The Light of the World

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:19, ESV)

This is the time of the year when daylight grows short. It is getting dark where I live before 5 pm. You go further north and it gets dark even earlier. In places like Barrow, Alaska, the sun will not rise again until late in January.

The darkness can be depressing. There are many people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder that is caused by the lack of daylight.

The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere is the winter solstice that takes place on December 21. But the daylight will begin to grow longer every day from that point until the summer solstice in June.

We need light! You cannot survive in the dark. If there was no light, there would be no plants and we would starve to death. Without light, we cannot see. We would not be able to get anywhere. Light is so essential that it is the very first element that God created. On the first day, he said, “Let there be light.” (see Genesis 1:3)

How appropriate that we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25, just a few days after the winter solstice. Light has dawned! Jesus is the light of the world. Light conquers the darkness. The darkness may have its time but it is a new day. Jesus is born, the light of the world.

The Light of the Word

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105, ESV)

We need God’s light and we receive the light of God through the Word of God. The Word exposes our sin and short-comings. It reveals places in our lives that are out-of-alignment with God’s will for us. This allows us to receive God’s grace and forgiveness to realign ourselves to his calling

The Word also directs our steps. There are so many times when a verse I read in my morning devotion is applicable to something that happens in my afternoon. The Word gives us wisdom to live the full and abundant life that God desires for us.

The bottom line is that the light of the Word makes our lives better. Open the Word, read the Word, reflect upon the Word, and you will be blessed.

You may say you don’t have time. You may think you are too busy. That is all the more reason you need the Word. Without the Word, you are living in the darkness. The reason you don’t have the time, that you are so overwhelmed, and feel you are too busy is because you keep your Bible closed.

Make the time. If you have time to read Facebook, you have the time. If you have time to watch a show on Netflix, you have the time. If you have time to cheer for your favorite football team, you have the time. If you have time to check your email, you have the time. If you have time to read the latest mystery novel, you have time. If you have time to exercise, you have the time. If you have time to go shopping, you have the time.

You have the time! We make the time for the things that are important to us. When we fail to open the Word, it is not that we don’t have the time, it is just that we make other things more important. And while it may not be important to you, it is important for you. There is nothing that is more important for you.

Several years ago, a study was done, to look at what things helped people to grow spiritually. It was not church attendance, it was not Bible Study, it was not serving. The #1 thing that helped people grow spiritually was to read the Scriptures on their own. Nothing else came close.

How will you make the time? To get started, you might consider deleting your Facebook app on your phone. Install the Bible app. Every time you are tempted to open your Facebook app, open the Bible app in its place.

Do you see how that works? To say yes to a new commitment, you need to say no to something else. This is not about adding something new to do. It is about realigning your life for what is most essential.

There is no doubt that to read the Scriptures consistently requires discipline. It is a Spiritual discipline. It takes commitment. It takes encouragement. There will come a time when it seems like you are not receiving a benefit. It will not be as “rewarding” as getting a shot of dopamine from checking social media. But the rewards of discipline are not discovered in the short-term. Discipline is rewarded through the consistency of time.

Now is a great time to start thinking about a Bible Reading Plan for 2020. I usually publish a Bible Reading Plan. But the Bible app already provides hundreds of plans to chose from. So I will not be publishing a plan for the new year. I want to encourage you to use one of their plans.

I also don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all plan. Chose the one that’s right for you. If you have never read the Scriptures consistently, you might start with a plan to read just one book. Here is a great plan to read the Gospel of John in 10 days: https://my.bible.com/reading-plans/88-john. If you have had difficulty sticking with reading the Bible consistently, you might consider a plan to read the New Testament over the course of a year. Here is a plan that would help you do that: https://my.bible.com/reading-plans/10824-daily-new-testament-quarter-1. I use a plan where I read the entire Bible in a year. If you are just starting out, I do not recommend this approach. But if you want to use the plan I will use, I am likely going to use the Bible Project Reading Plan for 2020.

There are many other plans to chose from. They have plans for Advent and Christmas. There are plans to help you understand what the Bible has to say about almost any experience you may be going through in life. The Bible app is a great resource to help us let the light of God shine in our lives. And the best thing is that it is free!

Reflection

1. How will you prioritize the Word of God?
2. Do you have a Bible Reading Plan? If not, pick one out today!
3. How do you reflect upon your daily Bible reading to apply the light of the Word to your life?
   

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you tell us that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Help us to live by the light of the Word. Give us the courage and commitment to open the Word to expose the darkness places in our lives and to guide us on your path. Help us to treasure your Word and to not take it for granted. In your name we pray. Amen!

But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

1 Thessalonians 4:10–12, (ESV)

I sometimes wonder what our ancestors would think if they could have entered a time machine and visited our present day.

My house is near what is known as Signal Hill. Signal Hill was used in the Revolutionary War to relay a signal from New York Harbor to Philadelphia. If the British Fleet left the harbor, the colonist would alert Philadelphia before the Fleet’s arrival. There was no other way as efficient. But what would those people have thought of the iPhone that can text a picture in a split second?

Or what would have the people from the 1800s have thought to ride in an automobile? We live in these concrete jungles because of the advent of the car. Cars allow us to travel farther in one day than our ancestors might have traveled in a lifetime. Amazing!

It is no secret. I am a techie. I love my gadgets. I am fascinated by technology. I strive to understand how it works and how it can better be used for ministry. Technology gives us so many blessings. We use the tools of technology to be more efficient. It allows us to communicate with those we love in ways we have never been able. The fact that you are able to read my words right now (probably somewhere not in Jersey) is a blessing of technology.

Our local grocery store now does online ordering. We can order our groceries from the convenience of our home. We are assigned a designated pick-up-time. We pull up to the designated spot and a worker will bring our groceries to our car. It is a wonderful service and eliminates the sometimes stressful grocery shopping before a holiday. Time saved! Less stress! It is a big win in my book!

But I want to pause right there . . .

The bottom line is that technology makes us more efficient. Because we can accomplish tasks faster, we can ultimately get more done. But just because we can get more done does not mean that we should get more done.

The temptation for me is to think, that because I saved time ordering my groceries online, that I now have more time to get other things done. But what if I didn’t use that time saved to get more done? What if I used the efficiencies of technology to get my work done faster? In other words, I work more efficiently to work less.

I can use that time saved to abide with God and with those I love. My challenge for you is to use the efficiencies of technology to make less work so you can more fully invest in the things that are important to you.

The efficiency of technology tempts us to spread ourselves out further and further. The irony is that technologies designed to simplify our lives help us to add more and more complexity. The very tools meant to unburden our lives are the very things we use to pile on more.

The Apostle Paul reminds us to aspire to live quietly and work with our hands. What this means to me is to use the technology to unburden and simplify my life. It is something I need to constantly monitor.

Back to those ancestors in a time machine. I wonder which thing would amaze them the most? Would it be what technology can do? Or would it be what technology has done to us? Rather than technology serving us, we have become servants of our technology.

Reflection

1. In what ways can and do you use technology to simplify your life?
2. How do you guard against technology adding complexity and burdening your life?
   

Prayer

Lord, we thank you for this amazing time we live in. Thank you for giving the wisdom and intelligence you gave to so many people to make the incredible advances in medicine, communications, and technology. Our lives are easier than those of our ancestors. We have possibilities and opportunities they could have never dreamed possible. But too often we use the tools and technologies to complicate our lives. Give us the wisdom to use these gifts to unburden ourselves and live more fully for the things that are important. Amen.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, ESV)

It is the beginning of December and we received our first snowfall of the year overnight in Jersey. It was a beautiful blanket of white on the trees this morning. The white snow was contrasted by the deep blue cold sky. It was an indicator that winter has arrived. The leaves have left the trees and the fall is behind us.

I am not much of a fan of winter. I would be happy if this was the last snow of the year. I will likely spend much of the winter longing for the warm days of summer and trips to the shore. But I have lived in a cold climate long enough to realize that despairing winter will only make it more miserable.

Winter may never be my favorite season, but there is much to embrace. There are sledding and snowball fights. There is a trip into New York City to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. There is kindling a fire in the fireplace while sipping a warm beverage. There are skiing and snowmobiling. There is no end to the enjoyable activities that can take place in winter. And winter has a special unique beauty.

So many of our struggles and sorrows in life are caused by failing to transition from one season to the next. When we long for past or future seasons of life we are hindered from embracing our current season.

I am currently a father with a daughter in high school and twin boys who are in 4th grade. Much of my time and income goes into this parenting endeavor. It is a great season of life! But there are times when I have a yearning for the days without the kids at home. Barbara and I had more time as husband and wife before the kids came along. We also had more discretionary income. But I have embraced this current season in my life. I realize that my kids will live in our home for only a short time longer. I want to make the most of that time. And the way to do that comes by embracing this season of life.

We go through seasons in life. There are joys and blessings in each season. But when we become so focused on what was lost from previous seasons, we miss out on the blessings of this season. Every seasonal transition will mean loss. But every transition will also bring new experiences and blessings. Stop trying to live a different season and embrace this season where you find yourself!

The good news is that no matter what season it may be, there is one constant. Seasons change, but Jesus remains the same. He is Immanuel, God with us. He is a constant companion through every step in life. The people in our life will come and go. But our God is always present with us.

Reflection

1. Are you embracing your season in life? Where do you find yourself longing for a different season? What opportunities in this season of life are you failing to take advantage of?
2. How have you seen Jesus present in every season?
   

Prayer

Our Immanuel, thank you for your constant presence. You are God with us. Seasons come and go, but you remain with me through each. Give me the courage to embrace the opportunities of this season in which I find myself. Lead me new adventures and discoveries that are only possible at this time. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10, ESV)

A friend of mine, Lt. Col. Jim Buckman is a missionary currently deployed to the South Pole. On the other end of the globe, Greg Lutz, another chaplain from my denomination has been deployed to the North Pole. Jesus says you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth (see Acts 1:8). You can’t get much more literal than that!

Eventually, you will travel so far south, you can travel no farther south. Eventually, you will travel so far north, you can travel no farther north. The poles mark the limits of the earth. There is a measure that marks the end.

We live in a finite world. There is a limit on everything. Think of all the things that have limits. There is a limit to the natural resources. There is a limit to the amount of money available. There is a limit to hours of sunshine in a day. There is a limit to your energy for a given task. There is nothing you will find on this earth that does not have a limit. Everything will eventually run out.

Our time on this earth has a limit. Someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal disease will say that they are dying. But the truth of the matter is that we are all dying. Some may live longer. Some may live shorter. But all of us have our days numbered.

These limitations may cause fear. It may lead some to feel as if they are imprisoned. Does the limits of your life cause you fear and worry? Or is this something that is incredibly freeing? Consider the following.

This world is ending. Praise God! God put a limit on the constraints of this world because we are made for more. We were made for an eternity where we are freed from all the limits of this world. For a believer, we rejoice that every day that passes by we are one-day closer, not to the end of all things, but the fulfillment of all things. There is an end to the pain, suffering, and evil that fills this world.

Chronos vs Kairos

There are two different Biblical words for time. There is “chronos” time and “kairos” time. “Chronos” time is the measure of time. It is minutes, days, weeks, months, and years. “Kairos” is more about timing. It is not the measure of time, but the alignment of time. It is that God aligned your life to coincide with this time in history. God knows what he is doing. He created you to live in this time and place. You were made for now.

Too many people are living fearful of the finite. They are fearful that when it all runs out, it will be all gone. They are living with a scarcity mindset because all they have to live for is this finite world. All they know is “chronos” time – and the clock keeps ticking drawing closer to when time will run out.

Our culture has created an acronym for this mindset. It is FOMO. It stands for the “Fear Of Missing Out.” We are all affected by FOMO to a degree. We all have things in our life that we fear missing. But how many people find themselves spent by adding needless stress to their lives to be able to afford things that can’t afford? How many people come to the end of themselves by chasing every good opportunity that comes along because they fear missing it? FOMO leads us to grab what we can while we still can. We exhaust ourselves in the process.

You may live in a finite world, but realize you serve an infinite God. You don’t need to live in a spirit of poverty, trying to hold on to every moment. Know that you are empowered to live every moment as God intended you to live. He empowers you to live generous with your time, that even though your time may run out on this earth. God will have more than enough to accomplish all you have been given. It is not about having all things, but having the right things. There is no FOMO! We may miss out on some things in this lifetime. But there will be no end to the time we have in eternity to experience all good things. Kairos is all about experiencing all good things at the appropriate time. It is not about doing all things. It is about doing the right things.

Reflection

1. Where is FOMO present in your life?
2. Do the limitations of this life bring you fear or freedom? How does God empower you to let go of your FOMO?
   

Prayer

God of Eternity, you are without beginning nor end. Time is limitless with you. There is nothing missing in you. We too often get too focused on the boundaries of this earth and our lives. We fail to consider your infinite power and provision. You have blessed us with every spiritual blessing but we still fear we might miss out on something. Forgive our lack of faith and empower us to see your limitless provision in Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen!