Light

Light cannot ever coincide darkness (duh). Whenever light enters a dark space, it repels the darkness around it. They can never be together; its either one or the other.

God is holy. He is always pure and righteous. In fact the Bible describes Him as light:

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” – 1 John 1:5

Sin is not God’s vocabulary, and like light to darkness, He also can’t coincide with it. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Size doesn’t matter. Once you have sinned, you have broken fellowship with God.

As Romans 3:23 stated, “all have sinned”; at one time in our lives we have fallen short of God’s glory, and therefore we are repelled from relating to God.

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. ” -Colossians 1:21-22

It was by the blood of Jesus on the cross that we are removed of sin’s power and punishment over our lives and now we can have fellowship with God.

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” -1 John 1:7

God desires intimacy with us. To keep healthy intimacy with God, we must “walk in the light”.

If we truly desire to be intimate with Him then we must seek to be in the light as He is in the light; that is being removed from the presence of sin and seeking to be filled of righteousness.

Access to God

We have access to God by Christ. The Bible said that when Jesus died, there came a terrible earthquake:

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.” -Matthew 27:50-51

It shook the earth greatly and his spectators fled in fear. A centurion in his awe said,”Truly, this man was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:55). Among the impressive damage the quake left was the tear of the veil of the temple that guarded the Holy of Holies – the imaged presence of God.

But God had a purpose to ruining his furniture. The veil being torn represented man’s now available access to God. The shedding of the Lamb of the God was the completed sacrifice that made the permanent remission of mankind’s sin. No longer will anyone have to give offerings to make peace with God for Christ paid the price of the payment for sin on the cross.

What does this mean? It means the end of traditions, rituals, procedures to come into God’s presence. We can simply come to God just as we are. We enter into community with God by receiving His grace -the grace that brought salvation. Christ giving to us no what other could: peace with God.

May we come to the Lord with reverence. Honor his holiness by confessing sin and requesting Him to be filled of His spirit.

South Sudan A New Hope

We are now within hours of celebrating the 196th nation of the world: the new nation of South Sudan!

At midnight, South Sudan will rejoice its independence from Northern Sudan after January’s referendum confirmed a 99% decision to separate Sudan into two independent states.

This should be a joy for all believers, for the majority Christian South will finally be able to worship Christ freely.

South Sudan has suffered a cruel, bloody 21-year civil war and hundreds of genocide attacks that has claimed the death of over 2 million people and displaced 5 million.

But there are critical challenges for prayer for this new infant country. By tomorrow, South Sudan will instantly become one of the poorest nations in the world where almost 85% percent of the population is illiterate and 1 of 7 children don’t outlive the age of five.

Although South Sudan will be independent, borders for the country have yet to be confirmed. Oil-rich regions such as Abeyi and Nuba have suffered harshly under military militia groups that fight to keep these areas for the North.

A global concern is a permanent peace between North and South Sudan that still looks fragile with disputed boundaries and the threat of active rebel groups within South Sudan that are accused of affiliation with North Sudan.

Still, we can be glad that God has brought freedom to the South Sudanese that have suffered years of hatred and discrimination from their Northern brothers.

We need to pray that South Sudan will be reared to foster a concrete dependence and reverence for Christ and a relentless trust in His protection and provision as they grow to uplift themselves.

Thank you Jesus for giving freedom at last to South Sudan!