LIGHT AND NIGHT

Light Burst

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 13 April 2013

Hi all,

It is impossible for something to come from nothing. The old proverb, “You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear”, has not changed. Only God is able to make something from nothing. He speaks the word and there it is. Mankind and science are unable to do so. This is a major problem for science. 

Darkness - Night

The point is we are here! How did we get here? Science has tried its best to solve this problem. It cannot. The best it can come up with is the Darwinian Theory that everything evolved. But evolution too needs a beginning point. The thought is that perhaps, life sort of drifted through space to reach us. Where space came from presents the same problem. 

Darkness

Bear in mind that “space” had to be created as well. In other words, when we speak of “nothing”, we must include space. So everything is traced back to something like “the big bang”. There are problems with this. 

Light

. The only logical alternative is belief in the supernatural. Science refuses to acknowledge the supernatural. So there is effectively a deadlock. Christians speak of intelligent design; we call the designer “God”. They go back to nothing. But man and science still can’t make anything from nothing. As my Dad would say, “It’s a canackler! 

Today’s meditation looks at this in more detail.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 13 April 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Light and Night
Trying to visualise something, can be totally impossible. For example, before the Lord started creation, what, if anything existed? If we say nothing, does that include the “space” into which creation was “placed”? My supposition is that before creation, only the “spirit realm” existed. In other words, God created time, space and the material that fills the space. My logic is, that if anything existed before creation, God would not have created it. In this way “space” would be infinite. But we know that only God is infinite. So the answer to the question, “What lies beyond the universe?” Will it be infinity or God? If that doesn’t make sense, join the club! One of the more popular theories is the big bang. The idea is that the content of the universe was somehow compressed into something no bigger than a dot. There was then a huge explosion and all the “bits and pieces” were scattered in all directions at enormous velocity. There are one or two difficulties with this theory. One is the origin of the dot and its contents, prior to the big bang. One reply to this is that everything is cyclic. The universe will stop expanding. It will then begin to contract back to the size of the dot. This cyclic sequence, they claim, has been going on indefinitely. To which my question is, “Where did it all come from in the first place?” They have no real answer. For them to admit that it is the result of intelligent design is not an option. That would be an admission to the existence of God. They say that “God is a myth” designed for ignorant people. Unfortunately, their endless cycle of big bangs, followed by expansion and contraction, is equally illogical! So what took place when God began creation? “Light, be!” Is how some experts state. It could well have been the “expression” God used to begin our time, space continuum. One of the biggest problems with this for me is the origin of darkness. Where did it come from? All we know is that God separated the light from the darkness. The light He called “day” and the darkness He called “night”. Just to complicate this, Scripture informs us 5 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 NLT How all this fits together is beyond me. Nevertheless, today’s Scriptures focus on light and darkness, day and night in the New Jerusalem. In this situation, the Bible gives us just enough information to stir our curiosity. I’ve no doubt that everything stated will be true. How it fits together is anybody’s guess. What we can say, is that the truth will emerge into the light! For you and me it will be our own personal experience of, “Light be!” Jim & Phyllida Strickland			25 Its gates will never be shut, because there will be no night there. Rev 21:25 NIrV 19 "No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Isaiah 60:19 NLT 23 The city doesn't need any sun or moon to give it light because the glory of God gave it light. The lamb was its lamp. Rev 21:23 GW 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Rev 22:5 TNIV 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9 ESV 12 Thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. 13 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, 14 the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. Col 1:12-14 MSG 8 Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light. Eph 5:8 GW 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 1 Thess. 5:4-5 ESV 18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. Pro 4:18 NLT	Right at the beginning, the Lord created light. He separated darkness and called that darkness night. So right from the beginning there were these two great fields. The light by which all men can see; to it the darkness yields. It only takes a little light to penetrate the dark. A little ray of sunshine, perhaps a little spark, A golden tinge of twilight, that heralds in the day, Is quite enough to make the darkness turn and run away. The Bible tells us clearly That God Himself is light! Darkness is impossible when He comes into sight. So when we live with Jesus, the light within Him shines. Eliminating darkness because He is Divine. This means when we are with Him, our vision will be clear. Nothing can get to us when Jesus Christ is near. So in the New Jerusalem, it is forever day; Illuminated by the Lord; not in the present way. The sun will not be needed. At night the moon won’t be, Shining on the people, for all they need is Thee! But Master, in the meantime, we are a chosen race. We are the Royal Priesthood whom Jesus will embrace. Your very own possession, where darkness cannot be, Called to be proclaiming, Your Glorious Majesty! Taking part in everything which You have called us to. Rescued from dark dungeons, to always be with you. Thank You Lord and Master for all that you have done. Putting us forever in the Kingdom of Your Son. Taken from the darkest pit where we were out of sight. Lifted by your Spirit into realms of glorious light. Father we remember, how bad we used to be. Now in realms of glory we’ll stay eternally. It seems to be ridiculous, that I committed sin; And Jesus paid the price for all the mess that I was in! I know that my salvation’s by grace and grace alone. Indeed, I had no righteousness, at least none of my own, And now, because of what He’s done, Your wrath won’t fall on me. How can I ever thank You for what You’ve caused to be? A monster of Iniquity; a candidate for hell With You has now been reconciled! But why, I cannot tell? Jim Strickland Written 13th April 2012