Monday, April 17, 2017

WORD OF LIFE, PART 14 - "THE ETERNAL FLAME"

"Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light to my path"
Psalm 119:105 (above) is one of those verses we see Christian apparel marketers or bumper sticker creators maximize in their usage. There is nothing wrong with this because the words therein, are perfectly true and should be worn on both one’s sleeves or on a ball cap. Two things are happening here which are directly related to each other as our portion in the land of the living. 

First of all, a lamp is a fixed unit which sends out light when fueled by an agent and a wick. The fuel could be oil, gas or even battery/electric powered. The wick is the means by which the fuel shoots the light which illumines atmosphere around the lamp as long as the fuel lasts. 

Secondly, the other thing happening is "the path" which the lamp lights up. In the Christian life, the Pathway we are on, in this journey of life is our full time Christian walk, until we graduate up to Heaven. The Lamp, the Word of God here, is fueled by the Holy Spirit. The good thing is this fuel never runs out, as opposed to the lamps and bright lights made by man. There is a supernatural sources which never runs dry. The wick is still the Holy Spirit who is both fuel and source of Light. This wick is similar to the "Pillar of Cloud" which led the Israelites out of Egypt by day and the "Pillar of Fire" which then led them by night through the desert etc. for forty years. Those "Pillars" lit up the pathway for God's Chosen Nation just as the Word of God lights up our hearts, minds, bodies and souls NOW. This modern day pillar is what we MUST saturate our very beings with so we can fulfill God's Law and purpose. His Law, remember, is to love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength (bodies).


The purity and quality of the supernatural fuel never changes. This lamp is not a flashlight which is weak and runs out of battery. This Lamp is burns bright within our soul because the very Power of God is its fuel. It need not have any recharging. We are the ones who need recharging. It needs not have a wick or a filament to burn bright. The Holy Spirit releases more and more lumens to make the picture more high definition so we can grasp the Wonder and Work of God being done in our lives. 

This Lamp is not just a torch which burns bright and then is extinguished, but it guides us like a Pillar of Fire through the Pathways, Highways, Byways and yes – the Deserts of Life, until we reach the Promised Land. That is the Lamp we are talking about in this verse.
Psalm 119:105-112
Nun.
105   Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106   I have sworn and I will confirm it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
107   I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
108   O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your ordinances.
109   My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law.
110   The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts.
111   I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

112   I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, even to the end.
Everything else flows from this. Unlike rebel Israel in the desert for forty years during the Exodus, we, who are called by His Name, are to react just as in verses 106 and 108. We understand completely and have a full grasp of the meaning of our Salvation. To that end, the Word and us have become One. As we study the progression of the previous 100 verses, the Word of God is now honey to the taste and supernatural food which forever satisfies (verse 106). To that end, we are duty bound to praise and worship Him (verse 108). While the request is made for acceptance of that offering, it will be received as it was done in righteousness.

There is a huge caveat. The Lamp has to be fuel with the fire of the Holy Spirit Who installs in us, the very Spirit of Christ to both accept, process, embed and then TREASURE all His Words in our own heart. This process leads to such hope, peace, joy and contentment that we above all the rest, are the people mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 4:9. These are the blessed ones who have rest because we are the people of God. His Word confirms that we, indeed are. 

This Rest spoken of and promised by the Lord Himself is crucial, if we desire to persevere through the many valleys which life takes us through. Verse 107 speaks of the suffering of most of God’s people. From the underground churches where up to 300 million Christians worship under constant daily threat of violence and worse. Verse 107 speaks of Christians in the Middle East or Central Africa or Asia, under duress…and so on. Verse 109 speaks directly of our condition in times like these. For many, life does hang in the balance, whether it is a serious health issue or as in some parts of the world, bodily harm and persecution await Christians, from the enemies of the one True God (as previously mentioned). But even in those times, we can rest and rely on His promises, being boldly determined to keep every single decree and statute of the Word of God – until the End (verse 112).  This is the nature of the fulfilled Christian man or woman of God. 

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