“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
Make no bones about it; Satan is our vicious adversary whose modus operandi is to seek and to destroy. If he cannot keep us from being saved, he will strive to keep us from being used. He is ever seeking opportunities for his savage attacks. However, we are not to fear, but rather be on our guard! Satan desires to destroy us … but Jesus desires to give each one of us life! Peter tells us quite plainly:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1Peter 5:8-9)
Just as God has a wonderful plan for our lives, Scripture tells us Satan also has a plan for us, although his plan is for our destruction and death. We can be sure that whatever God does for our good, Satan tries to counter for our harm. God comes to bless and give life to the full while Satan comes to ravage and steal.
Peter tells us to “resist” Satan, which is a term of defense rather than attack. Christians are able to stand firm against Satan when they depend totally upon the power of Christ. Hence, we are told to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against Satan’s assaults. Paul writes in Ephesians:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)
The word translated “scheme” in verse ten is from the Greek word methodeia meaning “method, the following or pursuing of an orderly and technical procedure in the handling of a subject” (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible New Testament Lexical Aids). In other words, Satan is not willy-nilly in his attempts to deceive man, he has a plan. And while he certainly is not omniscient, he does have the ability to do a careful study of our weaknesses. He seems to target his arrows at our most vulnerable areas or tries to breach our walls of self-defense. Thankfully, we are sealed with the precious Holy Spirit. It is important for us to fortify our weakest areas. And there are times we must flee rather than remain dallying with our temptations. We are foolish indeed to give Satan any kind of foothold.
Proverbs tells us:
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. (Proverbs 25:28)
In ancient times, the power of the city rested in the strength of its walls. In like manner, the wall surrounding us is our self-control, and when it is breached, we will collapse. We are to be on our constant guard against our weaknesses and avoid putting ourselves in tempting situations.
Take It to Heart
Jesus tells us that He has not only come to give us life, but give it to the full. No half measures will do–He has come to overflow our cups.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:4-5)
In these verses our Lord Jesus is teaching us a valuable lesson on the importance and urgency of redeeming the time–for our own soul’s sake, for the souls of men, and for the glory of God. Our fleeting “day” is merely the dash placed between the year we were born and the year we shall die. Jesus tells us that our time on earth is fleeting. Each one of us is to be about the Father’s business; investing our time in His priorities.
We would do well to remember that all opportunities God allows are both golden and unrepeatable. He may give us additional chances, but once an occasion to “display His splendor” is lost, it is lost. We cannot go back in time; we do not have the luxury of a do-over.
It is not God’s intent for His disciples to remain idle. Like Jesus, we are to be about our Father’s business, approaching it with both vigor and industry. Paul gives us the following commands, emphasizing the importance of the most of each and every opportunity:
Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)
Jesus was always about His Father’s business–and His disciples are to be likewise. Jesus’ ministry would last only three short years, during which our Lord worked with diligence, a firm resolve, and a fixed purpose. With Him, there was no dilly-dallying around. He was on a mission and everything He did was motivated by his desire to accomplish God’s will. His goal was simply to please His Father. He therefore never allowed opportunities for the demonstration of mercy to pass Him by.
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (John 4:34-35)
He also demonstrated His deep compassion and sympathy for mankind, spurring and urging His disciples–both then and now–into action:
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:35-38)
Take It to Heart
Paul reminds us who it is we are actually serving when we set out to help others:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, in all the places you can, as long as you can.” (John Wesley)
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
Jesus, the one who frees the captive. Jesus, the great liberator, sets us free from bondage–bondage to sin, bondage to self, bondage to death and destruction. Jesus breaks the strong chains of sin that blind and bind us. When we are not yoked to Jesus, we will find ourselves yoked to the things of this world. We are either bound to Him or we are bound to sin. That is why Jesus issues the following call to all to “come” and “learn.”
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Isaiah had prophesied regarding this particular aspect of our Savior’s job description. Indeed, Jesus Himself read from Isaiah’s scroll at the advent of His ministry (Matthew 5:11) claiming to be the freer of the prisoner and the preacher of the very good news:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Jesus’ half brother James gives us an even broader dimension to our verses for today. He echoes and emphasizes Jesus’ words regarding our knowing and demonstrating and continuing on in the truth.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25)
It is one thing to begin to follow our Savior and quite another to persevere–holding firmly to the end. Not considering the cost beforehand, sadly, many of Jesus’ disciples fell away when His teaching got tough … and still do today. We must remember heaven is our home, not earth, and our path to heaven is not always easy.
Take It to Heart
Christ came to give us freedom, liberty, privilege–the state in which one can act and move without restriction or hindrance. Believers in Christ are free when we hold to and follow His leading and teaching.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
For the moral and spiritual darkness which covers the earth, for the darkness plaguing humankind, Jesus declares He is the only remedy–He is the True Light that breaks the darkest and strongest chains of sin and depravity. Just as one sun is the sufficient visible light for the whole world, so too there is One Christ–the sufficient Savior–and there need be no more. Isaiah prophesies regarding our Messiah:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)
In our verse for today, Jesus says that He came not only for a few, but for the benefit of all. And yet sadly, some choose not to use or value His Light, preferring to wallow in the darkness. Jesus had made this same point earlier in the book of John:
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:19-21)
Man’s love of darkness stems from an innate love of what is all around us over a love for God–worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator. The darkness disguises our misplaced love, but nothing is hidden from God’s sight. We read in God’s Word:
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:25)
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13)
It is not enough to simply marvel at the light of Jesus from a distance–the promise is for those who are willing to follow. Just as we are not swimming when we simply gaze at a pool, nor are not actually eating chocolate when we simply look at it, we are not experiencing God’s light when we are looking at Jesus. We are swimming when we jump in, the wonderful taste of chocolate comes to us when we place it in our mouths. Jesus requires of us our commitment and submission to His leading; following is the act of believing. As we follow Christ, His promise is that we will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. We will neither be left in ignorance nor grope around in uncertainty–our conscience and our understanding will be flooded with light that can never be totally quenched.
David proclaims his confidence in the Lord as being his light–and it is this confidence that takes away his fear:
The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
Jesus’ provisions for His followers are salvation and strength, joy and understanding, life and strength.
“Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light: He is our light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us …He, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all covenant blessings in his possession.” (C. H. Spurgeon)
Take It to Heart
“With every revelation there is obligation. With every blessing there is responsibility. It is not enough for us to receive the gift of salvation or to be blessed of God. We must commit our way to the Lord and heed His Word.” (Dr. Michael Youssef)
