“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5 NIV)

A very important truth

When you compare light with darkness you discover a very important truth, darkness does not exist. Darkness is only the absence of light. Think of it this way, you can have a flashlight but you cannot have a flash-dark. You cannot shine darkness because it does not exist. Put another way, you cannot bring darkness into a room full of light and extinguish light, but you can, however, bring light into a dark room and extinguish darkness.

Light and darkness are metaphors for good and evil

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7 NIV)

Jesus is the light of the world

There is another Light, a Light so important that Jesus, the Son of God, came to both declare and impart it to men. John 8:12 (NIV), records, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.’” The allegory used by the Lord in this verse speaks of the light of His Truth, the light of His Word, the light of eternal Life. Those who perceive the true Light will never walk in spiritual darkness.

Jesus Christ brings light to the darkness of any heart. It is the Good News about the truth of God’s love that is capable of overcoming any obstacle, no matter how dark.

God’s light is shed upon the darkness of all sin, allowing human beings the opportunity to escape the dark grip of sin for the light of God’s love. This is why (and how) “the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NIV)

You, too, have a light to shine

Jesus tells is to keep our light out in the open where it can do good.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 NKJV)

“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8 NIV)

Want God to be “near to you”?

Notice the order of things described in this promise. It tells YOU to come near to God, and then, if you do, He will come near to you!

Many Christians have it backwards!

They spend a lot of time asking God to “come”, “bless” and to “hear their prayers,” when He has already made those things, and much more, freely available to “whosoever” will simply reach out to Him and receive them by faith!

Come boldly

The Bible says to “come boldly” to God and receive what you need. (Heb. 4:16) Another passage says to “seek Him first” and then all that you need will be added to you. (Matt. 6:33) Notice, in each verse, you are instructed to take the initiative. And, that’s because God has already done His part! You just need to act on it with faith!

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

“I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12 KJV)

This is a great assurance passage

Many Christians don’t know for sure that they are saved! They only hope they are. That’s unfortunate because the Bible says, “These things I have written to you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 NKJV) We must never be in doubt about our salvation! The price Jesus paid for us was more than sufficient!

There is a lot to learn from today’s Scripture passage at top

I have taken each part of the verse and laid it out word-by-word and defined each part using the Word of God. Read through each part carefully to understand what it means to be fully assured of where you stand with God. There is absolutely no need to doubt!

2 Tim. 1:12 defined

“I know” – aware through observation, inquiry, or information. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16 NKJV)

“whom” – which is Jesus: “Son of God” (John 3:16),”the Name above all Names” (Phil 2:19), the one who “Holds all things together and by Him all things exist” (Col. 1:17).

“I believed” – personally accepted as true, genuine, and real. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9 KJV)

“and am persuaded” – totally convinced with no doubt. “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Rom. 4:21 KJV)

“that He is able” – He has the authority and power to do it! “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’.” (Matt. 28:18 NIV) And, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:24 KJV)

“to keep“ – nobody, or absolutely anything else, for that matter, can take it away from Him! “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29 NIV)

“that” – your spirit, soul and body. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes. 5:23 ESV)

“which I’ve committed” – entrusted for safekeeping. “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.” (Rom. 6:17 NASB)

“unto Him” – to Jesus. “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:2 NKJV)

“against that day” – when you die and go to be with the Lord. “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thes. 4:17 NIV)

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalms 16:8 NIV)

When I was first saved many years ago, I struggled with many doubts. Some of it was due to my own personal struggles and failures and some of it was because I was looking around at others, both friends and church leaders, who were imperfect, or worse. Some had failed very seriously and publicly. A pastor friend who I had greatly respected, was caught in an affair and dramatically removed from his church.

I was an emotional wreck and it showed

Then one evening I went to a church meeting featuring a woman evangelist. I didn’t know the speaker was a woman until I was seated in the middle of the audience. I have to admit that back then I was very prejudiced against women preachers, and I would not have gone to the meeting if I had known. But, there I was and so I just sat and listened to her.

She was delivering her message in a normal speaking voice. Nothing seemed strange or unusual. Then suddenly, without warning, she raised her voice greatly, pointed her finger directly at me and said, “Young man, stand up and listen to me!!!”

I was startled and embarrassed, but I rose slowly to my feet and looked at her.

Then she said loudly and passionately, “Get your eyes off of man and back onto God!” Then she lowered her voice and went instantly back to her message as though there hadn’t been an interruption.

I was greatly moved!

How did she know what I was going through at the moment and the exact words to say to me? It had to be from God! What she said was exactly what I needed to hear! And I took it very seriously and did exactly what she said to do as though it had come from God Himself.

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” (Psalms 118:8 NKJV)

“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” (Prov. 28:1 NIV)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as a practical joke, sent an anonymous telegram to several of his friends: “All is discovered. Flee at once!” All of them immediately left the country!

Supposedly, these friends were upstanding and honorable people by all outward appearances, yet something was obviously going on inside their minds, that was so frightening to them that it caused them to flee!

The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 NKJV).

Yes, all hearts are wicked!

It’s because of the sin problem we have all inherited. The Bible says, “there is none righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:10 NKJV). And, the heart is a place for fear to exist. Fear is a very powerful and damaging force if anyone allows it to have control. It can cause people to totally withdraw and shut down, or even to act strange or irrational. “The wicked flee though no one pursues.” (Prov. 28:1a NIV)

The good news is that the heart can be changed by Jesus! (John 8:36)

“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 NIV)

You can control fear!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27b NIV)

And, understand that “the righteous are as bold as a lion.”

And yes, that means you!

“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34 NKJV)

At Jesus’ most painful and darkest hour, and from the very cross where He was being crucified, He looked beyond what was happening to Himself and focused instead on the needs of others. He asked for forgiveness for them and said something very interesting and powerful, “forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Jesus knew that if they had truly understood who He was, God’s very son, (1 John 4:15 & John 3:16), they would never have attacked Him! He had all the information. He knew why He was there, and what He was there for; “the Lamb of God, willingly laying down His life for the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) This information helped Him to do what was right in spite of how He felt!

Having the right information will help you treat others with kindness and forgiveness

In the same way, knowing that you are a redeemed person (1 Peter 1:18), and knowing that you have been forgiven and bought at the price of Jesus’ death on the cross, (1 Cor. 6:20), and knowing that you are a member of God’s family, (Eph. 2:19), and knowing that you are God’s Ambassador, (2 Cor. 5:20), then you too, can do the right thing as needed, even in difficult or extreme circumstances!

Don’t give evil for evil!

Instead do the very opposite. Be kind to those who are not kind to you. Be polite to those who are rude to you. Be patient to those who are impatient to you. Be loving to those who are unloving to you!

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)

Being kind to others helps you, too!

In a study conducted by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California, students were assigned the task of doing five random acts of kindness per week for six weeks. At the end of the study, the students’ levels of happiness had increased by 41.66 percent! Being kind to others had a profoundly positive effect on their own level of happiness!

The golden rule

“Do to others as you would have them to do to you.” (Luke6:31 NIV)

Quote:

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” - Mark Twain

“We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Cor. 5:1 NIV)

“Remember the Alamo!”

While visiting San Antonio, Texas, for a conference I was speaking at, Susan and I visited the Alamo. It was a stark reminder of what had happened there during the Texas Revolution, February 23 to March 6, 1836, where so many had died. According to eye witness accounts it was a slaughter with perhaps as many as ten-to-one against those who were garrisoned within the walls of the Alamo. They didn’t have a chance and were brutally and mercilessly destroyed. Santa Anna’s cruelty during the battle outraged and emblazoned great numbers of Texans to rise up with the now famous battle cry, “remember the Alamo!” and they defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution.

The Alamo is now called the “Alamo Shrine” and as you walk through it, you see many displays depicting what had happened during that battle, including lists of names of those who had died there, including Davie Crocket.

All are only temporary here

In the promise scripture passage above, we are reminded of several important things.

“If the earthly tent we live in (our body) is destroyed.” – All will die someday, some even tragically (destroyed).

As terrible as the Alamo battle was, it is now history! It is an undeniable fact that every single person involved in every aspect of the Texas Revolution is now dead! And it is a stark reminder to us that all people will die. Some tragically, as in the Alamo, some by natural causes, and some for many other reasons. There are no exceptions. The Bible says that everybody will eventually die. (Heb. 9:27)

“we have a building (body) from God” – When we die we will get a new body to live in. There will come a day at the appearing of Jesus that our bodies, too, will be transformed and we will then have brand new transformed ones. (2 Cor. 5:3)

“an eternal house (body) in heaven” – We will have a new body that will last forever. The body we have now is only temporary, but our resurrected body will be made perfect and will last indefinitely. (1 Corinthians 15:35-58)

“in heaven” – It will be in Heaven. And, Jesus has prepared a wonderful place in Heaven for you to live. (John 14:2-4)

“not built by human hands.” – It’s made by God. Everything God creates is perfect and made with absolute excellence! (Psalm 86:8-10)

To recap:

Someday, we too will be a part of history, because all die and we will too. But, no matter how we die, if we have received Christ (John 1:12), we will receive a brand-new body made by God that will last forever in Heaven! It’s a promise!

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matt. 6:26 NASB)

God wants you to look at the birds of the air and notice something important about them

They are constantly being fed and taken care of by Him, and you are more important to Him than the birds! Which means, “God will supply to you what you need, just as he faithfully does for His birds!”

So, don’t worry about your “needs!”

Instead, expect God to do what he says He will do, and He will! That is how faith works! “And my God shall supply all your need!” (Phil. 4:19a NKJV)

“Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6a NKJV)

I have a friend who says, “I have two angels following me and I will tell you their names. One’s name is ‘Goodness’ and the other’s name is “Mercy.”

Even though my friend says it In a humorous way, it is still very much true! God is all about “goodness and mercy” and he provides loads of it to you!

Goodness – “God’s goodness and love last forever. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1 NIV).

Mercy – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)