Light of The World

His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." —John 2:5 When David was called by God to be king, he was out watching sheep, just being faithful. The day David killed Goliath, he didn't wake up that morning and hear God say, "David, today you are going to the valley of Elah. There will be a giant Philistine named Goliath, and you will kill him with a stone." No, at his dad's request, David was taking some cheese sandwiches to his brothers out on the front line . . . just being faithful on an errand for his dad. What was Gideon doing when God called him? He was hiding from his enemies. He was terrified. But God saw his potential, and the next thing Gideon knew, he was leading troops into battle. And what was Elisha doing when Elijah called him to carry on the work? He was out plowing in the field. Moses was watching a bunch of sheep i...

Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. —Psalm 39:4 Let's say that your phone rings tomorrow morning, and it's a call from the manager of your bank. He tells you, "I received a very unusual call the other day. Someone who loves you very much and is quite wealthy has given you a large sum of money. This anonymous donor will be depositing 86,400 cents into your account every single day." "How's that again?" you ask. "Every single day, this person will deposit 86,400 cents into your account." Is that much money? you wonder at first. Then you get out your calculator and figure out that it amounts to $864 every day. That's pretty good, you're thinking. "But there is one condition," the banker continues. "You have to spend it every single day. You can't save it up. You can't add it to the next day's balance. Every day, you must spend that money. What is ...

In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. —Matthew 14:25 In Matthew 14, we read about the disciples being tossed by the wind and waves in their boat on the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus came, walking on the water, in the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch was the last part of the night, just before dawn. This means the disciples had been at sea—their hands probably blistered and bloodied from toil at the oars—for at least nine hours in this fierce storm. So we see that Jesus came to them at the last conceivable moment. This reminds us that God's delays aren't necessarily His denials. Jesus had heard their first cries for help. He knew what He was doing all along. Why did He wait so long before He intervened? Probably because it took a long time for these men to exhaust their resources and completely trust in Him. Lifeguards will tell you that often the hardest person to save is the one who is panicking. But when an individual is...

We also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. —Hebrews 12:1–2 In the ancient Greek games, a judge would stand at the finish line holding, in plain sight, the laurel leaves that would be rewarded to the victor. As runners came down the final stretch, they were exhausted, perhaps in agony, and feeling as though they couldn't go another step. But suddenly there was the prize in sight, and a new burst of energy would kick in. This is the picture behind the phrase looking unto Jesus in Hebrews 12:2. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. And our prize is the privilege of standing before Him and receiving the crown of righteousness that He will give us. That is why we try to live godly lives and why we try to reach people for Him. It isn't for brownie points. It is...