Today's Reading: Luke 11: 29-41
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Please click this link to read Luke 11: 29-41
Bible Study
Today's passage is all about the power of the Light. Jesus says:
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
Here in this passage we can see the power of the Light in three steps:
1. Repent
The power of Johan's message made the men of Nineveh to repent. Even Johan did not believe in what he preached could have that power. It's the power of the light to let people see their evil and darkness that they choose to repent like the Nineveh rather than perish in God's judgement.
2. Light
Repent is the only way for us to receive the Light. Jesus is the Light! When we receive Jesus to come in to our life as our Savior and Lord of life we will have no darkness in us. Changes will occur in us just as N.T. Wright say:
Jesus gives us an encouragement to embrace and live by the light while there's time. A day is coming when everything will be lit up (compare 17:24 "For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other."), and on that day those who have allowed the light to illuminate them fully will shine brightly. The day has come because the light of Christ has been in the world for 2,000 years. Are we shining this light to the world so that they can see the one who is greater than Solomon, greater than Jonah is what Jesus wants to tell us.
3. Clean
There is one thing we need to know before we can let the light shine within us. N.T. Wright gives us a good understanding of how to link the passage about the dinner with the Pharisee to the passage about the light. He says:
What this means in practice emerges in the sharp little dinner-table exchange between Jesus and the Pharisee. Some Pharisees were concentrating on outward piety to the neglect of the inward devotion which was part of Jesus' main aim. The last phrase literally means 'give for alms those things that are inside', and, as it stands, this seems almost incomprehensible. But if Jesus meant by 'give for alms' something like 'give over to God for his use', the sentence becomes clear. True piety takes as much care about giving to God the thoughts, intentions and motivations of the heart as about handwashing. If you embrace the light, it must illuminate every part.
So, if the light cannot illuminate every part within us and people can't see us as if they see Jesus, then we have not washed ourselves well, right?
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"
Spiritual Journal
What I heard from Jesus today is: Let the Light within you shine!
What I received from Jesus today is a test as well as a warning concerning with our true life within us. To me it's about whether we listen but not obey. It's about seeing the dirt in our hands but not wash the dirt away so that we can be clean!
We really need to pray now asking the light of Christ to come to shine within us so that we are able to see those dirts and be willing to repent, asking the blood of Jesus to cleanse our sins so that Jesus can shine within us.
Come Holy Spirit,
Shine on us that we can see all those dirts preventing Jesus to shine within us. Lord Jesus, lead us to be willing to repent like the men of Nineveh. Cleanse our sins with your blood so that we can be clean that you can shine within us. Shine, Jesus shine. Shine, Jesus shine. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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