1 John 1:5 And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
[Part 1 of 2] What is light? First John 1:5 says, "God is light." Only God is light. It is impossible for us to encounter light without encountering God. God is the Father of lights (James 1:17). God is the source of light. Therefore, when we say that we see the light, it means that we see God; we have met Him inwardly. Because we see God, we have light. What kind of heart enables a person to see God? Those who are pure in heart shall see God. What does pure in heart mean? A pure heart desires only God and it is focused on God. It is a heart that is for nothing else in this universe except God. Only those who have such a pure heart can see God and can see light. Dear brothers and sisters, have we not seen other saints stumble? Why have they stumbled? The Scriptures give us a principle: Those who stumble must be in darkness. Some may stumble in the daytime, but it is because they do not see the thing that stumbles them. This is the same as those who walk in darkness. Any kind of stumbling proves that a man is in darkness. Brothers and sisters, regardless of how sound your excuses may be, if you stumble, you are in darkness. First John 2:10-11 says, "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him; but he who hates his brother is in the darkness." If a man is in the light, he will not stumble. If he stumbles, he is clearly in darkness and not in the light. Is it possible for a man whose heart is only for God and for nothing else to be stumbled? If your heart is for God and nothing else, nothing can stumble you. Even if you are misunderstood, despised, and opposed by everyone, you will still not be stumbled. This is because your heart is not after man's understanding, esteem, sympathy, or praise; your heart is only after God. If you are after man's understanding and esteem, you will surely stumble when others misunderstand or despise you. But if your heart is only after God, you would not be stumbled even if your circumstances were ten times worse. There is only one kind of person who stumbles-- one whose heart is not inclined toward God but rather is seeking and longing for something apart from God. This kind of person lives in darkness. Those who are in the light do not stumble. Some brothers and sisters can praise with tears in their eyes. Although their hearts are sorrowful, they can still praise God. They can do this because their hearts are inclined toward God. They live in the light, and nothing can stumble them. (Continued tomorrow)
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, General Messages, Vol. 37, in The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, pp. 74-75. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, either: Send an email to: [email protected] (No subject or message needed; a blank email will work) or visit www.emanna.com and fill out the unsubscribe form there.
