THE GREAT LIGHT

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 4:12-17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Matthew writes that after Jesus had persevered through Satan’s attempts to tempt Him, he left his hometown of Nazareth and moved to Capernaum, located “by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali”. We read where this happened so to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah who had predicted:

"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Indeed, a light indeed had dawned…the Light of the World…Jesus Christ, not only bringing light to the people of Israel who were living in darkness but still bringing light to people today.

As we take our first step past Ash Wednesday where we were reminded of how far short we fall of the Lord’s favor, we emerge from the darkness into the presence of a great light…a Light that exposes our sins and calls us to change. Or in other words, Jesus, the Great Light of the World, preaches and demands that we "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Friends, if we’re truly going to get the best out of Lent, we have to first turn to the Light…our Savior, Jesus…and then turn from our sinfulness toward His way…the way of righteousness. When we trust Christ and truly believe in Him, making Him our greatest treasure in life (Matthew 6:21), then we will find ourselves embodying everything that is in Him through His Holy Spirit. Light begets light and we become light bearers, ever walking in the footsteps of Jesus and in doing so, letting His light shine through us to others.

Day 1 of this journey showed us the power of the Word of God and how we need it to fend off the attacks of Satan…and trust me when I say he will try and attack you…he will try to drag you back into darkness. But know and trust that he can only drag you into darkness if you choose to turn from the Light. Stay focused on Jesus…stay in His light…and there will be no room for the devil to cause you to revert to your sinful desires.

Question: Are you walking in the light or in the darkness?

My prayer for you and every person this day is that you will come to the Light and never turn away from it. Scripture reminds us that the path of righteousness is narrow and few will travel it. This is because the only way to travel the narrow path is if you can see where you are going. Or in other words…you need the Light.
Tomorrow, we will anticipate with great excitement how the Lord will again illuminate us and instruct us through His word, guiding us on our journey through Lent. I can’t wait to sit back down again and allow the Holy Spirit to give me the words to write. I pray the Lord is richly blessing you by them.

God bless all of you. I’ll see you tomorrow.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com