"Illumination" -2

"They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed." (Psalms 34:5) Really, if you get right down to it, sin is the cause of all that destroys, be it sickness, death, anger, worry; it's all the result of sin, which is darkness, and is not of the Light, which is God. When we look to the world for answers to any thing, especially those things that provide comfort, we will be looking into darkness. This is really hard to get a handle on, and we really need to guard our hearts when it comes to the things of this world, because they have talons that dig into our souls, meaning that seat of passion that moves us. When we look to Jesus, we are enlightened, not just because He is Truth, but because we are sharing in His Light, making the darkness of this world become more apparent to us. The closer we draw to God, the more dark the darkness becomes; the more purified we become, the more filthy sin becomes, and the more we want nothing to do with it. The word "lightened" literally mean to illuminate with light; to shine and to give light, much as a candle lights up a room. However, this is a word that also means to flow together, as in a series of streams that flow together into a river, increased in strength and velocity. This makes me think of how important it is for us to belong to a body of believers, because there is strength in numbers; besides, the primary purpose that we are to remain in fellowship with other believers is to edify one another; praying for and encouraging one another in the love of God. As a matter of fact, what is of utmost importance is that we attach ourselves to a body of believers and become a part of that body; meaning that we share a function in the body, just as a body has different parts, we need to become a part. There was something that happened to David after his burst of crazy; something took place within his heart that gave him a sense of urgency towards caring about others; no longer just out to protect himself, he began to form a small army; an army made up of distressed, indebted, and discontent men, who needed to be encouraged and molded into mighty men of war. Call me weird, or whatever you like, but I truly believe that this change that happen in David was brought on by a combination of crazy and deliverance. The crazy part of what I am talking about is senseless, impractical; totally unsound, and not making any sense at all. The deliverance part, is what God can accomplish with that which makes absolutely no sense at all... "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:1-5)