Our Post is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
“I came into the world as light.” This is a very interesting statement for I can’t think of anyone before Jesus who could make this claim.
What does Jesus mean I came into this world as light?
After thinking about this for years actually, I believe it reflects the Love, Joy, and Peace that Jesus radiated by His doing the will of His and our Father.
Jesus and God the Father had a relationship, Father and Son, which was a perfect relationship which we are called to be a part of also, and we know this because later in this Gospel we are told by Jesus,
“because I did not speak on my own,
but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
And I know that his commandment is eternal life.
So what I say, I say as the Father told me.” (emphasis mine) John 12
As we have said in many blogs I love working with the Holy Spirit in writing these blogs.
Why would I say this now?
The word commanded leaped out at me when I read this passage, which we put in Bold so hopefully, you might spend a moment pondering this word.
In earlier blogs, we said Jesus only said what he heard his Father say and did what He saw His Father doing.
The word commanded put an entirely different meaning to what Jesus said. God the Father wasn’t giving Jesus suggestions or hints, God the Father, according to Jesus, was commanding Jesus to make a particular statement.
And when Jesus made these statements he was filled with Joy and since Jesus was always doing what He saw His Father doing and saying what He was commanded to say He was filled with Joy, and became the light of the world.
When you or I do the will of God the Father, by listening to the whisper of the Holy Spirit, we are filled with Joy and also become the light of the world. My problem is I fail to always listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit and therefore lose Joy.
The above doesn’t explain why we started talking about the word commanded earlier. I, we, feel it has a much deeper meaning which is important for all of us.
Go back to the Cross.
Jesus said from the Cross, never forget Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were also on that Cross, Jesus fully human and fully Divine, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit were fully Divine, “Forgive them, they know what they do” Luke 23:34
According to Jesus, God the Father commanded Jesus to say these words. Your salvation is not only Jesus saying He wants us forgiven, but God the Father, The Holy Spirit, and Jesus are saying this.
This is the dance we have also talked about since the start of our blogs, and when you decide to say and do what God your Father wants you to say and to do, you and I also become a light in this very dark world.
Never forget the world has always had wars, diseases, riots, and hatred, this day and age are no different.
We can make a true difference by being a light in a very dark world.
“The nine” We pray you will grow in the Love, Joy, and Peace of the Holy Spirit by growing in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
This is the first Monday after three days of playing “Guys Golf” in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina.
The weather was in the mid to late seventies, the courses were fantastic, and we all agreed this was the best year ever.
We want to run an experiment:
I shot my second hole in one, on the sixteenth hole at the Sea Trail Golf Club. Two holes later I shot a put that was eighteen feet long for a birdie. I also hit more fairways with my driver than anyone else in the group over the three days we held “Guys Golf.”
Does the above paragraph make you want to vomit?
It does me, and I had a hard time typing it because it wasn’t true.
Does the above paragraph reflect me as being a light of the world?
No it doesn’t because it’s all about me, and only me.
Where’s God?
Obviously not on those courses on those three days.
I did it all!
What a jerk, you might be thinking.
But,
Let’s restate that first paragraph.
Weeeeeeeee shot our second hole in one, on the sixteenth hole at the Sea Trail Golf Club. Two holes later Weeeeeeee shot a putt that was eighteen feet long for a birdie. Weeeeeeee also hit more fairways with our driver than anyone else in the group over the three days we held “Guys Golf.”
This is a lot better. I’m giving credit to God for all that happened that week.
As we said at the end of lent, I had a great lent. A change came into my life.
I now celebrate even more the relationship we are building.
I know many of you are thinking God does not get involved in golf.
How sad!
I guess the God you worship picks and chooses where God wants to be involved in your life and leaves you hanging in those parts that God doesn’t want to be involved in.
I thought this way for way too long.
God wants to be involved in every aspect of your life, let us repeat, EVERY ASPECT of your life, and be fully involved.
I also fully believe God answers all prayers.
Wait just a second I can anticipate many of you thinking, I have said prayers that weren’t answered, so your statement is wrong or misleading.
I disagree fully.
For the last two years, I had a sore hip.
I, we, prayed for healing, bought two pillows, bought a new chair for our office, tried a gel and nothing worked for two years.
I, we, and I say we because C.S. Lewis said Jesus brings us to pray, gives us the words to pray, and brings the prayers to God the Father.
We prayed for the hip pain to be healed.
And for two years nothing.
Did I quit?
No!
I kept praying and never lost faith that a healing wouldn’t occur.
We mentioned a gel, and the Holy Spirit encouraged me to loan this gel to Louie Chabot, a neighbor. for his sore knee, and the gel healed his knee pain.
Louie read the directions, I didn’t. Louie used the gel four times a day, I used it only two times a day. Louis’s pain was healed, mine wasn’t. Louie told me he used it four times a day.
The Holy Spirit whispered to me to apply it four times a day. We changed to four times a day, which I did for over a month, then twice a day for one to two weeks, and the pain is gone.
I have waited for two weeks to make sure the pain is gone, and it’s GONE!!
The really great news is I wasn’t sure I could go to “Guys Golf,” because I wasn’t sure I could make the trip, because of the pain I experienced before using the gel.
The pain is gone and I had no troubles, with the hip, going on the trip.
Why do I keep talking about healings, and other ways God is involved in my, our, life?
People say I am special.
I’m not special.
You and I were both wanted by God the Father, God knows every hair on our heads, Matthew 10:30, and that makes us all very special.
Question?
Do you know every hair on the head of your spouse or children?
I bet you don’t even come close.
But your Father does!
Think of it, if God knows every hair on my head, God is telegraphing that God is truly looking for an intimate relationship.
The main difference is I turn my difficulties over to God and expect God to take care of me, and God has. Think about it, if your spouse, children, and anyone else asks for help, wouldn’t you try to help them out?
Who are you imitating?
The Triune God!
In golf, the whole group went out and made practice shots; we didn’t. We just kept humming the songs I learned while playing the guitar during Lent.
Well God provided me with more God surprises as we explained earlier.
In my health, I also look to God to take care of me, and God has!
In a comment a few weeks ago the commentator said he had incurable cancer. We replied that calling the cancer incurable made it so. If you believe God can’t cure you, God can’t.
Look in the Bible.
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Emphasis mine) Mark 6:5-6.
The healing of my hip took two years. I, we, just kept praying and I never stopped believing God wouldn’t take care of me.
I believe this because God has taken care of me, is taking care of me and I know will take care of me.
Why would God stop?
In God’s eyes, I’m not Loved by God any more than you are.
Turn your life over to God and become a light in a very dark world.
One last thought, Holy Spirit, I started including God fully in our Golf game in Oct of 2021. Since then we have shot two holes in one, and our scores are lower.
Luck, I don’t think so.
Never forget, someday I will jump on the Hallelujah Train Home, and that prayer for healing will not be answered!
Note: We have not mentioned the name of the gel because we don’t want to advertise any product, but If you want to get the name, write a comment asking for the brand name and I will give you the information in our reply, on Thursday, to your comment.
