John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Ah friends, it’s a cold, partly sunny Saturday morning in my neck of the woods! And would you believe I’ve just learned a life lesson from two of God’s wild creations, a leopard and a lizard, looks like a small iguana. The iguana is trying to cross this dirt road and the leopard is trying to attack it, but every time the leopard comes near, the lizard’s tail flies out and lashes the leopard in his neck area, so he can’t get close to his prey.
Now, sometimes it seems as though the leopard is getting closer so that he can grab the lizard, but this has been going on for almost ten minutes now, and they are halfway across the road, but no luck for the leopard. Every few steps the lizard makes, the leopard rushes in, but the lizard’s always ready for him. And that just reminded me of how persistent Satan is in trying to get us to do his evil bidding instead of Jesus’ goodwill. And we have to keep on persistently lashing him in the face to keep him away, otherwise we will fall prey to his evil desires.
One would think that the leopard after so much abuse to his neck would go off and find some other easier prey to capture, but he doesn’t. And that’s the way his royal evil one operates, he’s constantly at us, through every means he can find, trying to break down our LOVE for Jesus. But with the grace, mercy, strength and powerful spirit of Jesus dwelling within us, we can keep lashing him, and driving him away. Let’s never stop doing that my friends, for our very lives, our eternal lives, depend on sternly rebuking the enemy.
Anyway, it’s Saturday and we do have some quotes from our friend Anselm, as he tries to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one tells us that: ‘Being sad with the right people is better than being happy with the wrong ones.’ Now that seems to have a kernel of truth within it, for happiness merely reflects our current circumstances, and they can change from minute to minute. But the right people around us give life and hope for the future, and those right people will care for us regardless of our circumstances.
That why it always pays to have the right folks around us, not the ones that just make us feel happy in the moment. Sadly though, not many of us in this current world are that blessed. No wonder so many lives are being wasted and lived in less than suitable conditions.
That brings us to this next long, but ever so valuable quote. ‘Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So LOVE the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.’
Yes friends, that certainly resonates two of Jesus’ marvellous promises found in the gospel of John. First off is: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And the second is like unto it. (smile) ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Ah my brethren, Jesus Himself, speaking from personal experience, promised that this life would not be easy, not the bed of roses that so many of us believers expect. But in Him, we find the peace that we need to get us successfully through this earthly life. And that leads us to the following quote: ‘What seems like the right thing to do could also be the hardest thing you have ever done in your life.’
And we all know that’s no lie, for in this evil and ungodly world the right things are often the hardest to do, as we seem to be always fighting an uphill battle when we try to do right. But like the lizard and the leopard above, we must never stop trying to do right, because that’s what Jesus’ kingdom is based on, righteousness; the system of always doing right, even though much opposition comes against us.
And that brings us to this last long, but ever truthful quote. ‘Get rid of the poor me syndrome. Instead of thinking of what you have lost, focus on what to do next. If you have lost your job, this is the opportunity for you to find another job or start another career. This is your chance to start your own business and become your own boss. You have accumulated many years of working experience and specialized in certain skills and you can make use of them.’
Now that’s the gospel truth my people, especially in these rough and overwhelming pandemic times brought on by the Covid -19 virus and its many variants. Now, all of us have suffered to varying extents, and sadly, many of us are feeling sorry for ourselves, due to the unfortunate circumstances which we’ve been thrown into through no fault of our own. And it’s expected that grief and sorrow will be experienced, but the problem is that we cannot allow self-pity, that poor me one feeling to overwhelm us and cause us to give up.
Rebooting our lives will not be easy, but as we saw above, from those two quotes of Jesus from John’s gospel, He is the One who can bring us through this crisis and lead us on to a fruitful life. Remember what He also said earlier on in John chapter 14: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And also remember, the glorious statement and promise He made in John chapter 8. ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ John 8:12)
That means we just can’t give up my people, for giving up does not exist in Christ’s vocabulary. Instead, right now, in these most unfortunate times, believers need to dig down even deeper in our souls, than we’ve ever down before, and let all the goodness, grace, mercy, strength and power of Jesus rise up in us, so that we can show the disbelieving world the fortitude and strength of purpose, joy and salvation, we find in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And that’s our sincere prayer for us all today! Much LOVE my fellow saints!
…when tough times come…that’s when tough people…Jesus’ people…get tough and get going…
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