Stretch towards the Light

 

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path..."

Epipremnum aureum – a tropical vining plant, in the Araceae, found in Northern Australia through Southeast Asia into China, Japan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan , also known as money plants are very popular indoor plants in these countries. Like all plants, they need water and sunlight.

Recently, one made a strange discovery: a money plant in the room, next to the windows, turned and strained its stems and leaves towards the window! We turned its direction and in a few days it turned back towards the light.

At least to us, this was a strange phenomenon. What was obvious was that the plant would strain to get life, from the sun and get energy through the process of photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants get life and spread oxygen for our benefit. 

What gives us life? Food and water, yes, but like what the sunlight was to the plant, Gods word is for us. It converts negativity into positivity, fear to hope, love to hate. Light is used to symbolize God, faith, and holiness throughout Scripture. As Christians, we are called to not only walk in the light but to be the light for others. Use these Bible verses to gain a better understanding and interpretation of the positive notion light has in the Bible.

Like the plant, we need the word of God to live and grow. And not only that, like the plants spread oxygen which is our mainstay, we will spread the outcome of His word to the world around us, through the way we live, work and treat people around us.

In Matthew 5:16, the verse states the following: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

But we need to make the effort and stretch towards the word. Stretch Towards the light.

The Bottom of the Pyramid

For many economists and marketers the concept called Bottom of the Pyramid is like the ultimate market. Essentially it demonstrates that the least economically enabled people are the vast majority located at the bottom of the pyramid. As you go up the pyramid towards the apex, economic power starts increasing with the most powerful at the top of the pyramid.

It is interesting that the Son of God, sitting at His right hand, chose to be born into a family at the bottom of the pyramid of those days. How do we know this? When Mary had to make the offering for the atonement after the birth of Jesus, according to Leviticus 12:6–8, she could choose between a lamb, pigeons and turtle doves, which were the cheapest and affordable by the poor. Mary chose pigeons, as described in Luke 2:22–24 where Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb; Leviticus 12:8), sacrificing "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Leviticus 12:1–4.

Cornelius a Lapide comments on Mary and Joseph sacrificing a pair of turtledoves: "...because they were poor; for the rich were obliged to give in addition to this a lamb for a holocaust. Although the three kings had offered to Christ a great quantity of gold, still the Blessed Virgin, zealously affected towards poverty, accepted but little of it, that she might show her contempt of all earthly things. The couple offered two turtledoves or two pigeons (Luke 2:24) presumably because they could not afford a lamb.

The question which comes to mind is: why was the Son of God, placed into a poor family? Throughout His ministry Jesus referred often to the poor.

There are some very logical reasons for this self accepted poverty. 

A. Acceptance in and with the masses at the bottom of the pyramid
B. The poor totally depend on God.
C. He connected to them in a way that He otherwise could not have

And finally His mission statement in Luke 4:18. When Jesus stands before the synagogue and announces he will bring good news to the poor, he is effectively saying that he will give them the opportunity to make choices with their lives, to overcome economic depression, oppression and fear they lived in. He is also talking about the poor in spirit -  people who are beaten by life. 

Today Jesus asks us to help Him in His mission: reach out to a brother who needs help. Feed the hungry. Support the broken hearted. Bring cheer to the hopeless. Let the world see His light in a follower of Jesus.

His mission is ours as well. They will know we are Christians by our love. We don't have to preach Jesus' gospel. We have to live it first.

The Secret Disciple

* Picture credits: The Chosen

Read John Chapter 3 

John 3 is a very familiar chapter to most Christians which talks about a very senior Pharisee named Nicodemus. While John 3 has many teachings for us, one question that does come up is who was Nicodemus? Was he a follower, believer, enemy or what? Being a very senior Pharisee, one does wonder about his interest in Jesus.

Nicodemus did believe in Jesus but his beliefs were safely hidden away in the night. It was only after Jesus death that he came into a public demonstration of his faith and belief.

Sometimes one wonders, are we like Nicodemus? Do we practice our faith in safe privacy in the dead of the night? Do we get too carried away with our professional duties, professional friends and other worldly demands and Jesus takes a back seat while our other priorities take the driver's seat?

Sadly I think it does happen that Jesus becomes a guest in our life, relegated to the night, when no other priorities take importance.

We learn a big lesson from Nicodemus. Like us, he did not deny Jesus. Like us, he believed in Him. Yet he did not acknowledge Him in the light of day. But, one day he did, when he could not hide his faith and belief any longer. 

And that is how Jesus calls us. He does not force us to convert our thought process but He gently changes us. He knows an instant conversion may not be a lasting one, it's a slow, laborious thought and life change. The only true qualification Nicodemus had was that he was truly seeking God. And that is the qualification we too need. To earnestly seek Jesus. Everything else follows.  

By the time of Jesus's crucifixion, Nicodemus had grown bold enough to publicly reveal what he now believed. His older habits and adherence to the Passover laws took a backset when he tended to Jesus dead body, thereby becoming unclean and unable to participate in the Passover meal, according to the Mosaic law. (Numbers 19:11).

At one point in time Nicodemus realized that his professional position in the Sanhedrin and his position in society did not matter at all. What mattered was Jesus. 

When religion is out of fashion (which it normally is) there are many "Nicodemites" and "Josephs". But though they came by night, Jesus bids them welcome, and  encouraging good beginnings, although weak. Like Nicodemus, may we all go through that change and seek to  become true believers.