Luke 11:35 - Be Careful Not To Let Your Light Go Out!
Luke 11:35 - Be Careful Not To Let Your Light Go Out!
Luke 11:35 (KJV) Take heed therefore that the light which is in
thee be not darkness.
Luke 11:35 (NIV) See to it, then, that the light within you is
not darkness.
Luke 11:35 (NCV) So be careful not to let the light in you
become darkness.
Luke 11:35 (EAV) Be careful, therefore, that the light that is
in you is not darkness.
When the light of Christ dwells fully in the heart, it extends
its influence to every thought, word, and action; and directs its
possessor how he is to act in all places and circumstances. It is of the
utmost importance to have the soul properly influenced by the wisdom
that comes from above. (Adam Clarke Commentary)
Obey Satan and you let in darkness rather than light, and soon
you will not be able to distinguish between them (Matt. 6:22-23).
[Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
The Darkened Heart
The light of the body depends on the eye; if the eye is
healthy the body receives all the light it needs; if the eye is diseased
the light turns to darkness. Just so, the light of life depends on
the heart; if the heart is right the whole life is irradiated with
light; if the heart is wrong all life is darkened....
What is it that darkens the inner light? What is it that can
go wrong with our hearts?
Our hearts may become hard. Sometimes, if we have to do
something unaccustomed with our hands, the skin is irritated and we have
pain; but if we repeat the action often enough the skin becomes
hardened and we can do what once hurt us without any trouble. It is so
with our hearts. The first time we do a wrong thing we do it with a
tremor and sometimes with a sore heart. Each time we repeat it the
tremor grows less, until in the end we can do it without a qualm. There
is a terrible hardening power in sin. No man ever took the first
step to sin without the warnings sounding in his heart; but if he
sins often enough the time comes when he ceases to care. What we were
once afraid and reluctant to do becomes a habit. We have nobody but
ourselves to blame if we allow ourselves to reach that stage.
Our hearts may become dull. It is tragically easy to accept
things. In the beginning our hearts may be sore at the sight of the
world's suffering and pain; but in the end most people become so used to
it that they accept it and feel nothing at all. It is all too true
that for most people the feelings of youth are far more intense than
those of age. That is specially true of the cross of Jesus Christ.
Florence Barclay tells how when she was a little girl she was taken to
church for the first time. It was Good Friday, and the long story of
the crucifixion was read and beautifully read. She heard Peter deny
and Judas betray; she beard Pilate's bullying cross-examination; she
saw the crown of thorns, the buffeting of the soldiers; she heard of
Jesus being delivered to be crucified, and then there came the words
with their terrible finality, "and there they crucified him." No one
in the church seemed to care; but suddenly the little girl's face
was buried in her mother's coat, and she was sobbing her heart out,
and her little voice rang through the silent church, "Why did they
do it? Why did they do it?" That is how we all ought to feel about
the cross, but we have heard the story so often that we can listen
to it with no reaction at all. God keep us from the heart which has
lost the power to feel the agony of the cross--borne for us.
Our hearts may be actively rebellious. It is quite possible
for a man to know the right way and deliberately to take the wrong
way. A man may actually feel God's hand upon his shoulder and twitch
that shoulder away. With open eyes a man may take his way to the far
country when God is calling him home.
God save us from the darkened heart. [Barclay Commentary re
Luke 11:33-36]
"If . . . thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light." Matthew 6:22.
Singleness of purpose, wholehearted devotion to God, is the
condition pointed out by the Saviour's words. Let the purpose be sincere
and unwavering to discern the truth and to obey it at whatever cost,
and you will receive divine enlightenment. Real piety begins when
all compromise with sin is at an end....
Yielding to temptation begins in permitting the mind to
waver, to be inconstant in your trust in God. If we do not choose to
give ourselves fully to God then we are in darkness. When we make any
reserve we are leaving open a door through which Satan can enter to lead
us astray by his temptations. He knows that if he can obscure our
vision, so that the eye of faith cannot see God, there will be no
barrier against sin....
Through persistently cherishing evil, willfully disregarding
the pleadings of divine love, the sinner loses the love for good,
the desire for God, the very capacity to receive the light of
heaven. The invitation of mercy is still full of love, the light is
shining as brightly as when it first dawned upon his soul; but the voice
falls on deaf ears, the light on blinded eyes.
No soul is ever finally deserted of God, given up to his own
ways, so long as there is any hope of his salvation. "Man turns from
God, not God from him." Our heavenly Father follows us with appeals
and warnings and assurances of compassion, until further
opportunities and privileges would be wholly in vain. The responsibility rests
with the sinner. By resisting the Spirit of God today, he prepares
the way for a second resistance of light when it comes with mightier
power. Thus he passes on from one stage of resistance to another, until
at last the light will fail to impress, and he will cease to
respond in any measure to the Spirit of God. Then even "the light that
is in thee" has become darkness. The very truth we do know has
become so perverted as to increase the blindness of the soul. {MB
91-93}
The nature of the Christian life is Christ's life taking hold
upon all the inner life of a man, changing, dominating, pulsating. It
is seen therefore, and I do not think we can be too careful in
emphasizing this, that Christian life is neither human imitation of Christ,
nor correct intellectual positions concerning Christ. Neither is it
a cult, or a system of thought. I may attempt to imitate Christ
sincerely through long years, and yet never be a Christian. I may hold
absolutely correct intellectual views concerning Christ as a person, and
His power, and yet never be a Christian. It is possible for me to
admire Him, and attempt with all the power of my life to imitate Him,
and yet never realize Him. It is quite possible for a person to
believe most sincerely in His Deity, and in the fact of His atoning
work, and moreover, in the necessity for regeneration, and yet never
be submitted to His Lordship, never to have personal share in the
work of His atonement, never to be born again.
Nothing short of the coming into life of the individual of
Christ Himself constitutes a Christian. If Jesus Christ is external to
your life there will be times when the world will not see Him and
hear Him, and will not know you belong to Him. But if Christ be in
you, living, reigning there absolutely, and you are obeying Him,
there never will be a moment when the truth will not be evident. You
cannot hide Christ if once He comes within. If the light is there, it
simply must shine. G. Campbell Morgan [Time With God SB]
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the
world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light
of life." John 8:12 (NKJV)
GREAT PRAISE SONG FOR SHARING
There's Something About That Name & Oh How I Love Jesus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0iX0-awCvc
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Seeking God Video Clip: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice
Prophecies Decoded Sermon Series:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
