Light.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The world was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Genesis states that in the beginning, God created. In the voidness of the world, the first thing God did was speak. "Let there be light."

The first chapter of John restates the beginning of all things. John says that 'In the beginning was the Word..." We saw that in the first act of creation, God said, "Let there be light." So John acknowledges that in the beginning, God spoke. It was God's Word that created light. But John goes on about the Word...he states that that Word was God. That Word was life. That life was the light of men.

The first thing God said was "Let there be light."

One of the first things we see about Christ was that He was a Light in the darkness.

Because there is always darkness before Life.

Verse 5 in the first chapter of John says, "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." We're so blinded by our state of darkness that we cannot even comprehend fully the idea of a True Light. We're so used to seeing conditional love that we fail to see a Real Love. We've gotten accustomed to expecting less that we stop hoping that there's more.

Jesus said, "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." If we follow Christ, we're no longer trapped in darkness. If we truly see Him as the Son of God - we've seen Real Love.

Imagine yourself in a cave with thirty of your closest friends. There is nothing but darkness. You happen to trip and when you fall, under your left hand is a flashlight. As soon as you realize what it is, you take the batteries out and throw them as far as you can. You then turn around and throw the flashlight as far as you can in the opposite direction. When we ignore the hungry, forget those without homes, look away from those with broken families, that is essentially what we're doing.

As Christmas fast approaches, I see all the toys that my children will be getting and I can't help but think about those children in my own community that will be getting far less, if anything, for gifts this year. As I write this, my heart is breaking. I make every effort to get my kids things that will make their childhood happier. I do it because I love them. Even though all the toys in the world could never show them how much I love them, it pleases me just to spoil them a little. I do all that I do for them because I love them unconditionally. Get ready for this...

To the mom and dad that can't afford to get their children anything but a 2 dollar gift this Christmas, my unconditional love for my children doesn't mean crap to them. It doesn't give them any light at all. Although I have an unconditional love for my kids, I've thrown the flashlight and left the needy families in the dark. If love, to me, means that I spoil my family and neglect the needy - maybe I really don't know what love is. Maybe I'm still abiding in darkness.

Everything Jesus did was for the needy. The sick needed healing. The pharisees needed humbling. The thirsty needed water. The disciples needed teaching. I needed a Savior.

What kind of love is this, that would trade heaven's throne for a cross...? A Real Love.

The Light came so that we wouldn't have to abide in darkness. So, wherever you go, whoever you meet, in whatever you're doing...'Let there be Light.'

God is Love.

There are times in my life when I get discouraged. Not depressed, but discouraged. Maybe it's the phases of the moon or the CO2 in the atmosphere or simply because I'm human. It seems like no matter how much I have to be thankful for, something always seems to sneak in and knock the wind out of me. Nothing is exciting. I tend to be overly pessimistic about everything and every situation. The past few weeks have been such a time for me.

I can't get motivated, which is scary because it's probably the busiest time of the entire year for me. However, one thing I've come to learn in my short time on the earth is this: Through all the discouragement, doubt, and busy times of year...God is still speaking.

I recently sat down and read Psalm 86. Have you ever been convinced that you wrote a portion of the Bible? During this time at the moment I read it, I was sure these words were coming from MY heart:

Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in You. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long. Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me. Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; no deeds can compare with Yours. All the nations You have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to Your name. For You are great and do marvelous deeds; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O LORD, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love towards me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

As if reading those verses weren't enough to convince me, God was still speaking...

Yesterday I purchased Hillsong United's latest album (A_CROSS // The_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls) and if you haven't done it, it's some of the best worship music on the planet. Anyhow, one of the songs, 'Oh You Bring' just happened to be another instance that I knew...God cares. I've put the song on this blog post. If you happen to be in a discouraging time in your life...I encourage you to listen to it.

Oh You bring hope to the hopeless/And light to those in the darkness/And death to life/Now I'm alive/Oh You give peace to the restless/And joy to homes that are broken/I see You now/In You I'm found

And You opened the door for me/And You laid down Your life to set me free/All that I am will serve You Lord/And You opened my eyes to see/All the wonder and awe of Christ in me/Jesus You're everything I need

Oh You fill those who are empty/And rescue those in the valley/And through it all You calm my soul/Oh You find me in my weakness/And heal the wounds of my heartache/I worship You in spirit and truth

All honour/All glory/All praise to You

Somehow, for some reason, the God who holds everything together has an interest in me. He cares that I'm discouraged. He cares that I'm not motivated. He knows that I'm weary. And He's reaching out. He hasn't given up on my purpose.

God was. He is. And will always be. Love.