Light
Walking In The Light
The Bible is full of word-pictures that use light and darkness as illustrations of Life. The best known concern the Lord Jesus, who brought the light of God into a dark world. He called people to turn from the darkness of their sin and walk in the light that came from him. The early Christian teachers followed this usage, reminding believers that if they had come from darkness to light, they should live in the light and walk in the light.
In the Old Testament, psalmists, prophets and wisdom teachers used the same pictures to contrast righteousness and sin. They identified light with God and desired that believers walk in the light that came from him. This notion of walking in the light is well expressed in a splendid picture in Proverbs: “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn; it grows steadily brighter till the full light of day.”
The picture is a road at sunrise, where the righteous begin their journey in the clearness and freshness of early morning. The sun is not yet hot, and as its soft rays shine out of a cloudless sky it has an invigorating effect on the travellers. It also gives them a sense of security, for with the arrival of daylight they can set out with less risk of meeting dangers along the road.
One thing that the righteous observe is that life gets better as they journey on. The light that welcomed them at dawn grows steadily brighter as the day progresses. Their fellowship with God becomes richer, and they learn the joy of gladly accepting what he allows rather than selfishly demanding what they want. When things go wrong their impulse is not to question God, but to ask themselves what God might be teaching them. Even if they stumble along the road, they do not leave it. For them, this is the only road worth travelling — and the light keeps getting brighter.
Lightings For Home
Importance of Light
Fear of Darkness
Painter of Light
February 2008, this four o’clock plant suddenly appeared in my favourite pot.
To live in the Kingdom of God is to live fully with God. The Kingdom of God cannot be earned by valiant or sacrificial acts. It is to be received as a gift of God. The Kingdom is opened immediately to the person who accepts God’s forgiveness through Christ; once inside, living in the Kingdom means putting the Word of God into practice, respecting others, sharing with them, forgiving them as he has been forgiven. The person who receives the Kingdom today will enter it in its fullness after his passage from death to eternal life.
March 2008, this four o’clock flower plant growing well, with the leaves bright and shiny… today the four o’clock flower plant has flourished. I had repotted it, and with the help of Richard, we had placed them in three pots….
Stories About Kingdom of God
1. The Story of The Mustard Seed
God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed, tiny as it lies in the palm of your hand. But plant it in the ground and it grows so large that the birds can perch on its branches and rest in its shade.
2. The Story of The Yeast
When a mother bakes bread, she mixes a tiny amount of yeast with a large quantity of flour. But it’s powerful enough to make the whole batch of dough rise. That’s like the kingdom of God!
3. The Story of The Seed Growing Secretly
The kingdom of God is like a farmer who has sown his seed. He carries on as usual, sleeping at night and working by day. All the while the seed is mysteriously growing. The farmer does not know how it happens. It has nothing to do with his efforts. He is just glad when harvest comes and he can reap his gain.
4. The Story of The Weeds
One day a farmer sowed his field with good seed. But at night, when everyone was sound asleep, an enemy came secretly and sowed weeds among the grain. No one knew what had happened until the two kinds of plant sprouted.
“An enemy has played a trick on me,” he told them.
“Shall we pull up the weeds, then?” they asked. But the farmer shook his head.
“You might pull up good grain, too, by mistake,” he warned. “Let the two crops grow together until harvest comes. Then we’ll sort out the good from the bad!”
“What does that story mean?” the disciples asked Jesus.
“The field is the whole world,” Jesus explained, “and the good seed is God’s word — the message I have come to bring. But the Evil One has been busy sowing weeds. For the present, my true followers, and those who only pretend to be mine, live alongside one another in my kingdom. But Harvest Day is coming. Then my angels will separate the true people from those who are false. The wrongdoers will be thrown out. But my people will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom!”
5. The Story of The Dragnet
The kingdom of God is like a fisherman’s net. All kinds of fish swim into it. When the net is full, the fishermen bring it on shore, and sort out the fish. The good fish are put in the bucket and kept but the worthless ones are thrown out. At the end of the age, my angels will sort out the good from the bad in my kingdom.
6. The Story of The Hidden Treasure
There was once a man who, quite by accident, found a treasure hoard, buried in a field. He covered it over quickly and went off, bursting with excitement. He determined to buy that field, whatever it cost: then the treasure would be his by right.
He had to sell everything he owned to buy it, but he did not mind. He had found something worth more than everything else he possessed. That’s like the person who discovers God’s Kingdom.
7. The Story of The Costly Pearl
There was once a merchant who found a rare and beautiful pearl for sale. He set his heart on owning it. It cost so much that he had to sell everything else he owned in order to buy it. But he willingly did so, just to own that one, perfect pearl of great value. That’s like the kingdom of God.
This is Ixora plant, and this is the first time I see the fruit of an Ixora plant. This is a photograph of Ixora taken outside Woodlands Regional Library at Woodlands Civic Centre… All the plants (my childhood plants - eg. Ixora, Flaming Dragon, yellow flame, etc) flourished and blossomed….this is the harvest time……
Jesus said,”The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are they who hear.”
