CONQUORING THE DARK!

A group of about thirty near nude Yanowamö were in the small room listening to me explain, through an interpreter, darkness and light. This is a subject that fascinates them. Yanowamo's, like most tribal people, fear the dark and the prince of darkness. We missionaries teach that our God is a powerful light that illuminates the trail we walk.

It was dark outside and the little gasoline generator next to the building was pumping out enough power to light the room.

I find that Indians like examples and remember them.

To make my point about the power of God's light over Satan's darkness, I asked the people to watch what I was about to do.

I went over to the door of the room, slowly opened it and simply asked the question ... "When I opened the door did the light in the room shine outside or did the darkness come inside?" Several took a look and they all concluded that when I opened the door the light in the room shined outside and the darkness was defeated. Fact experienced!

The lesson was so simple and so powerful!

Light always conquers dark! Light is the result of power and darkness has no power of it's own. Indeed darkness is simply the absence of light.

God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all.

We are people of light, God's light, for God, not Edison, is the author of light. As Matthew says, we not only are people of light and have the light but we are lights! We are here on earth to turn back the darkness.

CHALLENGE: Go, find a dark corner somewhere and shine, baby shine!

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

~ Matthew 5:14-16 (New International Version)

SHOWING LOVE

Last Saturday a little girl at the orphanage with a cute smile offered me a small sucker. A Mexican sucker; they're weird! Salty, sugary and pepper hot! Not the first piece of candy I've been offered and I'm not into candy! But seriously, what does a little kid give to a person who has everything? In their world, as a Gringo, I have everything including a car full of candy. What can they possibly give me?

In the Bible I'm asked to love almighty God with all my mind, heart and soul; but how do I show God love. When God is Spirit, made it all and has it all, what could I possibly give him to show my love?

Interesting thought.

Sunday while waiting to speak to my teens in another orphanage, The kids were watching a blood 'n guts video, I was sitting on a couch with a street teen on either side. One was sleeping, (so much for the blood 'n guts.) As I was sitting there, out of the dark comes this little thirteen year old and sits next to me, then he turned and looked at me and gave me a big hug ... a long hug, an honest hug. I felt his love for me.

Loving God? Hugging won't do, nor will giving God any "thing" do as a gift of love. We love Him in Spirit and in truth. Loving God? ...

How about responding to His gifts?

Yesterday I gave a little ten-year old boy a top! He was literally smiling from ear to ear and jumping up and down ... he took the yellow top, looked at it and then looked up at me and gave me a big "thank you!" and off he ran to get to school. Now that's the way you respond to a gift you really love!

That "thank you" really made my day!

A simple part of loving God is not just obedience, Worship and Praise, but a simple thing like thanking Him regularly for all the little blessings He sends our way. Blessings we often overlook. Thanks, is simply showing an attitude of gratitude ... showing love and appreciation for all He has given us.

Often in my morning prayers, I can spend half an hour just thanking God for blessings He has given me.

Showing God love? ... It isn't hard!

WANTED: GRANULATED CHRISTIANS!

My favorite cow was Daisy and she lived on my uncle's ranch, her wanderings were pretty much limited by a long rope. Within her circular world was a salt-lick; about an 8 inch block of solid salt. When Daisy felt a need of salt, she would come to the block of salt and take a few licks.

In Matthew 5:13 Jesus spoke of salt.

We have a record here of Jesus telling us that we are the salt of the earth. Salt, a uniquely different substance. Salt an essential to life. We are to be a distinctly different people, with a distinctly different purpose, created to spread out and flavor the whole world.

I wonder if He was talking block or granulated? What is the lesson He is trying to give us?

Through the hundreds of years we seem to have created two "salt" philosophies; The granulated Christians and the big block Christians. Those granulated Believers who believe we should be a little piece of Godly salt spreading throughout the world ... then there are the salt-block Christians that believe in becoming a part of the solid block, that will draw those needing our salt to the big white block. Lets be a little creative and put a steeple on our salt-block and call us a church.

It seems the majority of Christians today are content to have the salt of the earth while the other few Christians are happy and content to be the salt of the earth ...

... and isn't that the point?