bushel

Are we sitting on our bushel basket’s hiding our light?

Mark. 4:21

And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?

Are we Christian’s who are wondering where is the power of God in my life?

 

The light that we are choosing to place under our bushel baskets is a lamp. That light is meant to be sitting on a lampstand; Burning and seen.

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The light that we are putting under our bushel basket is the Word of God. We are living this half in and half out the Christian life. We might pray, we might give up 15 minutes for our devotional’s, we might go to church every Sunday and Wednesday. We might even listen to the Pastor wholeheartedly taking notes and highlighting in our Bible’s. Somehow and someway by 10 a.m. Monday morning we look more like the world than a person that has never met Jesus Christ. The reason is not complicated theology. It is simply we do not read, meditate upon the Word of God. We need intimacy with Jesus. The only way to achieve that is through the Word of God and prayer time.

alight

Psalm 119:105  ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

 

It guides us when we are wandering. It shines in the darkness of the valley and the evil that may lurk there. The Word of God strengthen’s us when we are weary

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 119:28

My soul melts away for sorrow;
  strengthen me according to your word!

The Word of God imparts faith when we are faithless

Romans 10:17 ESV

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The Word helps us when we are feeling hopeless

Jer. 29:11 KJV

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

 

The Word of God will drive us when we are distracted and doubtful

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB

All Scripture is [a]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for [b]training in righteousness; 17 so that (B)the man of God may be adequate, (C)equipped for every good work.

Finally, The Word of God is Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and life.

John 1:1-5 NASB

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The Word of God is the breath of God on these beautiful bound pages. A tangible, visible item to hold close, to lay over our precious head’s when our minds are in overload and anxious. The Word of God is to us the very visible image of Christ. We can imagine a mirror in front of Christ and a mirror behind Christ. Christ is standing in the middle. The Old Testament foreshadows Christ, and the New Testament reflects Christ.  It is all about Jesus, and He is in the midst of every line, word, and chapter. I love that, I cherish that, most of all I crave that! Simply because it is where Jesus Christ dwells and where He is I want to be.

So, when we say ” I can’t hear Him!” ” I can’t see Him!”  I can’t help to think ” How could you not?” He is in Genesis to Revelation. He appears in every line and every word. He takes us by the hand, heart, and mind and speaks to us through Himself. Now think about that!!  That get’s me excited to open that Bible on our coffee table and listen to the Creator of the Universe, The Holder of our life, The Savior of the World.  The coolest part is when He is finished talking we get to respond! Now that is a relationship at it’s best! That is what made this girl fall head over heels in love with a man that knew everything that I’d ever done. Even though I have never physically seen or touched Him. That is the wonder of His love! I love a surprise! I love the excitement of wonder!

If we choose carefully the Word of The Lord will remain forever in our heart’s, mind’s, and soul’s

The Word of the Lord will endure forever we see that in Isaiah 40:8, but through Jesus, The Word of the Lord can last forever in us through what Jesus did for all of us. In 1 Peter there is a verse that says something that just challenges me

1 Peter 1:25 NASB

But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

This verse leaves us with a challenge, a pressing and wonder-filled challenge.

When I read this verse, it is screaming to me, now that you know the Word are you going to share it? Will you allow the Word that has been given to you to endure forever in your heart, mind, soul?

 Am I going to place Jesus under a bushel basket?

Or

Am I going to put Jesus on the lampstand of my heart and allow Him to illuminate my path? Trimming the lamp with the oil of the Holy Spirit that abides in me? Will I cut my fire with the Word of God so that the oil can burn and shine the light and the love of Jesus?

That is the only way we will ever live this Christ-filled life. We must do our part of knowing God through the Word if we are truly going to let our light’s shine. You must study, read, and know God’s Word to live like a Christian. Christian’s who live without the Word of God are miserable only because God is trying to get us to open those wonder-filled pages and get us to know our Him! Until, we do that task of studying, reading the Word, we will continue to live without the overcoming power of Christ in our lives. My prayer is that every lost person come to know Jesus, but that every Saved, Redeemed Christian would fall madly in love with Jesus, the Savior, and the Word. I want you to think of the Word of God; differently, I want you to see the Word as Jesus, Himself because He is the Word (John 1). I think maybe if we thought about that a little more we would not be so eager or relaxed about dismissing study or reading time in the Bible and meeting with the Creator of the Universe through prayer.

I am praying today that you would spend time with Jesus today ❤ He loves you so.