Living In the Dark

There are some people being called to walk into the dark evil of this world, to kneel down and face all the pain, suffering, sickness and demons there, while they wait for others to follow. If no one else comes they will live their life alone, but not in vain. If others come the darkness will be pushed back, not by them, but by the light.
Each Christian is given a light, like a candle, to live with. This candle is the light of mankind that lives in us when we come to follow the Lord. This candle can grown in brilliance, yet we seldom know ourselves how bright our light is. This is the wisdom of God for us.
At some point in each of our lives we come upon a great wilderness of darkness. This darkness is so dark that we cannot see into it. If you start to enter this abyss, you will find that each step brings greater fears, greater insecurity and greater worthlessness. If you go very far it is as if evil comes to live in you, your hope fails, your since of life itself, diminishes, at times it is all you can do to stay alive.
So why go into the dark, why take the light into the darkness? The answer to that has no human answer. While many seek to do things for the betterment of mankind, that alone is not reason enough to loose your life in the darkness. It is a good reason, just not good enough. Christ-likeness is the only reason to die in life. It is not a thing we do for the betterment of mankind, it is not an issue of making the world a better place, it all depends on Christ-likeness.
A part of Christ-likeness is that it does not depend upon human reason or effort. It is not a matter of someone saying, "I think I will push back the darkness in this area for the Lord." While this may seem noble, it is foolish. Instead each person has their heart marked with the will of God for them. It is only at the point of this branding that we can enter and live in the darkness in such a way that it draws others and in the end, expands the light.
Presently there are many eager believers who have tried to follow the Lord out of self will. They entered the darkness without the calling and the grace to do so, and now find themselves deceived. While in their minds they think and fell like they are living in the dark places of evil and shining for the Lord, the reality is that they, in their presumption, have set up a tent of darkness in the realm of light. They sit in this tent that blocks out the Light and think they are living in the dark, doing some great good. You can tell these tent dwellers by their constant complaining about the dark, their nay-saying about how few others follow, how costly the life of service is for them and how greatly God is pleased with them, yet others fail to see their Godliness. Such is life in the tent, in the dark, in the Light.
The one who has followed the Lord and not themselves into the dark, hardly knows they are in the dark once they find their place of rest or stopping. While each step they take requires them to face all the hordes of hell, once they stop, face the light of God within them, they are at peace. Life is good to these dark dwellers, they have needs but don't complain or fret. The life they live is a great life, they behold the light and not the dark.
Where do you live?
What branding is on your heart? Do not fret to see it. If you are to dwell in the dark, it will pain our heart to live in the Light. Only keep a tender heart and fear not. Even the life of faith requires we trust God with our heart, our calling, our success and our purpose.

Stumbling Blocks

For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. 1 Corinthians 1:22,23

Are you a stumbling block to others? You are if you proclaim something other than what they want! People have an agenda for us and they get upset when that agenda is not meet.

If you want to upset the apple cart at work, don't meet the demands of the office, or fail to have the wisdom needed to go to the next level. It won't take long and someone will be stumbling through.

But Christ is the answer to both, to all, unmet expectations. Jesus can take the little provision of the work place, the few people on the call list, the shortage of leads; and multiply them. Jesus is the wisdom of the ages and by His insight we can navigate troubled waters.

When we truly learn to be neither Jew nor gentile we become one new man. A person who finds in the Lord all that we need and all that causes the world to stumble. Lord help us not to be unsettled because we are unable to meet all the needs, to solve all the problems. Lord help us to keep on trusting in you and be aware of how Satan seeks to make us live for others more than we live for us. Let us all keep seeking you first and trusting you, that that will be enough. Help those who are tripping over us.