"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, From Today's Gospel Reading)
Maybe most would be better followers if they just went to fewer leadership conferences.
Notice, Jesus does not say here, "He who 'believes,'" or, "He who 'understands,'" but, "He who follows...." If people are wrestling with doubt or "confusion," with an inability to comprehend and mentally understand what is going on in their lives, they can still follow. Now the tendency for so many is to say to the Lord, "Where are we going? What are you doing? Why are my prayers not answered? What is your will for my life?" When a people do not have any answers to such questions, however, they can still follow. Following does not require "understanding" or the ability to give "reasons." Following just requires commitment/surrender.
I remember reading our text during my freshman year in the university. I had been undergoing the most pressing challenge to my faith in Jesus since I was a young child. What I came to see was that those who were challenging my commitment to Jesus were those who had surrendered their lives to, "walk in darkness." Their authority was the reasoning of humanity, not the Word of God. All of their arguments were based on what made "sense" to them. A man who was probably a 5' 8", 155 lb. Middle Eastern Jew, "the carpenter's son," claiming to be, "The Light of the world," or, "the resurrection and the life," or, "he who has seen Me has seen the Father," or, "before Abraham was, I am," was just too much for their very, very limited minds to understand. And maybe herein lies man's problem. He tries to understand the non-understandable; hence, he "follows" himself. I chose then, and choose now to follow.
In so many ways, I do not understand much more than they. The key difference is that I embrace what/Whom I cannot fully understand. I have chosen to follow, whether some understanding or no understanding accompanies my journey. This decision insures that I, "will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life", Jesus.
Father, in Jesus' name, I embrace You and follow You. I do not need to understand or even "know" where You are leading. Amen.
**************
Maybe most would be better followers if they just went to fewer leadership conferences.
Notice, Jesus does not say here, "He who 'believes,'" or, "He who 'understands,'" but, "He who follows...." If people are wrestling with doubt or "confusion," with an inability to comprehend and mentally understand what is going on in their lives, they can still follow. Now the tendency for so many is to say to the Lord, "Where are we going? What are you doing? Why are my prayers not answered? What is your will for my life?" When a people do not have any answers to such questions, however, they can still follow. Following does not require "understanding" or the ability to give "reasons." Following just requires commitment/surrender.
I remember reading our text during my freshman year in the university. I had been undergoing the most pressing challenge to my faith in Jesus since I was a young child. What I came to see was that those who were challenging my commitment to Jesus were those who had surrendered their lives to, "walk in darkness." Their authority was the reasoning of humanity, not the Word of God. All of their arguments were based on what made "sense" to them. A man who was probably a 5' 8", 155 lb. Middle Eastern Jew, "the carpenter's son," claiming to be, "The Light of the world," or, "the resurrection and the life," or, "he who has seen Me has seen the Father," or, "before Abraham was, I am," was just too much for their very, very limited minds to understand. And maybe herein lies man's problem. He tries to understand the non-understandable; hence, he "follows" himself. I chose then, and choose now to follow.
In so many ways, I do not understand much more than they. The key difference is that I embrace what/Whom I cannot fully understand. I have chosen to follow, whether some understanding or no understanding accompanies my journey. This decision insures that I, "will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life", Jesus.
Father, in Jesus' name, I embrace You and follow You. I do not need to understand or even "know" where You are leading. Amen.
**************
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
