Why is the light so important? So that we can see where we're going. So that we can stop stumbling around in the dark. So that we can see clearly. Look at Luke 1:77-79, "To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to then that sit in darkness and in shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." The day star arises in our hearts so that the light of the world--that we are--can shine into the darkness. So that we will know where to go and what to do when we get there. And, spoiler alert, what we're to do when we get there... is love those who are already there. The light of love guides our feet into the way of peace. The peacemakers are called (identified as) the Son(s) of God. So its like I always say, "Whe you don't know what to do... do what you know. Love people." And if you don't know where to go, love right where you're at. The Word (which is Jesus, which is love) is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Love lights the way. And that light is in our hearts. It comes from us. We are that city set on the hill that cannot be hid. We are a lighthouse that can keep other ships from hitting the rocks. There are so many people who see the world as bad and getting worse. But we know better. We see clearly. We know that the work is finished. And because Jesus finished the work, we can enjoy the fruit of His labor. Which is the fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. We don't have to try to earn our heavenly Father's love and approval. We can rest in His loving arms. And that's what the knowledge of salvation is all about. Its not about making people jump through hoops in order to "get" salvation. In order to "get" out of the darkness. Its about shining our light and letting them know that salvation took place 2,000 years ago on an old rugged cross. Its not, "Get right or get left." Its not, "shape up or get shipped out." Its not, "you better get saved before its too late." Jesus already did everything that ever needed to be done. And He did it both for us and as us. If we want to experience what's availabe to us, we need to KNOW what's available to us. That's what being a witness is all about--sharing what you've experienced. Telling people what you've seen, and heard, and felt. Shining your light so THEY can see. I think this is appropriate for this time of year when things get cold and dark. Its depressing. We need sunlight. Sonlight. We need each other. To comfort. To connect. To build relationships. Its not good that man should be alone. We need each other, and we need to shine our light onto (and into) each other. God works in mysterious ways because He works through people. The day star arises in our hearts when we let God love us. By letting PEOPLE love us. When we receive and release the love that has already been given to us. That's what this life is all about--receiving and releasing, and in that way experiencing, God's love. Giving what we've got by knowing what we've got. Shining the light by knowing that we are the light. Letting that light of love guide and direct us. Showing us who, and where, and how to love each other!

The day star is literally the star that shines during the day. The sun. The SON. Jesus. Arising in our hearts to shine forth in us, and as us, and through us. So that WE can shine. Let me link two Bible verses together. "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" (John 8:12). Letting us know that the light--that LOVE--is life. Stumbling around in the dark is never what God intended for us. Killing ourselves to "live" according to the world's standards is never what God intended for us. Jesus came that we might have life, and that more abundantly. And LOVE is what makes life abundant. And LIGHT is what allows us to see that love. And seeing is believing. Which brings me to my next memory verse: "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matthew 5:14). Jesus is the light of the world. And we are the light of the world. Its the same light. The same love. And when we're walking in love ("following" in Jesus' foot steps by letting Him make His own foot steps with our feet) we can't get lost. Love lights the way. When you do things because they are in your heart to do them... you can't go wrong. Now listen, I'm not saying everything will always go exactly the way you want it to. It won't. Love doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. But if you give people what you've got--living out of your abundance--you can't go wrong. You will at least have done your part. And that's all you can do. That's all you should ever be expected to do. If someone expects more from you than you can give... that person probably isn't right for your life. You can easily wear yourself out by trying to do more than you can do. I said you can, but you shouldn't. In sports they have a saying: "Do your job." Its not your job to do everything. You can't reach everybody. I say it all the time--I know I'm not for everybody. But those that I CAN reach... I make sure to reach them. Because if I don't, maybe nobody will. Maybe nobody else can. So do what you can do. Let that light shine. Be you, but do everything you do in love. Because of love. Out of love. "Why'd you do that?" Because it was in my heart to do it. What's inside--what you believe is inside--will always come out. So stop seeing yourself as dark and void. That's how things were in the beginning before God said, "Let there be light." Now we know who we are. Because now we know who God is. God is our heavenly Father. God is love. He is the light of the world. And WE are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. When that day star arises in our hearts... when we arise and shine because the glory of the Lord IS risen upon us... we can't be hid. People will see what we have. And since what we have (love) is what they desperately desire anyway, they'll finally be able to stop looking for love in all the wrong places and they'll be able to come to the source. Just as we come to the source to fill ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with. The day is light because the sun (the SON) is shining. On us, and in us, and through us, and as us!

Jesus is the day star. The bright morning star. The sunshine (SONshine). And that's important to understand because Jesus is God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So when the day star arises in our hearts, when we see things clearly, we see that its all about love. Love is what lights everything up. The Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto your path, right? And the Word is Jesus. The Word is love. The problem is that we create a lot of our problems. We stumble around in the dark because we don't know that the light is already shining. Look at one of my favorite Bible verses: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee" (Isaiah 60:1). And notice, because this is so important, we don't try to shine in order to get the light to come. We shine BECAUSE the light has come. BECAUSE the glory of the Lord HAS (and IS) risen upon us. Yesterday I used to picture of turning a light on in a dark room and not being in a dark room anymore. But in reality, WE don't have to turn the light on at all. Jesus did that 2000 years ago on the cross. And, really, He did it before anybody did anything. The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. The new day dawned before you ever had to worry about what day it is. We don't have to do anything to make it happen. Just arise... and shine. Let what's inside come out, by knowing and believing that its in there. The day star arises in our hearts when we know and believe that He is in our hearts. What's inside comes out, when you know and believe its in there. Whatever you believe is inside you WILL come out. Whatever it is, its too big to stay inside. So find out what's really in there. Let God love you. That's the difference between Adam and Jesus. Luke 3:38 identifies Adam as the son of God. Right? God created him from the dust of the ground. But Adam didn't know that God loved Him. God DID love him. God is love. He loves everybody. There's nothing else He could possibly do. But Jesus is the beloved Son of God because Jesus let Himself BE loved by God. He knows who His Father is. And while Adam ran FROM God when he thought he'd messed up--because he thought God was going to punish him--Jesus always ran TO God no matter what. Jesus would go off by Himself and pray. He would spend time with His heavenly Father. Because He knew who He was, and He knows who His Father is. Knowing and believing is so vitally important. That's why God gave us His Holy Spirit; so that we might know and believe that He loves US. Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The truth that God is love and He loves you. The truth that we CAN arise and shine because the light--the glory, the LOVE--of God HAS risen upon us. That light, that glory, that love, rising up on us is what equips and empowers us TO arise and shine. The day star rises in our hearts, and we are lifted up above all the stuff that's trying to drag us down. And I'm here to tell you, when love is holding you up... nothing and nobody can drag you down!

I'm kind of obssed with love. Y'all knew that, right? I'm convinced that love is the be-all, end-all. The Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end... and everything in between. And God is love, right? You can't talk about one without talking about the other. But there are a few other pictures, or descriptions, or God in the Bible. God is Spirit. God is a consuming fire. And, my personal favorite, God is light. Because when the light shines, you can see things clearly. You can see things the way they really are. In the bright light of day. The new day. Which dawned on the cross. And when I say, "the cross," I mean the whole process of Jesus dying and rising again. The Six Steps (Crucified, Died, Buried, Quickened, Raised, Seated) He took to the throne. Because its a new day for a New Man. Look at 2 Peter 1:19, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." The day star. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in your flesh. Love in your body. And the phrase "day star" there is number 5459 in Strong's Greek Concordance. It means, "light bearing (phosphorus), that is, (specifically) the morning star." Basically, the light that shines during the day. The sun. The SON. Which is how Jesus refers to Himself in Revelation 22:16, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." The star that rises in the morning in order to make the darkness flee. And, like I always say, light beats dark ever time. Its not even a contest. If you're in a dark room and you turn the light on... you aren't in a dark room anymore. Done deal. And when the light is shining, you don't have to stumble around trying to make your own way. "And he spoke a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into a ditch?" (Luke 6:39). And, listen, I realize there's a difference between being blind and not being able to see. But there's not a very big difference. That was one of the miracles Jesus chose to perform most--He opened people's eyes. Even spitting in them, and making mud balls. Whatever it took to help people see. Even being lifted up from the earth as a sacrifice for all to see. Bringing about that new day. The Sabbath day (that Jesus is) where everything is revealed to be in Divine Order. And did you notice that its all Jesus? He is the bright morning star. He is the new day. He is the New Man. He is the Spirit, the consuming fire, the light... the love. Love is what lights up the darkness. Love is the new day. Love is who the New Man operates in the new day. Seeing clearly is seeing love everywhere you look. But it doesn't come with an external source. It doesn't come from without. It comes from within. God living in us. Living though us. Living out of us. Living as us. The love inside coming out as we fill ourselves with what we've already been filled with. Letting God love us so big and so hard that we can't help but love each other in the same way. That's what happens when the day star arises in our hearts!

I think what I've been trying to say is that life is better when we understand, and cultivate, and take care of, the people in our lives. When we are in relationship with each other. Direct relationship. Loving relationship. Look at Titus 3:7 in the Message Bible, "God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more to come--an eternity of life!" Restored our relationship and given us back our lives. Because our relationship (with God and with each other) IS our life. To live is to love and to love is to live. Loving is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. And you can't give--you can't love--unless you have something to give. Unless you have someone to love. It takes two to tango, if I can say it that way. Which is what a relationship is. Two people. Loving and being loved. A Father loving His Son and that beloved Son in whom He is well pleased loving Him back by loving people. Receiving and releasing the gift we've been given. By filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with. And we do all that simply by letting God love us. By knowing and believing that He loves us. I'm convinced that we learn how to love by learning how we are loved. Having faith in God. Believing in love. It is our faith in Christ (God in the flesh, love in a body... God in OUR flesh, love in OUR body) that puts us in direct relationship with God. Because you can't be any more direct, or in any more of a relationship, than having the God who is love living inside you. Living through you. The love inside coming out. Naturally. Again, simply by knowing and believing that its in there. And when we understand that living IS loving--loving IS living--we understand how important relationships are. We understand that there are really only two important things in this life: God and people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. Receive and release that gift that has restored our relationship and given us back our lives. Love is what restores what has been lost. Even if you yourself threw it away. We all make mistakes. But God allows U-turns. In fact, I believe He encourages them. Love never fails, because it endures. And, yes, sometimes its a long and winding road. Sometimes we don't understand all of the twists and turns that life throws at us. But, like I tried to bring out in the Rant about longsuffering, we go THROUGH things. We don't have to get stuck. And we don't have to let stuff go through us. What's that old quote? "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." We need each other. We're stronger together. There are things I can't do, that maybe you can. And vice versa. So together we can accomplish a lot more than by ourselves. Ecclesiastes 4:12 (MSG) says it like this, "By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped." Its all about relationship. How we interact with each other. How we live with each other. How we love each other.

What if we were honestly, truly, more interested in giving than getting? Think about how much better that would make our relationships. Because that would pretty much do away with expectations. And I believe expectations are the best way in the world to set yourself up for disappointment. Relationships are between people, right? And here's a secret about people: People do what THEY want. My grandfather always says, "You can do whatever you want, as long as you're willing to face the consequences." But the truth is, many times we don't even think about the consequences. We just do whatever flies into our heads. So if you're going to do what you want to do... and I want (or expect) you to do something else... see what I'm saying? Setup for disappointment. And the thing you end up doing might not even be "wrong" per se. But if its different than what I want (to get) then I won't necessarily be happy about it. What I'm trying to say, in my wander around and hope I make my point kind of way, is that love is giving. Not getting. My personal definition of love is, "I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me" (2 Corinthians 12:15 NLT). Giving everything you have and everything you are without worrying about what comes next. You can't control how someone reacts to what you do. You can't MAKE someone receive your love. All you can do is give what you've got. Give it all. Maximum effort. And if your whole deal is giving... because you know and believe that you have something WORTH giving... then you won't care about getting. You don't give in order to receive. You give because you've already received. We love because He first loved us. God filled us up with His love--with Himself--so that we could receive and release that love. So that what's inside could come out. Because what's inside WILL come out. Whatever it is. Or, rather, whatever you believe it is. Because what you believe is inside is too big to stay inside. And, when you think about it, that's why relationships are so important. Its important to let what's inside come out. And you can't give what you've got unless you've got someone to give it to. Right? That's one of the reasons why its not good for man to be alone. We can't do everything ourselves. We need each other. And we can't truly express ourselves without someone to express ourselves TO. Remember yesterday when I was talking about finding someone who loves you for no reason and then showering them with reasons? Well, that's the best kind of relationship. Where you're giving--not to get, but simply because its in your heart to give. Simply because you HAVE something to give. Giving because you want them to have what you've got. Experience it. Enjoy it. And the best way to do that is to share it. Experience it... together. That's what relationship is, bottom line (or top line, as Logan likes to say); its sharing experiences. Sharing your life. Sharing your love. So if you want a relationship to work... give it all you've got. Don't worry about getting. You already have what you need. Let what's inside come out. By filling yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. By knowing and believing that the God who is love lives inside you, and is bursting at the seams to get out!

True relationship--direct relationship--is about trust. If you can't trust someone, you can't do anything with them. That's why, as we say yesterday, it is faith in Christ that puts us in right relationship with God. Trusting in love is what allows us to live a life of love. Knowing and believing that God is love and He loves you (the ultimate truth of the universe) is what equips and empowers us to be able to love each other. To be able to trust each other. To be able to be in relationship with each other. And I, personally, put a premium on honesty. I tell my kid all the time, "If you never lie to me, I will always believe you." But the flip side of that, unfortunately, is that once you've been lied to its really hard to trust. Its really hard to trust the person who lied to you... and its really hard to trust in general. Because once we've been burned, its our instinct to stay away from the fire. That's why guarding, or keeping, your heart is so important. Out of the heart flows the issues (issue... love) of life. We live out of our hearts. What's in our hearts--or what we believe is in our hearts--is what comes out. Because no matter what it is--joy, bitterness, hurt, faith, distrust--its too big to keep inside. That's why when we try to bottle things up they always end up exploding. That's not healthy. Its no good. But when you find someone you CAN trust... that's when things get really good. I always liked "buddy cop" movies. That idea of two people standing back to back and meeting the challenge of all comers. "You and me against the world." Being able to trust someone implicitly. That's gold, man. I'm telling you. So if you do find yourself blessed enough to have that... use it but don't abuse it. I might have mentioned this a couple of days ago but I think it fits right here. I saw a quote that said something along the lines of, "Love is finding someone who will love you for no reason... and then showering them with reasons." Because we don't love people in order to get them to love us. But by giving someone who DOES love us reasons TO love us... we're not really being selfish at all. We're showering them with affection. Showing them that we don't take them for granted. Showing them that we appreciate them. I can't tell you how important a "thank you" is sometimes. A "good job." A pat on the back. And, again, we don't do what we do in order to try to get that. But it means so much when we do get it. I gave my kid's teacher a thank you card yesterday. And she thanked me for it and said, "I'm just doing my job." But she doesn't "just" do her job. She goes above and beyond. And I felt like it was important that she was recognized for that. I trust her with my kid. And that's not something I take lightly. Relationship. Trust. Letting people know how important they are. Letting them know that you've got their back. And then actually having it. Its a true and rare and glorious thing. So like I said, don't abuse that trust. Don't let anything mess up that relationship. Be honest. Communicate. Keep your heart by keeping it open. Open to love. Let people love you. And love people for no other reason than having the love in your heart to love them with. Let what's inside come out. By knowing and believing that its in there!

I'm gonna put this as simply as I can: "By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God" (Galatians 3:26 MSG). And that relationship is a Father/Son relationship. Jesus is our true identity. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. That's who we really are. The hidden man of the heart (who is revealed to us, and in us, and through us, and as us every time the Word--love--is made flesh). The inner man. The true you. Jesus. God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. And I like that word "direct" in Galatians 3:26. Because its not a Kevin Bacon six degrees of separation type of deal. Its God living in you. You living in Him. Love living in you. You living in love. That's the only true bond of any true relationship. You have to build on that foundation of love. Everything else is just shifting sand. Think about it... even the people that rile you up the most, the only reason they can get to you is because you care about them. If you didn't, they could just do whatever they wanted and you probably wouldn't even notice. Love is the foundation of relationship. That's what I'm trying to say. And love is giving. If you're in a relationship only because of what you can get out of it... that's not love. That's manipulation and control. And that's messed up. It has to be a two-way street. Me looking after you AND you looking after me. That's the bond that can't be broken. That's when neither of us has to worry about ourselves. Because I've got your back and you've got mine. I'm covered, and so are you. Direct relationship. And, let me just say this real quick about relationships--they work best when its one on one. When other people get involved, be it their opinions or what, things can quickly and easily get messed up. Because things look different from the outside than the inside. And people always see things through the lens of their own baggage. Just because you experienced something in a relationship (romantic or otherwise)... that doesn't mean someone else will. So, like I always say, and I learned this from one of my pastors, "unasked for advice is unwanted advice." Cutting out the distractions and the drama is crucial to any strong relationship. Going to the source when you have a problem is both wise and mature. Direct relationship is the best relationship. And by faith in Christ (one more time, God in the flesh... love in a body... God in YOUR flesh... love in YOUR body) we are in direct relationship with the God who is love. Believing in love is what allows us to experience love by giving away what we've got. The LOVE that we've got. And watch this: You can't give what you don't have, right? You can only give what you do have? So if you act in love (charity) that means, on some level, you believe you are loved. We love because He first loved us. So we can't love until we know and believe that He first loved us. Faith in Christ. Believing in love. Believing that we ARE loved. And then loving God back by loving each other with the love that He loves us with. And if love is the foundation of direct relationship... it is also what that relationship consists of. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and end. And everything in between!

Fun fact: The word "relationship" is not found in the King James Version of the Bible. But it is in the Message Bible quite a bit. I want to start with 2 Corinthians 5:18, "All this comes from God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other." So once again, as always, its simply receiving and releasing the gift of God. He finished the work. He did all the heavy lifting. And now we get to enjoy the fruit of His labor. He settled our relationship with Him. Let's read the next verse and see how He did this. "God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing." He wiped the slate clean. So that we don't get tripped up or dragged down by our past. We all have baggage. But true relationship isn't about the need to hide, or defend, your baggage. True relationship is about someone who will help you unpack it. Someone who isn't afraid of helping you carry it. And once you understand that you're square with God--that He isn't holding anything against you--you can stop holding things against other people. You can settle your relationships with the people in your life. You can bury the hatchet, if that's what it takes. Or you can let go, if THAT'S what it takes. Sometimes people are only supposed to be in our lives for a season. Either a lesson or a blessing, right? But if you're carrying around anger, and bitterness, and hurt, and resentment then YOU are the one who is suffering. And I just wrote a big old Rant series (and did a Guerrlla Gospel video) about how we are not meant to suffer. So, again, sometimes that means repairing relationships. And sometimes that means letting them go. Either way, its about making peace. Blessed are the peacemakers, right? They shall be called (or identified as) the Son(s) of God. Because that's what love does: It produces peace. Even though sometimes it seems like the hardest thing in the world to do... even though sometimes it seems like letting go is giving up... sometimes that's the only way to get peace. A dysfunctional relationship--or, worse, an abusive relationship--is not something you should force yourself to stay in. But, on the other side of the coin, some relationships ARE worth going to hell and back for. If I can say it that way. Sometimes all someone needs is a fresh start. A clean slate. And if that's the case, leave the past where it belongs. Don't keep bringing up old stuff. Move forward. Upward and God-ward. You can't build a relationship on the shaky ground of previous mistakes and hurts. You CAN build a relationship ONLY on the foundation of love. That's the only foundation that will stand. So don't worry about all this other stuff. Don't get bogged down by whatever else. Let me say it this way: If you want to build a relationship with someone... if you want it to work... you'll make it work. At the very least you'll try your hardest to make it work. You won't let things break it. You'll let people be who they are, not who they were, and you'll love them anyway!

Its finding the balance between giving it everything you've got, and knowing when to say when. That's what's important. Because if you stay too long in a bad situation you might never forgive yourself. And, listen, I'm a loyal guy. I always say, "I've got your back." And I always mean it. So if you push me away... I figure that's on you. And that's kind of the line that I draw; I'll give it my all... but once I do, that's either enough, or it isn't. And if it is, great. But if it isn't... then that's fine too. I don't think we should ever put ourselves, or keep ourselves, in bad situations. Now, listen, we CAN learn from adversity. You can't learn from your mistakes if you never make any mistakes. You can't learn and grow if you always stay in your comfort zone. And that's the tragic part--we get comfortable with things that we probably shouldn't. We settle. We refuse to stand up for what we believe in. We let things happen. Here's why that's tragic: What you allow is what will continue. Sometimes we think, "Well, I'll just keep on keeping on. Things are bound to get better, right?" And sometimes they do. Sometimes your effort pays off. But I'm convinced that there are some people in this world that I, personally, can't reach. I'm not for everybody. And sometimes the harder I try the worse off things become. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes you gotta, like I said early, know when to say when. So give it your all. Maximum effort. Love the hell out of people. But don't let a misguided sense of "loyalty" keep you in a situation where you're miserable. And I put it in quotation marks because--and I'm guilty of this--loyalty isn't something that should be given out haphazardly. Some people don't deserve your loyalty. Now, listen, that's different than love. Everybody "deserves" love because deserve has nothing to do with it. But you can love people from a distance. You don't have to keep pouring your love into a black hole. One more time, give it all you've got... and let that either be enough, or not. See a need and meet it. But don't be disappointed if the people you help never return the favor. Don't expect that. Don't expect anything. But DO respect yourself enough to break the cycle when things are past the point of no return. Sometimes you can stand your ground and fix things. Sometimes you can't. Wisdom is knowing the difference. Knowing when to hold 'em, and knowing when to fold 'em. You can't win every hand. You don't belong on every team. Trust your gut. Follow your heart. Let love lead the way. Do things because they are in your heart to do them, not because you think you will get something back from what you give. That's not love. That's an investment. Love is giving simply because you have something to give. Because you have what people need. So be a team player. But find the right team. Get in where you fit in. Don't settle for less than your worth. Be where you're celebrated, not where you're tolerated. And certainly not where you're used and abused. If you're miserable where you're at... change where you're at. Do what you can do. Don't stay stuck just because you got stuck. God allows U-turns. In fact, I believe He encourages them!