Invasion of Light

Discovering God's Glory One Day at a Time

Category: Genesis 1:14-19

March 13, 2012

We Are Called to Rule – Day 108

“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness” (Gen. 1:16-18).

The last thing we should bring out about day four is that it is the light, not the darkness, which is called to rule the day and the night. I don’t think we realize the greatness of our call as saints. We are not just called to conduct religious meetings, we are called to rule “in this present darkness.” We have a royal commission.

The above verses give us a picture of God making the luminaries first and then setting them in the heavens. This is the same with us. At first we were nothing, “dead in [our] transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1). “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4). We, who were nothing, are now made alive—we have life! Yet this is not the end of the story. Paul continues: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Not only are we alive, we have been raised up with Christ, set in the heavenly realms with him. Just like the sun, moon and stars were created and then set in the heavens, we have been created and raised with Christ in the heavenly realms. Simultaneously we live in heaven with Christ and on earth below.

Why have we been raised? Paul explains: “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). In the same way the luminaries were raised to shine, we were raised to reveal the expansive and unparalleled riches of God’s grace. We were set in the heavens to shine. The sun, moon and stars are God’s mercy on man; without them we would be left in the dark.

We are also God’s mercy on humankind; without us the world would be overwhelmed with darkness––there would be no witness of God on earth, no illumination in the night.

The amazing thing about what Paul said in Ephesians 2:1-7 is this: we do not merely have access to the King of kings; we reign with him. We are in the most privileged position of all creation; we are seated on Christ’s throne. This is mercy. This is grace. This is restoration. Consequently, we are called to rule over the day and the night, and to divide the light from darkness, just as Christ himself does. No wonder at the end of the fourth day “God saw that it was good.”

Prayer: Lord, let us realize that we are called, like the luminaries, to rule the day and night. God open our eyes to see that we have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. We have the most privileged position in all of creation. Save me from getting pushed around by the darkness, instead let the darkness flee as the light of Christ shines out from me.

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March 11, 2012

The Time of Visitation – Day 107

Not being able to discern God’s times is a mark of false religiosity. This is one of the reasons Jesus rebuked the Pharisees. Remember when the Pharisees and Sadducees tried to test Jesus by asking him to show them a sign in heaven. He replied:

“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah” (Matt. 16:1-4).

The Pharisees could not discern what God was doing; they could not see the Messiah, though they professed to be waiting for him. They knew more about the natural than the spiritual. They wanted a sign even though the reality was in front of them. Jesus rebukes them saying that only the sign of Jonah would be given to them.

This sign of Jonah is two-fold. Firstly, it speaks of the sign of the cross: Jesus being forsaken so that we would be forgiven. Secondly, it spoke of the judgment that came on Jonah and that would come on the Pharisees and Sadducees. Why? Because they were running from the presence of God and not fulfilling their mission to be a light to the Gentiles. In Christ, God was passing by the majority of Jews in order to reach the Gentiles. The sign to the Pharisees and Sadducees would be a repentant Gentile people, a sign that many religious Jews still do not comprehend. But soon all of Israel will come to understand it.

Jesus lamented at Jerusalem’s blindness because they could not recognise that God was visiting them in himself:

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you'” (Luke 19:41-44, NIV).

Contrary to Jerusalem, the disciples recognised the time of God’s visitation, yet they longed to know more. After the resurrection they asked Jesus, “Is it at this time that you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” What was Jesus answer? He directed them to the Spirit of God. It is only  through immersion in the Spirit that they will come to know God’s times and seasons, and what to do in them (Acts 1-2). They discovered quickly that it was a time for them to preach and fulfil the Great Commission that God originally gave to humankind.

Prayer: Father, teach me to discern the times and seasons and especially to recognise the day of your visitation. Let me not be looking for signs, but let me see with the eyes of my heart what you are already doing, in Jesus’ name.
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March 9, 2012

Be Led By God’s Spirit Rather Than Your Zeal – Day 106

The immature believer is often led by zeal and enthusiasm, rather than the Spirit. They may witness to everybody in sight and preach to whoever comes along their path. But as they grow they learn the time to befriend somebody and the time to share their faith. They learn when to listen and when to speak. A word in season is like an “apple of gold in a setting of silver” (Prov. 25:11). It is worth its weight and has redemptive value.

By knowing God’s seasons we redeem the time. We flow with the Spirit rather than against it. We reap a mighty harvest because we are not trying to reap during a time of sowing. Knowing God’s timing means knowing when to learn and when to lead. It means realizing when to work and when to rest. Most of the problems we run into are issues caused by not operating in God’s ordained times. In his search for wisdom Solomon happened upon this pearl:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecc. 3:1-8).

Prayer: Father, help me to redeem the time by knowing your times and seasons. I want to be led by your Spirit rather than by zeal, in Jesus name’.
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March 8, 2012

Discern God’s Times & Seasons – Day 105

An important aspect of our maturity in Christ is learning to discern God’s times and seasons. Just as Israel had to discover God’s holy times, we also need to know what God requires of us during different seasons. This does not mean we are under the Mosaic Law. Rather it means we are led by the higher law of the Spirit. In the same way that Yahweh guided Israel through the wilderness through a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, the Spirit will shepherd us, gently leading us to the places he desires and the length of time he wills us to rest there.

We need to become like the sons of Issachar who knew the times and what Israel should do in them (1 Chron. 12:32). The sons of Issachar came to David in Hebron with a specific purpose: to hand over Saul’s kingdom to him (1 Chron. 12:23). David was a man who waited on God’s timing, but Saul was marked by impatience. When Samuel called him to wait for seven days, the test was too great. The circumstances surrounding Saul led him to sacrifice before the appointed time. Samuel’s rebuke to him was, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22). The implication: it is impossible to obey without knowing God’s timing. There is a time to sacrifice, but there is also a time to wait and receive. There is a time to go, but there is also a time to train. To go against God’s time is to go against the Lord’s tide—it is to swim in the opposite direction of his current.

David knew all about God’s timing. Even though he was anointed as king, he did not assert his anointing on others. Instead he waited. He held back until Saul’s time was finished. The reason why Saul was anointed had to do with Israel’s impatience in waiting for God’s king. They needed to have a king like the other nations (1 Sam. 8). Yes, it was God’s plan for them to have a king, but not before Samuel’s time was through. Israel’s inability to discern the times led them to have a king that did not know God’s timing. When we mature we grow to know God’s times and what to do in them. We become more like David than Saul.

Prayer: Father, give me discernment to know your times and seasons. Let me be like David and learn to wait on you.

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March 7, 2012

Every Season is a Time to Worship – Day 104

God made one of the key purposes of the sun, moon and stars clear: “Let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years: (Gen. 1:14, TNIV). Through the creation of these lights man was given the ability to keep track of his history as well as navigate through creation and time. If there were no rising and setting sun, if the moon never showed its phases, or if the stars did not rotate through the sky, everyday would be alike, without any distinguishing marks to divide them. Not only would every day be alike, but also daytime would be without time, and the night would be without chronology. There would be evening and morning, but no way to gauge when one was coming and the other was leaving. Since navigation is based on these luminaries their absence would have further complicated man’s existence, hindering him from navigating through the world.

Thus we see the creation of these lights were a sign of grace to man. God is preparing the way for man to come, he is making his road clear, so that he can travel and remember with coherence. As the Torah unfolds, God brings out the importance of days, times and seasons (cf. Lev. 23-25). There were certain days to work and certain days to rest. There were times of celebration and times to make haste. There was a proper season to plant and a season to reap. God put man in an environment that has a rhythm of its own and man is called to know this pattern. But we are not left to ourselves to know God’s ordained times, it is the Lord who sets the time and reveals it to man through his law. Therefore God told Moses, “These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies” (Lev. 23:2b).

In studying these festivals we see something else that is significant: God desired Israel’s whole life to be consecrated in worship to him. The harvest was not just to be reaped; it was to be received in the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving. Moreover, the harvest was to honor him. Everything we would consider secular, or just a part of life, was consecrated as sacred. The Lord said to Moses, “At your times of rejoicing—your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God” (Num. 10:10). Clearly Yahweh is the Lord and God over every time and season. All time is sacred because all time comes as a gift of God.

Prayer, Father I thank you for your times and seasons. May I see all time as precious and sacred to you. Whatever season I’m in, may I worship you.

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March 4, 2012

Becoming Magnetic – Day 103

As a church we need to recognise Christ is dwelling in us, and Christ who is dwelling in us has the same power today as he had yesterday. When people recognize Christ in us (when they see him shining through) they will be magnetically attracted to the community of faith. Often, though, this only happens as we cross over into a territory that we are unfamiliar with––a place that challenges us, a spot that is out of our comfort zone. It was only when the disciples went through a storm together, and saw Christ’s triumph over it, that this extraordinary power was manifested in Gennesaret (Matt. 14:22-33). When people see Christ is in and among us, that he has kept us safe in a fierce storm, people will spread the word. They will see how sick they really are compared to his light. But more than that, hope will be imparted to them, because just one touch of God’s light will bring power, healing and restoration.

We need to pray that Christ is manifested in us in the same way he was made known among the early disciples. May his light shine through us bringing hope and healing to many. The healing is sometimes inward before it is outward, or sometimes it is both inward and outward at the same time. But one thing is certain: Yahweh is a healer because Yahweh saves. And that is what Jesus’ name means—“Yahweh saves!”

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March 3, 2012

The Healing Power of God’s Light – Day 102

One day our family went on holidays. On the first night my wife had trouble opening up the children’s window in the rented apartment. When I tried opening it the old-style window came crashing down on my fingers like a blunt guillotine. Immediately my hand started burning and bleeding. The pain was excruciating at first, but the good thing was that my fingers were not broken. The doctor said my finger were saved and told me to keep the wounds bandaged for a couple of days and then expose them to the sunlight. The sunlight would quicken the healing process.

Doctors recognize that there is some type of healing power in the light and warmth of the sun. This reminds us of the Scripture quoted before, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays” (Mal. 4:2). God’s light in Christ has the power to heal the spirit, soul and body––this was continually demonstrated throughout Jesus’ life on earth.

One particular passage highlights the potency of the light of Christ:

“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognised Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him, and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed” (Matt. 14:34-36).

Just like a fire has power to attract a crowd, so the light of Christ has tremendous pull. Once people recognised Jesus was in their territory they spread word throughout the surrounding country. People brought their sick knowing that just one touch from him would restore them. The power of God emanated so dynamically from the Messiah that just one touch transferred that power to another.

Prayer: Father, let the light of Christ shine down on me!

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