Light Reveals God

We have just returned from Rwamagana, Rwanda with an incredible amount of joy in our hearts. "Mission Reconciliation" was moved along by the Holy Spirit to accomplish things that went beyond our knowledge and planning. I was amazed at how the Spirit orchestrated events so that those who truly needed the love and forgiveness of God would come under the influence of that very message. I will look forward to sharing these things with you via our Impact newsletter after we get some rest. I want to thank you for your ministry of prayer for us and for your gifts of faith. The Lord used you in the ministry of reconciliation and transformation. Due to getting home late this past week and not having time to study and write, I am sending to you an excerpt from Who Is This Jesus?. I trust it will bless you.

Dan

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LIGHT REVEALS GOD
Psalm 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?" Psalm 36:9 declares, "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." In Psalm 104:1-2 we read, "O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment," Then John wrote John 1:5, "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." Why would John say that? Why would Jesus say, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12)?

Whenever Jesus used the phrase "I am," the Jews knew exactly what he meant. It was the same word God used to describe himself in the Old Testament, and they understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. In fact, in John 8:58-59, when Jesus used the phrase "I am," the Jews picked up rocks and tried to stone him. It was a bold claim!

The word used here for light has a rich historical background. The Israelites observed an annual feast that lasted seven days and that they called the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a reminder of the time the Israelites wandered in the desert. It was not, however, a time of mourning or sadness. It was a time of great rejoicing. It also coincided with the harvest, so there was a lot of activity going on.

During this feast all the Israelites would leave their homes, and they would erect tents in a big circle to form something like a courtyard. The tents were a reminder of God's protection.

In the midst of the courtyard, they would light big candelabras. Every home had a lamp, and at night they would move to the center of this courtyard where the big candelabras gave off incredible light. That light reminded them of the pillar of fire that God used to lead them through the desert-it reminded them that God was always there with them. It was a symbol of his presence.

Jesus appeared on the scene and claimed, "I am the light of the world." That statement created quite a stir among the Jews. Not only did he use God's special name, but he also claimed God's unique role as a protector and guide and to be the Messiah.

The world in which we live is dark. Of course, there are moments of great joy and happiness, and life can be fun. But in general, this is a dark world. It is dark because it is under the power of Satan and because of our own evil thoughts and devices. We move more deeply into spiritual darkness when we refuse to examine the evidence in the universe for God's existence and for who he is.

George Lucas, of Star Wars fame, did not invent the dark side. The dark side had been there ever since the Evil One had his beginning. It is in contrast to that dark side that Jesus said, "I have come to reveal to you what God is like in this darkness. In this dark world, I have come to show you what God is like and to answer you questions about God." We know what God is like because we see what Jesus was like.

Because Jesus came to reveal God to us, we can know the answers to the big questions: Where did we come from? Where are we going? Where are we? Jesus came to show us the way, to answer the deepest questions of our hearts, and to point us to God. Jesus is the Light of the World. Has he revealed God to you? Jesus said the Father would reveal himself to those who walk with him (John 14:9-10, 21).

In your Christian life, in your Christian experience, has God revealed himself to you? Does he show you new things? When you're alone reading your Bible, or when you're driving in your car perhaps listening to worship music, and a certain thought hits you-that could be God showing you something new. When you come to a new spiritual understanding, when a light goes on in your mind-that may be God revealing himself to you. Not in some distant place, two thousand years ago, but right now, right here, God wants to reveal himself to you.

We sometimes make an encounter with God harder than it needs to be. God wants to reveal himself to us. He does not want to remain hidden behind some screen or cloud. God wants to draw you to himself. That is why it is so important that we spend time alone with God, meditate, and ask, "What do you want me to do? What do you want me to be?" Because in that darkness and in that time we spend with him, God will shed his light and expose things in our lives.

Do you ever get frustrated? Do you ever think, Lord, where are you? You're not revealing yourself to me. I find in my own life that such feelings of isolation from God are normally my own doing, not his. He wants to reveal himself to me, but I get too busy with my life to take the time to wait, pray, read, and meditate on God. God wants us to slow down long enough for him to reveal himself to us.

Blessings to you,

Dan

Copyright 2008 Eternity Minded Ministries