Walk In The Light
Tom Kershaw, with The Mirror, reports:
A construction worker splashed out a fortune on partying and fast living after his boss paid him £40,000 too much - because he got a decimal point in the wrong place.
Steven Burke blew £28,000 on a new car, cocaine, booze and hotels after the costly blunder by his company.
He was expecting a pay check of £446.60 - but couldn't believe his luck when a massive £44,660 dropped into his bank account instead.
A court heard the company director put his decimal point in the wrong place.
But instead of letting them know, Burke filled his boots with designers clothes and online gambling.
He told a court he thought he had been a lucky victim of 'cyber crime'.
... But when asked the obvious questions of why he could not pay back the money or make anyone aware of the overpayment - he simply could not answer.
What’s done in the dark may be rejoiced over in the moment, but not when it's brought out and exposed by the light. That's when our guilt will be revealed for what it really is, and our excuses will fail us.
What will you say when God asks you the obvious questions about the sin and guilt in your life? The words, “It was wrong, I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway," won't do you much good on that day.
Don't find yourself standing before God with nothing but poor excuses to offer Him. Right now, today, step out of the darkness and into the light of Christ.
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
The Light of Life
Sarah Knapton, Science Editor for TELEGRAPH, reports:
Human life begins in bright flash of light as a sperm meets an egg, scientists have shown for the first time, after capturing the astonishing ‘fireworks’ on film.
An explosion of tiny sparks erupts from the egg at the exact moment of conception.
Scientists had seen the phenomenon occur in other animals but it is the first time it has been also shown to happen in humans … highlighting the very moment that a new life begins ….
It should come as no surprise to discover that a flash of light accompanies the beginning of a new life. Just as darkness is associated with death, light is associated with life in the pages of Scripture. Whether it’s human conception or the new birth, the moment is marked by the life and the light of God.
How about you? Have you experienced new life in Christ? Has the light of new life burst upon your soul? Have you been born again?
“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone” (John 1:4, NLT).
"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 will have the light of life" (John 8:12).
It's Always Darkest Just Before . . .
Despair.com has a poster which reads, “Despair: It always gets darkest just before it fades to pitch black.” Too many people live without hope, going from one dark event to another. I wonder if that is how the Jews felt in the time just before Jesus' birth?
They had been a privileged people, one of the only groups allowed to self-rule, to self-tax and to be free from military service in the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar had granted these rights because Judaism was older than Rome itself. But then came Octavius who instituted a census, which was to occur every 14 years, and it did for the next 2 centuries. So what's the big deal about a census? Ancient Empires took censuses in order to tax or to conscript.
This simple event was a signal to the Jewish people that their favored status was in the process of being revoked and that they, like everyone else, were nothing more than a conquered, subjugated people. Simply having Romans in the land would have seemed pretty dark, but having them prepare to tax and conscript would have felt like pitch black. It would be a return to slavery, a proverbial return to Egypt.
But in this dark situation, as Luke proceeds in his nativity narrative, the angels appear and announce the Good News! A Savior, a Messiah, a Lord has been born, and with His coming, favor was being restored.
Contrary to the Despair.com assertion, it wasn't darkest just before it faded to pitch black. It was darkest just before "The Light of the World" dispelled the night!
"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 will have the light of life" (John 8:12).
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:1-10).