THERE WAS LIGHT IN THE HOUSES OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD

In the book of Exodus we read about the plagues that fell upon Egypt. The ninth plague was a plague of darkness. God said it would be a darkness so thick that the people would actually be able to feel it by touch (Exodus 10:21). It was a darkness so thick that not only could the Egyptians not see one another but scripture also says that not a single one of them even rose from their spot for three days, a darkness so thick that the Egyptians were even afraid to move. But in the midst of this unfathomable, deep, thick, debilitating darkness we read the next sentence which says this about God’s children the Israelites - "But ALL the children of Israel HAD LIGHT in their dwellings" (Exodus 10: 23). While the Egyptians were completely consumed with darkness and fear, there was light in the homes of God’s people. That same light can shine in your heart and your home as well - that light is Jesus Christ! His Word is our lamp in a world filled with the darkness of sin. The Psalmist declared "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). The Word of God is the only lamp in all the world that produces true "Spiritual Light." Jesus Christ is the only Light in our dark, sinful world; and by his atonement, by his word and the Holy Spirit, he diffuses His light around the world, calling to us, that we might invite Him into our heart and make Him Lord and Master of our life. Jesus said "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46). Jesus came "To open our eyes, and to turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that we may receive forgiveness of sins" (Acts 26:18).

The Lord is coming a second time. Jesus promised "I WILL come again." The 24th chapter of Matthew tells us the following regarding the setting of the stage for Christ’s triumphant return:"Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:" (There are currently 34 wars taking place throughout the world). "Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines (every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger), and pestilences, (the World Health Organization states well over 12,000 categories of world disease) and earthquakes (in 2010 there were 21,473 measurable earthquakes throughout the world - in 2011 there have already been nearly 4,000 ranging in intensity from 0.1 to the recent devastating earthquake in Japan which has been upgraded to an incredible 9.0). "They shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake . Many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another" (in 2010 approximately 100 million Christians were persecuted worldwide as a result of professing their faith in Jesus Christ, many persecuted to the point of death) . "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" (innumerable pulpits today are peddling an intensely watered-down gospel. Leave out the perfect and holy character of God, leave out His judgment and justice, leave out his warnings of the dire consequences of un-repented sin, leave out His command for us to daily take up our cross in sufferings and persecutions to follow Him, leave out His one and only prescribed plan of salvation, leave out that we must deny ourselves and our own selfish wants and desires, leave out the righteous nature in which all believers in Christ Jesus are to conduct themselves and instead dress it all up in a flowery suit of "just enjoy life and do the best you can" without any mention at all of the price to be paid for denying and rejecting Jesus Christ: neglect to mention the requirement that man must be "born again" and that he must conform in every way to the righteous and holy character of God: avoid mentioning that it is the required duty of every Christian to tell others about Jesus Christ and to take a stand for Him everywhere they go, avoid those things in God’s Word which may be unpalatable to some people and instead replace them with meaningless phraseology to avoid any conviction of sin and unnecessary feelings of "guilt", make the gospel "suitable" to everyone and leave the offensive parts out, avoid stepping on anyone’s toes by navigating "around" the heart of the gospel altogether so that the message is one that will merely soothe their consciences, advance the worldly desires of their hearts, condone their sinful ways, and make them feel good about themselves and what you end up with is a completely worthless message that is no more capable of bringing a man to a true and saving knowledge of Jesus Christ then you or I are capable of scooping up the wind with our hands and feeding on it. It is not Christ that those who stand behind such pulpits love, but their own selves). "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold " (We are living in a wicked time where sin and iniquity "abounds" (it's everywhere) - a day when men and women are lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God (2nd Timothy 3:4). "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Never has the Gospel been preached in all the world to ALL NATIONS as it is right now. If not directly by missionaries, it is certainly being preached by the modern means of radio, television, and increasingly through the Internet!) "So when ye shall see all these things, know that it (the end) is near, even at the doors."  If you are standing at someone’s door then all the actions that were necessary in order to get you to that door have been fulfilled, otherwise, you would not be at their door. Jesus said that when we see all these things that we have just looked at in the previous Scriptures, then we know that conditions have been fulfilled for His imminent return and that He is "even at the door" and ready to come, quite literally, at any moment. Do you know beyond all doubt that you are prepared for the Lord’s return? You do not need to "think" or "wish" or "hope" that you are ready, the Bible says you can "KNOW" that you are ready. Or, you can indulge in all the pleasures that the world has to offer, all the sin, all the lusts, all the sex, all the drugs, but in the stillness of the night when we sit all alone the human heart still desires and cries out for peace and hope and assurance, and only God can satisfy the desires of the human heart. You may say to yourself "but I’m not good enough" and the truth is that none of us are good enough, but God does not look for perfect men, He looks for repenting hearts. He loves your faults mixed with repentance more than He does your virtue seasoned with pride.

Are you fully appreciative of the fact that Jesus Christ could literally return at any moment? Even today? Whether or not you choose to accept it does not negate it as truth. Most of the world is not prepared for that event. There are even many "Christians" who are not prepared. Are you prepared? If so are you doing what Christ has commanded of you? Are you sharing His love and His Word with others to help ensure that they, too, are prepared? Incredibly even much of the Christian community itself carries an attitude of complete indifference toward this most certain and glorious of events. Does the fact of His return have any affect on you? It should! It should give you a sense of urgency to be sure of your own personal relationship with Christ and, as well, it should drive deep into your heart an unquenchable desire to help others make sure that they are ready as well. Though the worlds people may be separated by language, nationality, ethnicity, politics and a myriad of other factors we all still have one thing very much in common - we must each make the same decision regarding Jesus Christ, the decision to accept Him or reject Him. Our world is one that has "forsaken the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness" (Proverbs 2:13) and as a result " all the foundations of the earth are out of course" (Psalm 82:5). But - there is always light in the houses of the children of God!

God bless you,
Mark Shutts

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