Richard Rogers

23 hrs

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Jesus Christ is the everlasting light that illuminates the darkness that shrouds an evil world. Sadly, people who live an unrepentant sinful lifestyle resist the light of life, choosing instead to walk under the cover of darkness that obscures their ungodliness. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

Until the rapture of the church, when believers will be caught up in the air and taken out of this troubled world to be with Jesus forever, we have been called to reflect His light into the worldly darkness. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15) Light your candle and go shine for Christ!

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15)

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“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is the God-given ability to see with spiritual eyes things that are unseen in the physical world. A great biblical truth is that the unseen, not the tangible, has lasting value. “For the things which are seen, are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) Therefore, Scripture instructs that we look not at what is seen, but at the things that are seen only through the eyes of faith. And therein rests our lively hope, the assurance of a faithful God the heavenly Father of salvation exclusively through His Son Jesus Christ. This heavenly hope is founded on faith!

Faith in Jesus alone allows believers to gain access to God’s saving grace and receive with certainty our great hope, His gift of everlasting life. This hope of salvation is in Christ alone! Because of a godly love that exceeds our understanding, Christ died sacrificially on the cross to pay for our sins, was buried in a guarded tomb, and rose again on the third day so that by faith in Him we can reap the ultimate reward of a heavenly home and an eternal inheritance. As servants of Jesus, let’s pray that lost souls will open their spiritual eyes and see Christ for who He is, the Savior of all who choose to trust in Him, and realize the heavenly hope that is founded on faith!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3).

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Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Questioned about the greatest commandment in the Jewish law, Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5, told one of the Pharisees that the greatest commandment was to love God with all of one’s being and might. That commandment is easily stated, but how do we love the LORD with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Jesus provided that answer on how to keep the supreme commandment, simply saying to His disciples in John 15:14, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

To obey God reflects our love for Him and confirms that He is our highest priority. Trusting obedience is the only way that we show the world that we love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And when we truly put our faith in Christ and yield our hearts to Him, the Holy Spirit enables God’s love to flow through us to other people and gives us a genuine desire to keep the second great commandment like unto the first: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) When we love God above all and love each other, we keep the great commandments that Jesus said fulfill the law.

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Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Despite the troubles and trials that are a reality of life in a fallen world, faith in Jesus Christ gives every believer ultimate triumph over their temporal earthly circumstances and the assurance of an eternal heavenly home in our Lord's presence. By God's grace through trust in Jesus' supreme sacrifice for our sins, we are reborn spiritually and become new creations in Christ with transformed hearts that desire to love and serve and renewed minds that seek to do God's will, not our own. Good will ultimately overcome evil; faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the world!

Paul said in reference to Jesus in Romans 8:37, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

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“Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you...(Isaiah 34:4).

The world defines an individual’s worth, for example, by his bank account, the size of his home, the brand of automobile that he drives, and the number of his social media followers. On the other hand, God measures a person’s self-worth not by what is seen on the outside, but by the bounty of the heart. This infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere present God values all of his human creations beyond the ability of our finite minds to comprehend. God loves each of us unconditionally and desires a relationship with us.

In the sight of the sovereign, eternal God of the universe, we are all priceless. This great reality is reflected in the fact that God created us in His own image, each uniquely crafted like no other human being who has or will ever live. He knows everything about us, down to the smallest detail, and He is with us wherever we go. We are, therefore, valuable and worthy in His eyes. Above all, our worth to the LORD Jesus Christ is defined by His sacrificial death so that every believer can be saved by God’s grace and can receive His greatest gift, everlasting life.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)