Maggie Speaks Out: Being Light

The ever-amazing Maggie the Wonder Dog is guest blogging again today. In case you haven't met her, she's a six-year old Shih Tzu who can dance like a ballerina, sneak like a spy, and herd cows like a border collie. She's the best!
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Can you believe it? My mama let me write two days in a row. "Don't get used to it," she told me, so we better enjoy it while we can.  Maybe, if you leave a lot of nice comments and tell all your friends, she might let me write again soon, instead of making me wait for months and months and months.

Yesterday, I told you about forgiving and forgetting. If you haven't read it, you really should. I don't mean to be critical, but I've noticed that humans need a little help in this area. (okay, a lot.) 

Today, I want to talk about keeping my eye closed. That has worried my mama and Mr. Sam half to death this week. Every time I take Mr. Sam for a walk, he comes back and tells my mama, "She's still keeping her eye closed." My mama is just as bad. When I'm looking around to see what's happening and be sure no more guinea pigs are getting in our house, my mama says, "Oh, poor Maggie, you have your eye closed again." 

What is wrong with closing your eye?

When the sun shines in my eye, it hurts. Okay? If I close my eye, it doesn't hurt and I can stay in the sunshine. I think it's a great solution. 

Am I supposed to stay in the dark? I might be there forever, considering how long this pesty eye is taking to get well. 

No, sir. I like staying in the light, even if it's less comfortable than in the dark. 

I've noticed some humans are a little too fond of the dark. 

My mama says, "Nothing good happens after ten o'clock." She's in the "early to bed and early to rise club". I think it's a dumb club. I like to sleep when I'm tired. I don't care about that early stuff. My mama wears me out making me get up before the sun every day. That's why I have to take so many naps. You might want to talk to her about that. She gets up too early. I don't care if the early bird gets the worm. Who wants worms anyway?

There is nothing good about dark, except sleeping, which is very good. 

Anyway, there is too much sneaking around in the dark and too much carrying dark around in hearts. I've noticed that about humans. When Jesus takes you from the darkness into the light, He does not mean for you to carry the darkness around with you. What's up with that? Didn't you want out of the darkness? 

Jesus said we are supposed to be the light of the world, not the dark of the world. 

If we hang on to the world's darkness, it messes up our light and confuses the people in the darkness. They think, "I can just stay here in the darkness and be the same as those silly people in the light." That is not a good thing, and Jesus does not like it. 

You may be saying, "Oh, I don't have dark in me. I belong to Jesus." Yeah, right. Sin is darkness. If you are living, you have sin. Everybody has sin, but you don't have to hang on to it like a prize. 

Sin is not a prize. Well, maybe the booby prize, and who wants that? Not wonder dogs.

If you have sin, you are supposed to ask Jesus to help you and He will. That's what I did when I got my supposed guinea pig sister. I did not like her even a little bit, but my mama said she was here to stay. I could not be nice about it, so I asked Jesus to help me and He did. He turned that poohing guinea pig into a little sister and she is very nice. She poohs outside like me now, too. He had to help her with that and I thank Him that He did.

Well, I still have not told you what I tried to tell you yesterday, so I'm gonna have to write again tomorrow, if  I can sneak it past my mama. It's time for eye medicine now. Yuck.

Here's the wonder dog lesson of the day.

Be light.

That's the short lesson. Maybe I should've said, "Let Jesus get rid of your darkness," but "be light" is easier to remember. If you are hanging on to some of that darkness, you should let Jesus help you get rid of it, because He will. Then you can show all the people in the darkness how nice it is to just be light. And that's one of the reasons I am closing my hurt eye. So I can just be in the light.

The end. By Maggie the Wonder Dog

PS - This is very important. Don't forget to ask my mama if I can write some more. Thanks.

The end again, Maggie.

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Hey, my Mama has a new e-book. You should send it to all your friends for a little surprise. I love surprises. (I prefer jerky surprises, but books are good, too.) Here's the link to The Clay Papers, available as an e-book for personal use or to send as a gift for only 99 cents. 

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In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links:  Knowing the Goal, Remembering My Way, and Maggie The Wonder Dog and the Hurt Eye, Maggie: Avoiding the Light, Maggie: Sister Love and the Body of Christ, and Maggie: Forgiving and Forgetting.

The most read post of the past week: Remembering My Way.

#MaggietheWonderDog #lightoftheworld #JesusChrist #sin #holiness

Maggie the Wonder Dog and the Hurt Eye: Avoiding the Light

For those of you who missed yesterday's post, Maggie the Wonder Dog somehow injured her eye and has a severe corneal abrasion. (The link to that story is at the end of this post)

She's been a trooper, but corneal abrasions hurt. Bright light is especially painful, so she's chosen the room with the dimmest light this week.  

As we've avoided the light to make her eye more comfortable, I've been reminded that, as believers, we are the light of the world. We can present that light as a burning bright laser beam, akin to a flashlight in the face, or as the warm and welcoming glow of a candle. 

Those with the wounds of sin are often like Maggie, avoiding the light because of the pain it can bring. When we, as believers, present the light of Christ in a harsh, hard way, that too-bright light can be so painful it drives those in need of Christ's love farther away. When presented in a warm glow, however, the light of Christ can welcome and draw those in darkness to Him.

What kind of light emanates from your life? Does it draw people closer to Jesus or push them away because of the harshness of the glare? 

Let's be sure we, the light of the world, are emitting The Light that, when lifted high will draw others to Christ.

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In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links:  The Blessing of Protection, Becoming a Writer: Cover Reveal, I Shook His Hand Once, Knowing the Goal, Remembering My Way, and Maggie The Wonder Dog and the Hurt Eye.

The most read post of the past week: Remembering My Way.

Here's the link to The Clay Papers, available as an e-book for personal use or to send as a gift for only 99 cents. 

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#light #eyepain #lightofhteworld #JesusChrist

Confessing Jesus Before Men: Light of the World

"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9 NASB)

We started a new mini-series a few days ago to help us better understand the meaning of confessing Jesus before men. The phrase does not mean we post a meme on social media saying "I love Jesus". In the original language, it means that we say the same things about Jesus (with our lives and our words) that He says about Himself. Yesterday, we looked at "I AM the bread of life."

We turn today to Jesus' words in John 8:12 and a companion verse found in Matthew. 

Then Jesus again 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 8:12 NASB)

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 NASB)

Most towns of any size in the U.S. have street lights that shine at night, illuminating our way. It's hard for us to find a place that's completely void of external light. Because I live in "the country", however, my nights are illuminated by the moon and stars. When the sky is overcast, the nights can be very dark. Walking in that dark, without the aid of artificial light, can be a challenge, especially when the terrain is not level.

Jesus walked this earth at a time when there were no electric lights. Illumination was provided by firelight, candles, and oil lamps. They understood the importance of light because, when the lights were extinguished, darkness was all that remained.

Jesus explained that He is the Light of the world. In the darkness of sin, He is the bright light that brings illumination, clears away our sin, reveals what was hidden, and shines light on the path we should take. 

Light helps us to see things as they are, and the Light of Jesus does that for us, as well. He helps us to see ourselves and others as He sees us (and them). 

During the ice storm of 1994, I was without electricity for more than two weeks. I had candles and oil lamps, but the light was dim. When power was restored and lights blazed in my house again, it revealed more than I wanted to know. The dust that had accumulated was astounding. 

Light reveals. Just as I had an enormous housekeeping job to be done, so the Light of Christ can reveal the dust and grime of sin that accumulates in our lives. That knowledge can change us, if we allow it.

The amazing thing about the Light of Christ is that sometimes His Light reveals my sin to me and sometimes it helps me see His amazing love for me.

There's another fact about the Light of Christ that is mind-blowing. When I follow Him, His Light can shine in me. Through the Holy Spirit, He can fill my life with His Light. I reveal that light by the way I live my life and the "good works" I do. 

When I love my enemy, I allow the light of Christ to shine on him/her. When I visit those who are sick, feed the hungry, encourage the downhearted, rescue the perishing, I allow the light of Christ to shine through.  

I don't have the light of Christ because of my good works. I do good works because of the light of Christ in me. 

How do I obtain this Light? Jesus made it very simple. "He who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life." 

Following Jesus. Not only does it take us out of darkness and allow us to "walk in light", but it's also the only way to be filled with His light.

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Heavenly Father, Help me to follow Jesus and His ways. Fill me with His light and help me to be a light in the darkness, shining so brightly that all can see Jesus in me. In His name, Amen.