January 25
Facing the Light
Frederick A. Fillmore penned a song titled “Sunshine Song”. The very first line declares “In spite of gloom and darkness, keep facing t’ward the light.”
Sometimes when a light is turned on we need to shield our eyes because they need time to get used to the sudden brightness. Many people will do the same thing in their spirit. When the bright light that is the Gospel is shone on the darkness of their sin, they want to turn away and avoid it. Instead the light of the Gospel needs to be seen as a light house in a dark night. To get safely to shore, one needs to focus on the light and nothing else and do everything in their power to arrive safely at the light.
In John 8:12 it says, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (KJV) Jesus is the light that will lead us safely home. But to be successfully led we need to keep our eyes, mind and spirit focused on Him and nothing else. As the song said, we need to “ keep facing t’ward the light.”
January 18
Stay Close
Whenever I see little children in a store or on a busy street they are invariably holding the hand of an adult. If it is in a strange place, often the child is more than just holding the hand, they sometimes have a death grip on the adult and it is obvious nothing will make them let go. I think we can learn a lot from this attitude.
John Lane penned these words. “Keep close to Jesus, keep close to Jesus, Keep close to Jesus all the way; By day or by night never turn from the right, Keep close to Jesus all the way.” If we would follow this advice I’m sure we would not only feel more secure, we would be more secure.
There are many instances in the Bible where sick people fought their way through a crowd to get to Jesus. They had to shout to get Him and push others aside. They did this because they knew that when they got near Him, their disease would disappear. This needs to be our attitude through life.
In good times and bad, we need to strive with all our might to stay as close to Jesus as possible because it is at His side that we will find comfort, rest and healing.
January 11
Ready to Move On?
New Years is now a week past. Most resolutions have probably been forgotten. What God wants us to do, rather than make resolutions that will be left behind, is to forget all that has been in our past and move on. To Him, our failures and sins of the past are far removed. In Psalms 103:12 we are told, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (KJV)
The problem that many people have is that once they realize their past problems are removed, they tend to be content and stay where they are and therefore fall back into their old problems. God wants us to move forward. At the start of Isaiah 62:10, God tells us to “Go through, go through the gates.” (KJV)
Gods wants us to leave the place where we have floundered. He wants us to do that by moving forward through the next gate He has prepared for us. We do not have to be able to see what lies beyond that gate, we only need to trust Him and move forward to the place where He wants us to be.
January 4
A Mighty Fortress
Martin Luther penned the words to the wonderful hymn of the church, ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God’. Five times in the Book of Psalms, David refers to God as ‘my fortress’. In three of these he also includes the term ‘my rock’. He does so with good reason.
God is the fortress that is our protection. He is that solid rock upon which we can build our life. He will supply that firm foundation that we need.
Many in the world today look to their bank accounts for long lasting security. They put their future hope in a job that they are not sure will last. They trust governments for their safety. All of these may give a temporary sense of security, but for true security, all hope and trust must be in God. He is the only one that can stand the test of time and help us to stand tall in face of all adversity.
David sums it up well in Psalms 91:2. “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (KJV) This entire Psalm supports the idea of the hymn by Martin Luther. God truly is a mighty fortress. | 
Ray's Column