God.

“For we do not preach ourselves

but Christ Jesus as Lord…”

~ II Corinthians 4:1-5

“In the mirror I can see

lots of things, but mostly me.”
~by Eloise Wilkin

I am naturally self-centered…

…so are you.

 “Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

who’s the fairest of them all?”

   ~the queen in Disney’s “Snow White”

Although her heart was wicked

and so devious her task,

this queen’s interrogation

states the question all must ask.

What gospel has my life proclaimed?

What gospel has it veiled?

What image is the fairest

or have other gods prevailed?

What darkness casts its shadows?

What obscurities seem whole?

What image is reflected

in the windows of my soul?

What do I hold in high regard?

What mercy do I feel?

What comfort can I offer?

What encouragement is real?

What changes in my life occur

or do I simply see?

What image is praiseworthy?

How does this apply to me?

For God so loved the world

He sent the image of His glory;

reflections of His life are mine

and His is now my story.

“Objects in mirror are

closer than they appear.”

   ~your car’s rear view mirror

Jesus ~ Horn of Salvation

Horn of Salvation:

“And has raised up

a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David.”

~ Luke 1:69

The ancient Hawaiian people

were under the thumb of aggressive authoritarian rule.

The chief and all of his wealth and possessions

were protected and deemed untouchable;

the locals were even forbidden to walk in his footsteps

or cast shadows upon the royal grounds.

Violating this sacred kapu

would surely anger the gods;

such action was punishable by immediate death.

The criminal would take off running,

hopefully faster than his many pursuers,

until he came to a pu’uhonua, or place of refuge,

where he could be pardoned by a kahuna, or priest,

by way of a purification ceremony.

He was free to function, once again, in society,

just as if he had never broken kapu.

“The Lord is my rock

and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

my shield and

the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold.”

~Psalm 18:2

“’The horn of Moab has been cut off

 and his arm broken,’ declares the Lord.”

~Jeremiah 48:25

“…He will give strength to his kind,

and will exalt the horn of His anointed.”

~I Samuel 2:10

Horns represent strength and power.

“And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose,

went and took hold of the horns of the altar.”

~I Kings 1:50

“And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord

and took hold of the horns of the altar.”

~I Kings 2:28

The horns located at the four corners of the altar

signified refuge and safety;

those who grasped these horns

were considered to be under the protection of the Lord.

Zacharias prophesied (Luke 1:69) that

Jesus Christ came to earth

to replace the horns of the altar.

Jesus, the Mighty Redeemer,

the Horn of Salvation,

is able to save.

Those who run to Him shall find refuge.

Jesus ~ Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd:

“I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

“He who is a hired hand,

and not a shepherd,

who is not the owner of the sheep,

sees the wolf coming,

and leaves the sheep and flees,

and the wolf snatches them

and scatters them.

“He flees because he is a hired hand

and is not concerned about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd,

and I know My own and My own know Me,

even as the Father knows Me

and I know the Father;

and I lay down My life for the sheep…

“For this reason the Father loves Me,

because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.

No one has taken it away from Me,

but I lay it down on My own initiative…”

~ John 10:11-18

Jesus chose to die,

otherwise

no one would have had the power to kill Him.

God’s goodness

is good

beyond my ability to comprehend.

“My sheep hear My voice,

and I know them,

and they follow Me;

and I give eternal life to them,

and they will never perish;

and no one can snatch them

out of My hand.

“My Father,

who has given them to Me,

is greater than all;

and no one

is able to snatch them

out of the Father’s hand.

I and the Father are One.”

~John 10:27-30