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“Lord's Illuminating Guidance Helps Throughout! (L.I.G.H.T)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
SCRIPTURE:
Observations:
I asked myself what connections do I see
here? I realized Jesus is speaking this verse to the Pharisees and Scribes who originally brought to Jesus a woman accused of adultery. Jesus addresses that situation at hand and now personally addresses them.
Interpretations: It also occurred to me that Jesus is letting the Pharisees and Scribes know that His Light being shined on the 'woman caught in adultery' still exposes her actions but also brings repentance and restoration which is evident by Jesus saying to the woman, "Has no one condemned you, neither do I. Go and sin no more!" It is important for me to remember that everyone there wanted to condemn her until Jesus said, 'He who has no sin cast the first stone!' After that no one had the courage to condemn her.More than even that Jesus is addressing their comment of 'The law of Moses says she needs to be stoned to death....' to make the point that He is the 'I AM that I AM' that gave the law to Moses. Since He gave the law, He has every right also to show mercy and grace to those that break the law. But, He would do that by eventually taking the sin of the world upon Himself to redeem all those that would come to Him.
Implications:
It is so exciting to
reflect on the four points Jesus makes here for me:
Point 1:
'I AM'
What is more exciting is that I am reminded
of John 1:1-5 which says,
Point 2:
'the Light of the world' It is exciting to know that in Jesus is Life and that Life is the Light of all mankind. Wow! Thank you Jesus! I am also reminded of Jesus saying, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) .Jesus is connecting LIFE & LIGHT start with Him and Him alone. Thank you Jesus!
Not only that but He
is the Way to provide visibility, pathway, and direction in our
lives. This reminds me of what Jesus did for the Israelites who were
escaping Pharoah and the Egyptians: Jesus wants to do the same thing for me which is evidenced by Point 3: "Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness" It is so exciting that Jesus reminds me, 'I AM the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness!' How true that is because I am once again reminded of, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5, NIV)"Where so many foreigners live, there the people who sat in darkness have seen a great Light; they sat in the land of death, and the Light broke through upon them.” (Matthew 4:15b-16, TLB) "I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer wander in the darkness." (John 12:46, TLB)"For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that it is the brightness of his glory that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. "(2 Corinthians 4:6) "To open their eyes to their true condition so that they may repent and live in the light of God instead of in Satan’s darkness, so that they may receive forgiveness for their sins and God’s inheritance along with all people everywhere whose sins are cleansed away, who are set apart by faith in me." (Acts 26:18, TLB) Thank you Jesus for being my God and my Light who gives me life. Point 4: 'But will have the light of life.' You remind me, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." "For only I, the Messiah, have come to earth and will return to heaven again. And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole, so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.(John 3:13-17, TLB) And this is the way to have eternal life—by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth! (John 17:3, TLB) "This Good News tells us that God makes us ready for heaven—makes us right in God’s sight—when we put our faith and trust in Christ to save us. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scripture says it, “The man who finds life will find it through trusting God.” (Romans 1:17, TLB) "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23, TLB) Thank you Jesus for being my God, my Light, and my Life. As long as I follow Jesus in this world, walking before Him, I will have visibility, pathway, and direction, for He will be leading me in His Light. This means I will not me stuck walking in the darkness, becoming a prisoner to the bondage of sin. As I live for Jesus, I want to use that opportunity to help others know about Jesus Christ so they can experience the Light of life in their own lives when they come to know Him as their own Lord and Personal Savior! Light covers over the darkness and helps people to have the right visibility, pathway, and direction. Jesus can be that Light for you too friend. I don't know about you but I get a lot from a children's sermon. It is so simple but so profound too. I loved how Pastor Mike shared about light and darkness during the Advent season asking the children what comes to their mind when they hear the word 'Light' and expounding on it to reveal our Light of the World is Jesus. Not only that, I was reminded of my precious wife Chandraleela singing a song in Hindi with the lyrics 'Light of the world stepped down into darkness.'
I ask you now dear friend, how can the L.I.G.H.T impact your life? Wherever you need the Light, turn to the One who is the Light. You are never out of His love and never out of His reach. Come as you are and allow His Light to work in you guiding you, leading you, and empowering you to do His will. You never have to walk in spiritual darkness anymore when you have Jesus to transform your life. That is exciting to know for you are walking with God. Jesus is our Immanuel, God with us! Thank you Jesus! As you walk these uncertain times, don't walk alone but let the Light of life guide you and lead you for the Light can give you visibility, pathway, and direction. I cannot emphasize this enough! This past Sunday, Pastor Han of Pittsburgh Chinese Church shared about Jesus from Matthew 1-4 reminding us that people in the darkness have seen the Light. Jesus will be our pathway. The Lord says, "I will instruct you and guide you along the best pathway for life. I will advise you and watch your progress!" (Psalm 32:8, TLB) Don't wait for some other time to come to the Light. Come as you are and give Jesus your life to be the true Light in your life so He can shine upon you. Allow Him to work in you and don't feel you have to take the burden on your own. Jesus is there to take your burden. Yes, He is friend! Sometimes it happens overnight miraculously and at other times, it is a process but do not give up! The God of the Universe wants to be your Light forever for He is the 'I AM the Light of the world!'. Yes, He is friend! So come as you are and find the Light in your darkness. I love how Jesus used 'I AM' because He is reminding the Pharisees and Scribes that He is God who appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush and said, 'I AM that I AM'. What is phenomenal in this is that Jesus is claiming to be God to the Pharisees and Scribes and want them to follow Him so they don't continue to live in darkness because according to Jesus they all are living in darkness.Being Pharisees and Scribes, they would be well versed in the the Torah given by God to Moses. So they would know that Jehovah addressed Himself as 'I AM that I AM' to Moses. Now Jesus says, 'I AM' but goes a step further to let them know 'I AM the Light of the world!' Here it is not just a pronoun but a claim to be Divinity!
I asked myself what is the function of
light and the connection Jesus wanted the Pharisees and Scribes to
make as they reflect on Jesus' promise of 'I AM'? Guess in the form of what? The Lord intervened in a pillar of fire to give them visibility, pathway, and direction so they can have light in the night to travel. This is evidenced by a verse in the Torah that the Pharisees and Scribes should have known: "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people."(Exodus 13:21-22, NIV) The Lord was ahead of them and all they needed to do was to follow Him. If they followed, they would have visibility, pathway, or direction. If they did not follow, they would have continued to be lost in the darkness. If that continued, they would have become prisoners again to Pharaoh because they chose the darkness over the light being trapped without visibility, pathway, and direction.
Now Jesus is making a profound statement to
them by claiming, "I
AM the Light of the world." For all of us live in darkness without the Light but the Good News is Jesus wants to deliver you from the darkness of the soul to light up your life with His presence. When you walk in His presence giving your life over to Him no matter where you are or where you have been, you will find the visibility, pathway, and direction that has been eluding you. Yes, you will friend for God will be your guide! He is the 'I AM' for you and me. Yes, He is friend! If the Israelites did not follow the Light that God gave, they would have gone back to be captive to Pharoah. In the same way, if we do not follow the Light of the world, we will be held captive to sin that captivates. Sin will keep us in darkness and only the blood of Christ covering over us can bring us into the Light. So come and receive what Jesus wants to offer you. Whatever captivity you are facing, you do not have to face it on your own in darkness. You can bring it to the Light and the Light will shine in the darkness and the darkness will not be able to extinguish it. This is exciting to know! Yes, friend so come as you are and be illuminated by Jesus Christ in your life. Wait on Him for He is the Hope of the Nations. The best thing Satan would want is to discourage you and make you feel that you are not fit to be in the Kingdom of God, but Jesus came for those who are weak and struggle, not for those who think they are righteous. So hold on to Jesus and you will be holding on to hope! That can happen in your life too friend. Jesus wants to be your Light. He loves you so much and wants to go ahead of you and wants you to follow Him. He wants to deliver you from whatever you are faced with that is making you a prisoner in the darkness. Yes, He does!!! He loves you and offers Himself to you.
Won't you take the only Light that matters? Ask the Lord Jesus to light the fire in your heart. He will friend, yes He will. He loves you so much. No matter what we go through, He is there even through the trials and tribulations. If you don't know Him, come as you are and let Him help you overcome your sins and set you free by His Light. For He waits for you! No matter what you have done or where you have been, Jesus says to you, "Has no one condemned you, neither do I, go and sin no more!" If you have come to know Him but allowed the world to consume you, return to the One who loves you deeply and waits for you. The more you fail, the more He loves you. You cannot live righteously apart from the One who imparts righteousness by His grace. If you have hurt others badly by exposing their deeds of darkness for selfish reasons without any ounce of love, confess that before the Lord too and be restored to Him. Now live your life making use of every opportunity He gives you to be a light to those around you, so they can come and want to experience the Light of the world. Jesus will always be your Light and will never leave you or forsake you. So come as you are and let the Light impact your life. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5, NIV)
"Lord's Illuminating Guidance Helps
Throughout! (L.I.G.H.T)"/'How can the L.I.G.H.T impact your life?" "May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14) May the Lord Jesus guide you in His love leading you! Amen! Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory@gmail.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426 "This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB) |
3D Series: Doctrine, Desires, Deception: 2 Timothy 4:3: "To suit your D.E.S.I.R.E.S, what criteria do you use?' By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, March 01, 22, 2:00 p.m.) 2 Timothy 4:3: "What D.O.C.T.R.I.N.E will you live by?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Feb 08, 22, 12:41 p.m.) 2 Timothy 4:2: "How do you handle the W.O.R.D in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Jan 25, 22, 6:13 a.m.) Mark 5:36-37: "What place do you give G.O.D.S. W.I.L.L in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Sept 22, 21, 11:22 am) Mark 5:35-36: "Whose T.I.M.I.N.G are you waiting for in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Sept 17, 21, 01:04 pm) Mark 5:22-24: "How does your P.R.A.Y.E.R life with Jesus look like?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Sept 16, 21, 11:24 am) Mark 5:30-34: "Where do you need F.R.E.E.D.O.M this fall of 2021?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Sept 15, 21, 10:05 am) Mark 5:25-29: "What will you do with the U.N.C.L.E.A.N areas in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Sept 14, 21, 12:34 pm) Mark 5:21: "Why G.A.T.H.E.R before Jesus in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Sept 14, 21, 11:03 am) Mark 5:20: "What do you do with your T.E.S.T.I.M.O.N.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Sept 09, 21, 10:11 am) Mark 5:18-19: "When will you T.A.R.G.E.T your family?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Sept 08, 21, 07:21 am) Mark 5:15-17: "What makes you A.F.R.A.I.D of coming to Jesus this fall of 2021?"/span> By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Sept 07, 21, 09:33 am) Mark 5:15a: "Where do you need H.E.A.L.I.N.G this fall of 2021?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Sept 05, 21, 10:07 am) Mark 5:14-17: "What will people R.E.P.O.R.T about you in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Aug 20, 21, 09:50 am) Mark 5:1-13: "Where is your T.O.R.M.E.N.T coming from?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Aug 19, 21, 10:06 am) Mark 4:35-41: "How do you handle the S.T.O.R.M.S in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 18, 21, 10:00 am) Mark 4:30-34: "What will you do with the S.E.E.D in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 18, 21, 09:57 am) Mark 4:26-29: "What do you do with the Word of God in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Aug 13, 21, 07:21 am) Mark 4:24-25: "What do you do with what you H.E.A.R in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 11, 21, 09:14 am) Mark 4:21-23: "What do you C.O.N.C.E.A.L in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Aug 10, 21, 10:38 am) Mark 4:21-23: "What kind of L.A.M.P are you?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Aug 06, 21, 10:59 am) Mark 4:2b-10, Mark 4:13-20: "Where are you with your W.A.L.K with the Lord?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Aug 05, 21, 11:50 am) Mark 4:2a, Mark 4:9-12, Mark 13a: "What do P.A.R.A.B.L.E.S mean to you in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 04, 21, 09:19 am) Mark 4:1: "Where do you G.A.T.H.E.R everyday in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Aug 03, 21, 08:48 am) Mark 3:31-34: "What are you doing with G.O.D.S W.I.L.L for your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 02, 21, 10:42 am) Mark 3:28-30: "What is your V.I.E.W of Jesus in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, July 30, 21, 11:07 am) Mark 3:22-27: "How do you handle S.L.A.N.D.E.R in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 29, 21, 08:23 am) Mark 3:21: "How are your actions seen by your F.A.M.I.L.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 28, 21, 11:28 am) Mark 3:20: "How will people G.A.T.H.E.R around you in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, July 27, 21, 09:41 am) Mark 3:16-19: "Where is your A.P.P.O.I.N.T.M.E.N.T in?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 26, 21, 10:46 am) Mark 3:13-15: "What would be the result of you having a true R.E.L.A.T.I.O.N.S.H.I.P with Jesus?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 14, 21, 12:06 pm) Mark 3:11-12: "How do you fight E.V.I.L in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 14, 21, 12:03 pm) Mark 3:9-10: "What S.P.A.C.E do you give yourself in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, July 09, 21, 12:29 pm) Mark 3:7-8: "What is your I.M.P.A.C.T in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 08, 21, 12:18 p.m) Mark 3:1-6: "Whose N.E.E.D.S do you meet in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 07, 21, 11:49 am) Mark 2:23-28: "What does the S.A.B.B.A.T.H mean to you?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, July 06, 21, 09:09 am) Mark 2:23-28: "What kind of L.E.A.D.E.R do people see you as?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 01, 21, 12:00 pm) Mark 2:21-22: "How do you see your L.I.F.E now?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, June 30, 21, 11:38 am) Mark 2:18-20: "Why should their be F.A.S.T.I.N.G in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, June 28, 21, 11:29 am) Mark 2:15-17: "Who do you I.N.V.I.T.E to dine with Jesus in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, June 25, 21, 10:40 am) Mark 2:13-15: "Where do you look for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, June 24, 21, 10:20 am) Mark 2:11: "What place do you give your H.O.M.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, June 22, 21, 11:45 am) Mark 2:9-12: "What do you represent by your A.C.T.I.O.N.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, June 15, 21, 09:04 am) Mark 2:5-12: "How will you live your life knowing your M.I.N.D is open to Jesus?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, June 14, 21, 08:49 am) Mark 2:5: "How do you handle the areas of P.A.R.A.L.Y.S.I.S in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, June 21, 21, 07:39 am) Mark 2:5: "How have you seen your prayer of I.N.T.E.R.C.E.S.S.I.O.N impact someone's life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, June 11, 21, 11:23 am) Mark 2:2-5: "How will your F.R.I.E.N.D.S see your impact in their life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, June 10, 21, 09:11 am) Mark 2:1-2: "What do you do with your P.O.P.U.L.A.R.I.T.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, June 09, 21, 10:47 am) Mark 1:45: "What do your actions C.A.U.S.E in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Sept 17, 20, 11:25 a.m.)Mark 1:43-44: "What area of weakness do you need a pastor/priest to A.C.C.O.U.N.T for in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Sept 16, 20, 07:41 p.m.) Mark 1:43-44: "Who should you T.H.A.N.K first and foremost for good news?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Sept 15, 20, 11:38 a.m.) Mark 1:40-42: "Where do you need to be C.L.E.A.N in life?" by Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Sept 14, 20) Mark 1:37-39: "How do you get your D.I.R.E.C.T.I.O.N in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Sept 12, 20, 11:08 a.m.)
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