To Be...Looking at the Light

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June 11
I've been attempting to get up before dawn and have a time of worship outside on our screened porch each morning.
The other day, after being up until mid-night the night, before,  I missed the birds’ 5:30AM recital.  When I went to my perch on our porch, the sun had just crested the tree line across the lake and was shining straight into my eyes.  When back inside it was packing a powerful punch reflecting off the water.

In a current study I was doing,  I was blessed to read and reflect on the “Light of the World,” our “Forever Flashlight.”

When Betty Ashton was married, here at Shiloh eleven years ago, we had an unfortunate neighbor dispute going on and the top of our private gravel road was dug up so that we couldn’t get home and 324 guests were not going to be able to get here.  Talk about a dart!  God worked it all for good and the blessings abounded.  A girlfriend from out of town, who was staying with us that week to help, got in the car with me and we went to two Lowe’s and a Home Depot. I explained to the store managers what happened and that our guests would be departing the reception by boat or through the woods to the neighborhood next door in the dark.  Those stores sold us flashlights at cost. We taped typed up tags on each flashlight that said, “Jesus is the Light of the World.”  Each family left with a flashlight to help them find their way in the dark!

Oh, the joy that comes as we allow the light of Christ to shine out of us.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalm 27:1

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

“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  

“We live in a very negative world, where negative things have power and prominence…The negative gets top billing, makes the headlines.  In our personal lives this is also true…We need to remember that the darker the night the brighter the light-our positive words and attitudes will stand out in a world of negativism.”  Peter Lord

Speak a word or send a note of encouragement today to someone!

Father, thank You for sending Jesus as The Light of the World, so that we never have to be in darkness! Thank you for allowing us to come to know Him in such a personal way. May our love for Him shine out of us so brightly that others are attracted to Jesus.  In His name we pray, Amen

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