I have had enough LORD

I have had enough LORD

Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. – Isaiah 46:3-4

1 Kings 19:2-18

 2 Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.

 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”

 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

 7 Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.

 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

A serious illness can be overwhelming for the entire family. Hospice care was created to provide assistance. Hospice offers individualized care to patients and families in their homes. It offers patient care including symptom management, emotional support, spiritual support and psychosocial intervention.

But it is important to know that hospice is not curative but palliative. It is focused on the patient’s quality of life on their journey to end-of-life. It is for terminally ill patients who typically live less than 6 months. In 2017, hospice care patients on average lived for 76.1 days.

When it comes to spiritual, emotional, and relational problems, repair and restoration are always possible. They are not terminal. They can be mended and restored with the proper guidance, encouragement, and willingness to do the hard work to recover.

It is much like recovering from a serious accident or surgery. After medical intervention, it takes time, effort, often physical therapy to recover. But recovery is doable. For children of the King, this is possible because of His supernatural activity in repairing and rebuilding hearts and spirits.

In our day and time, many often give up hope and want to throw in the towel. They wish they were dead. So it was with Elijah. He was tired, hungry, worn out, fearful, and emotionally and physically drained. He literally ran away from his problems.

The Father nurtured him back to physical, emotional, and spiritual health. First, He sent an angel. He himself was also came and spoke directly to Elijah. Earlier He sent ravens to provide food for him (1 Kings 17:4-6).

REFLECT & PRAY

It is not over until the Father says it is over! He calls us out of the doldrums of despair.

Father how many times have I lost all hope, thrown in the towel, and literally or figuratively run away from it all. Strengthen me and encourage me to run the race You have set before me, and finish well.

INSIGHT

The Father took care of Elijah’s physical depletion. Often, but not always, physical restoration precedes spiritual restoration and service.

1 Kings 19:7-8

 7 Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.

The Father refreshed Elijah’s vision in a totally unanticipated personal, calming fashion. Before He spoke, there was a rock shattering powerful wind. It was followed by a tumultuous earthquake and then a consuming fire. But the Father was not in any of these spectacular displays of His power. It is so natural to ask for and expect a dramatic sign from Him. But His ways are not our ways.

“There followed a faint whisper, a voice quiet, and hushed, and low. Elijah knew it instantly. It was God!” (EBC). It was the sound of a gentle, soft, whisper (1 Kings 19:12)

The Father knew exactly what Elijah needed, being so broken, heartsick, and hiding in a cave. He spoke with a gentle, almost silent whisper. Can you imagine what he heard? Perhaps it was only one word, repeated as necessary, “Elijah.” He was being called out of the doldrums of despair.

The still small voice could be literally translated a voice/sound of calm soft/quiet (UBS). The phrase has been rendered “a gentle whisper” (NIV, NLT), “a soft murmuring sound” (NJPSV), and “a gentle breeze” (CEV), and even “a sound of sheer silence” (NRSV) (UBS).

This phrase is translated from three Hebrew words qol demamah daq. Qol – voice, noise, sound; demamah – still, whisper, calm, silence; daq – thin, low, small, fine, soft with a sense of being quiet and soothing.

When the Father spoke, His first words were a question.

1 Kings 19:13 “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah could have said, “I am tired, frightened, and had enough; I am totally over it. I just cannot take it anymore.” But instead Elijah just complained and whined about how tough things were, but in the midst of it all he tried to remain faithful. On top of that, he felt that he was all alone.

Elijah was off-track. But the situation was not terminal and could be repaired. The Father did not entertain or comment on Elijah’s self-pity, self-justification and rationalizations. He was gentle and gracious. The Father still had work for Elijah to complete. He gave him new marching orders and specific instructions as to what to do. And most of all, He assured Elijah that he was not alone.

In order to get back on track with his spiritual life and responsibilities, he had to change his way of thinking, get over his pity party. He had to go back the way he had come and pick up where he left off.

You see all he needed was a gentle reminder of who he was and Whom he served.

1 Kings 17:1 As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand

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Secret sin ∙

The LORD was displeased with what David had done. – 2 Samuel 11:27

Psalms 51:1-12

 1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.

 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.

 5 For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 11 Do not banish me from your presence and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.

Coming to terms with secret sin is never easy, even more so when private sin becomes public sin.

In our day, time and time again, dark, secret, personal private wickedness and immorality have hit the front page.

Over the past few years, several well-known politicians, familiar public figures, and prominent media personalities have been publicly accused of serious sexual misconduct and abuse of power.

Such charges have been made against Roy Moore, Al Franken, John Conyers, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey, Bill O’Reilly, Harvey Weinstein, A.J. Calloway, Brett Kavanaugh, Sylvester Stallone, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, Thom Brokaw, Charlie Rose, David Copperfield, Michael Douglas, and Jeffrey Epstein.

A headline could read Abuse of Power, Sexual Misconduct, and #MeToo. Some of the accused are woefully, horrifically guilty. But the presumption of innocence has been lost in the #MeToo era. To accuse is enough to convict without a trial or hearing.

Regrettably, abuse of power and sexual misconduct are the way of the world. This is nothing new. But the children of the King are expected to be “better.” But sadly, way too often, the King’s kids are no better than the enemy’s kids.

Imagine the headline from the Jerusalem Post, 1000 BC, breaking news: David, the King of Israel, accused and found guilty of adultery, cover-up, and murder. The greatest king in Israel’s history had sunken to the deepest levels of human lust and self-preservation. Because “The heart wants what it wants” (Emily Dickinson).

REFLECT & PRAY

The Father sees as well in the dark as He does in the light.

Father how often have You watched and seen my sin but held back from a harsh, blunt confrontation? I confess and acknowledge that I am a sinful man. Thank You for Your gentleness and kindness.

INSIGHT

The Father has a way of confronting His children and bringing them to repentance. For some of us, it might be considered a curse, and for others, a blessing, but regardless it is a fact.

So it was with David. His secret sin was found out for all to know and see. The Father sent Nathan, His prophet, to confront David and perform the needed spiritual heart surgery. The Father had prepared Nathan for this brutal confrontation. Nathan’s words were wisely chosen. He told the story of a crime another empowered rich man committed.

David was furious and passed judgment on the man in question. But in fact, what he had done was pass judgment on himself. With one quick thrust of the sword, Nathan delivered the immortal words that pierced his heart and still echo down through the centuries, “You are the man!”

2 Samuel 12:1-7

 1 So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor.

 2 The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle.

 3 The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.

 4 One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”

 5 David was furious. “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die!

 6 He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”

Unconfessed and hidden sin has a way of making us callous. It deadens the spirit and distances us from the Father. We find ourselves descending in an ever-increasing downward spiral into a prison of our own making. Without confession and repentance, the future is not bright but dark and dismal.  (Psalm 51).

King David was embarrassed, humbled, and grieved by the revelation. But the confrontation gave David the opportunity for repentance, forgiveness, healing, and restoration. He gladly latched onto it. David knew that the Father was righteous in His judgments. But he also knew that He was gracious, forgiving, and merciful because of His loyal love.

He appealed to the Father and was forgiven. Some would say he was not quite the same afterward. Even though he was forgiven, there were still consequences. Bathsheba gave birth to a child. But the Father sent sickness, and the child died.

The Father was not confused by David’s flailing attempts to hide his secret sins. The cover-up simply did not work. David’s attempts to hide his abuse of power against Bathsheba and Uriah were exposed in full color. His secret sin has been front-page news for 3000 years!

The Father judged and sentenced David for his sins. David paid dearly for his lust and deceit. The spiritual principle of sowing and reaping was executed. David was repaid “in kind” (Deuteronomy 19:21). And more, for the sword did not depart from the king’s household.

Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind.

This is an object lesson for us all. We must deal with our own evil and secret sins. If we do not, the Father will reveal them and deal with them for us. Repent and confess but be wise. And by all means, do not put it on Twitter or Facebook.

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© Dr. H 2023

Stand alone ∙

Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine that he drank. – Daniel 1:8

Genesis 39:6-9

 6 Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,

 7 and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.

 8 But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household.”

 9 “No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

Standalone or Stand Alone – What’s the Difference?

The term standalone is an adjective. It is a synonym for independent, freestanding autonomous, isolated, separate, or self-standing. It is correctly spelled as standalone or stand-alone. It typically modifies a noun. We speak of a standalone freezer, a standalone product, or a standalone software license. It refers to something that is independent of other resources.

Stand alone is a verb phrase that means to be apart from others, either literally or figuratively. Such a person often takes a unique stand. They do not conform for conformity’s sake. They are in a league of their own.

There are many examples in the Scriptures of men and women who stood alone. To name a few, Esther, Daniel, Rahab, Ruth, Paul, and Joseph.

REFLECT & PRAY

“Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it” (Saint Augustine).

Father there are no shadows of gray with You. You have told us what is right and what is not right. Encourage me to walk righteously and make the best possible choices.

INSIGHT

“How can God’s people resist the pressures that can ‘squeeze’ them into conformity with the world? According to Romans 12:1-2, ‘conformers’ are people whose lives are controlled by pressure from without, but ‘transformers’ are people whose lives are controlled by power from within.”

“Daniel and his three friends were transformers: instead of being changed, they did the changing! God used them to transform the minds of powerful rulers and to bring great glory to His name in a pagan land” (Wiersbe).

Each child of the King has the right and ability to choose to stand alone.

“The first step in solving their problem and being transformers was giving themselves wholly to the Lord. Daniel’s heart – the totality of his being – belonged to the Lord, as did the hearts of his friends.”

“A heart that loves the Lord, trusts the Lord, and therefore obeys the Lord has no difficulty making the right choices and trusting God to take care of the consequences. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence – that’s superstition – but obeying in spite of consequences.” (Wiersbe).

Often it comes down to the conflict between what the Father has asked us to do and what custom, tradition, or law asked us to do. Paul leads the way and provides steps of action.

Philippians 3:7-16

 7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

 9 and become one with him.

 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death.

 12 But I press on.

 13 I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

“Conformity is doing what everyone else is doing, regardless of what is right.

Morality is doing what is right regardless of what everyone else is doing” (Evette Carter).

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© Dr. H 2023

Spiritual recycling – MRF aka Murph

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? – James 2:5

1 Corinthians 1:25-28

 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

 26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.

 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

A Materials Recycling Facility or MRF (pronounced like ‘Murph’) is a solid-waste management plant that processes recyclable materials to sell to manufacturers as raw materials for new products.

Once the materials have been sorted, they are melted, shredded, or pulped to prepare for recycling. Glass is often pulverized and melted into new glass objects. Shredding is used to prepare plastic, metal, and paper for processing, and pulping converts paper products into slurry that can be made again into paper. Processed materials are then shipped to facilities that use recycled goods for manufacturing.

Recycling began in the 1800s in America. But it is actually nothing new. Believe it or not, the Father has been in the recycling business for thousands of years. He reclaims and repurposes worn, sullied, debauched, and unwanted humanity.

He takes the used and abused, rejected and cast off, things the world considers foolish and powerless, the despised and those counted as nothing, and recycles them. They become children of the King! In fact, the kingdom of God belongs exclusively to them.

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

The Greek word translated as poor is ptochos. It comes from the Greek verb ptosso  – to crouch, cower like a beggar. It refers to those who are poor and helpless, in abject poverty, utter helplessness, or complete destitution (Zodhiates).

The poor in spirit, are those who recognize their utter spiritual destitution and need for God. Theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. It belongs to those who confess their spiritual bankruptcy (ESV Notes).

Although there may be anguish, sorrow, rejection, mistreatment, weeping, and far more dire conditions in this present world, the children of the King will ultimately be blessed forever because the Father’s kingdom belongs to them. The somewhat distressing conditions are not “good” in and of themselves.  However, they make the children of the King aware of their need for the Father. Within each human being, there is a vacuum that the Father alone can fill. The poverty spoken of is the poverty of the spirit.

Those who are poor in spirit are humbled before the Father, knowing their utter impoverishment.

Luke 6:20 Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

Being blessed is more than a temporary or circumstantial feeling of happiness. Rather it is a state of well-being that is derived from a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. The poor in spirit, are those who recognize their utter spiritual destitution and need for God. Theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. It belongs to those who confess their spiritual bankruptcy (ESV Notes).

The Greek word translated as blessed is makarios which is his. Makarios has the sense of being favored or privileged. When the Father favors us and adopts us as His dear children, we are truly privileged and blessed.

Some modern translations use the term “happy.” But happiness tends to be associated more with feelings. Being blessed is not the feelings of the children of the King but their status and position. Perhaps “favored” is a better thought-for-thought translation. The poor of this beatitude possess the blessedness of being the object of God’s favor (Stein).

REFLECT & PRAY

Children of the King have been given the privilege of having a whole new attitude toward themselves. They were poor and destitute. But now they are rich in faith. They possess wealth more incredible than they could ever imagine.

Father thank You that from eternity past, You had a plan to recycle me for eternity future. Encourage me to yield and recognize that You are the Potter, and I am but the clay.

INSIGHT

At the moment we become children of the King, we become heirs of the Kingdom of God. It is our certain hope and expectation for eternity.

Romans 8:17 Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done, we have been made right with God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person [creation]. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

The Greek term translated as person or creation is ktisis. Ktisis means creation or creature. It refers to God’s creative action forming a person into a “new being” (UBS). The focus is on the Father’s creative power of recycling what we were before Christ to what we are now “in Christ.” The focus is on the remarkable, unimaginable transformation the living God brings. We are forever altered, recycled, and regenerated.

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth (regeneration) and new life through the Holy Spirit.

The Greek word translated as new birth or regeneration is paliggenesia. Paliggenesia comes is derived from palin – again + genesia – birth. Paliggenesia literally means rebirth, renewal, or being born again. Regeneration takes what already exists and starts over. It is the ultimate act of becoming recycled! The old self has been replaced by the new.

The Father recycles all the children of the King. Yet each child of the King is responsible for actualizing this new reality and growing into their new identity day by day.

Ephesians 4:22-24

 22 Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.

We begin by recognizing that the Father has recycled each of us. He has repurposed us according to His eternal plan and blueprint.

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© Dr. H 2022

What is darkness? ∙

What is darkness? ∙

[The Lord Jesus Christ] alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. – 1 Timothy 6:16

1 John 1:5-10

 5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

 8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

A story has been told regarding a conversation between a professor and a student. It is most likely an urban legend in that there is no factual evidence to confirm that this exchange ever took place. But the story illustrates a very important point.

A university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, “Yes, he did!”

“God created everything?” The professor asked.

“Yes sir,” the student replied.

The professor answered, “If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.”

The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, “Can I ask you a question professor?”

“Of course,” replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, “Professor, does cold exist?”

“What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?” The students snickered at the young man’s question.

The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is, in reality the absence of heat. Every object or body is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.”

The student continued, “Professor, does darkness exist?”

The professor responded, “Of course it does.”

The student replied, “Once again, you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is, in reality, the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn’t this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.”

Finally, the young man asked the professor, “Sir, does evil exist?”

Now uncertain, the professor responded, “Of course, as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”

To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man created to describe God’s absence. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith or love that exist, just as does light and heat. Evil results from what happens when a man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”

The professor sat down.

The young man’s name is Albert Einstein (Google it).

Absolute light exists. The Father is absolute, perfect light. Children of the King can walk in the light and are the light of the world. However, they are tainted by darkness and will never be absolute and perfect light. This is obvious, yet confusing.

This may clarify. Some of the Father’s attributes are incommunicable such as omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, and infinity. These He cannot share with His children. But other of His attributes are communicable such as spirituality, knowledge, wisdom, goodness, love, mercy, peace, righteousness, beauty, and light.

No child of the King is perfect in their spirituality, goodness, mercy, or light. These qualities wax and wane among us. Sadly, we are essentially inconsistent and often self-absorbed. It can be very discouraging to us and those that love us.

REFLECT & PRAY

That God is light speaks of his splendor and glory, purity and holiness. He is self-revealing and ready to shine a light on our path (Barclay).

Father thank You that You are light and brought light into my life when I met the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. Encourage me to walk in the light as You are in the light and enjoy the sweet fellowship of knowing You.

INSIGHT

The apostle John had spent 3 1/2 years close to the Lord Jesus Christ. John was closer to Him than anyone else among the twelve apostles. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23). On the night of the last supper, John snuggled up close to Jesus; the Greek could well be translated as “was reclining on Jesus’ bosom.” Imagine a young child nuzzling up as close as possible and lying by the side of one of its parents to enjoy the warmth, proximity, and safety. The King James translation catches the word picture.

John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

John was totally awestruck by the Lord Jesus Christ and declared, “God is light; in Him, there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The Lord Jesus Christ unequivocally stated, “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).

Light is simply light. When light is absent, the result is what we have come to call darkness. Living and walking in darkness is totally incompatible with having fellowship with the Father. All children of the King were once children of darkness. But now we are children of light. The Father wants us to act like it (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

Ephesians 5:8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

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© Dr. H 2022