Light and Darkness by Gary Rose

 

Og Mandino; author of one of the best books that I have ever read: The Greatest Salesman In The World. Read this book, you will be very glad you did! Anyway, I saw this quote attributed to him and it make me think about “Light and Darkness”.

As Christians, we live in a world surround by people who do not really believe in God, for if they truly did they would obey HIM and turn to the light that only HE can provide. Yet, even their unbelief can provide us with something useful; it can cause us to remember what we were like before we turned to God. Bad examples can cause us to be better than we are.

Jesus said…

John 8:12 ( World English Bible )

¹² Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 14:6 ( WEB )

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

Though we live in a world of darkness ( towards God ), yet we do have light that can and does in fact lead us to God – Jesus. FOLLOW JESUS, LOVE HIM and remember what HE has done for you. Be Happy, fellow Christian, for you have a great deal to be thankful for.

A HARD HEART by Gary Rose

 

A hardened heart just doesn’t happen by accident. Yet, I imagine that only a very few people out there would admit to having a heart like the one above. I chose this picture because this heart was hardened by design. The metal was placed in the appropriate positions and fixed with rivets. And, those spots look to me like some sort of wash that would eliminate anything growing on it. In short, signed, sealed and delivered ( to Satan, of course ).

Jesus said…

Matthew 13 ( World English Bible )

¹ On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.

² Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.

³ He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow.

⁴ As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.

⁵ Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.

⁶ When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.

⁷ Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.

⁸ Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.

⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

¹¹ He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.

¹² For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.

¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand.

¹⁴ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, ​‘By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:

¹⁵ for this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should turn again; and I would heal them.’

¹⁶ “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

¹⁷ For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.

¹⁸ “Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.

¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.

²⁰ What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it;

²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

²² What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

²³ What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”

Some people just do not think spiritually and CANNOT-HEAR.

Some people have hardened their heart and have DETERMINED NOT-TO-HEAR.

Some people will hear and DO-SOMETHING-ABOUT-IT.

All this from a simple parable about a farmer that almost everyone can comprehend ( if they want to, of course ). Beyond this parable is a simple question: Is it possible for even the best of us to have a hardened heart at times? The answer is YES. Moses, when charged by God to deliver a message to Pharaoh, whined that he wasn’t a good speaker, so God gave him Aaron. Gideon simply couldn’t believe and asked for miracles. Jonah, when God told him to go to Nineveh, went in the opposite direction. And Peter even had the temerity to rebuke Jesus ( Matthew 16: 22 ).

God is patient with us and will work with us. Moses did lead the Israelite's out of Egypt, Gideon did win a great victory, the people of Nineveh did repent and Peter, eventually he came around too.

Today, take a good look at yourself realize that you are not perfect. God can work with you ( imperfections and all ). Just remember to cultivate a receptive heart and be willing to change.

One last thing

God loves you and wants the very best for you.

Love HIM in return and be the very best you can be.

L-O-V-E by Gary Rose

 

Here is a cat with a message. He ( or she ) does not have to say a word, or meow or cuddle up to you, for its message is written all over its body; especially its face. Love is the message here and there is no denying it. What do you think about when you see this? I think about the 60’s song by the Beatles “All you need it love” and then the following passages from the Bible…

1 Corinthians 13 ( World English Bible )

¹ If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

² If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.

³ If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,

⁵ doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;

⁶ doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

¹⁰ but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.

¹³ But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.

Hebrews 1 ( WEB )

¹ God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,

² has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.

³ His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The answer to what is love, is found in 1 Corinthians 13 and the perfect example of it is Jesus. God wanted to show us what love is in material concrete terms and HE sent Jesus to do it. God walking and talking and just everyday living – Jesus. Now, Jesus didn’t have love written all over his face ( like that cat ), but he had a heart full of it. I know this because of what he ultimately did in offering himself as a sacrifice for sin; for all people who will come to him for refuge and forgiveness.

Question:

Have you come to Jesus for forgiveness; if not, why not?

From soft to hard ( and back again ) by Gary Rose

 

I have had this picture for several years now, but never used it before. I am not exactly sure WHY I have never used it, but the fact remains it has just remained with all the other pictures; just waiting to be used. There is just something about the texture; it seems incredibly soft to me. I can almost feel the softness of the grass near that irrigation ditch. And yet, I know that this picture is not reality. Life isn’t soft, but rather it can be quite hard; and for a genuine Christian very hard.

Paul writes to his young student Timothy the following….

2 Timothy 3 ( World English Bible )

¹⁰ But you did follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness,

¹¹ persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. Out of them all the Lord delivered me.

¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

¹⁴ But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.

Following Jesus is not easy; the world will hate you for using God’s standards of living. Being different has a price and the world will make you pay and pay and pay. But, through any and all difficulties, God will be there for you, helping and guiding you. Eventually, you will die; that is the harsh reality of life. Yet, with God, you will live again and not just exist, but live an abundant life in heaven.

Humm, I wonder what the TEXTURE OF HEAVEN will be like? My best guess is that it will be beyond the softest environment that the human mind can conceptualize.