Here are morning devotion for today on I am the light of the world, dancing as a form of worship and cast the first stone for your devotion.
I am the Light of the World
I am the Light of the world" - John 8:12 is the second of seven "I AM" declarations of Jesus, recorded only in John's gospel, that point to His unique divine identity and purpose. In declaring Himself to be the Light of the world, Jesus was claiming that He is the exclusive source of spiritual light. No other source of spiritual truth is available to mankind.
There are two types of light in the world. We can perceive one, or both, or neither! When we are born into this world, we perceive physical light, and by it, we learn of our Creator's handiwork in the things we see. However, although that light is good, there is another Light, a Light so important that the Son of God had to come in order to both declare and impart it to men. John 8:12 records, "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 have the light of life.'" The allegory used by the Lord in this verse speaks of the light of His Truth, the light of His Word, and the light of eternal Life. Those who perceive the true Light will never walk in spiritual darkness.
We take a candle into a room to dispel the darkness. Likewise, the Light of Jesus Christ has to be taken into the darkness of sin that engulfs the hearts and lives of those who are not following Him. That's the condition behind having this Light—that we follow Him. If we do not follow Him, we will not have this light, this truth, this eternal life.
Physical light is necessary for physical life. The earth would certainly change very rapidly if there were no longer any sunlight. A forest full of trees with very thick canopies of foliage high above has very little plant life on the ground except for moss or lichen, which needs little sunlight. Plants will never move away from the light—they are said to be positively phototropic, drawn to the light. In the same way, spiritual light is necessary for spiritual life, and this can be a good test of our standing in Christ. The believer will always tend toward spiritual things; he will always tend toward fellowship, prayer, the Word of God, and so on. The unbeliever always does the opposite - John 1:5; 3:19-20, because light exposes his evil, and he hates the light. Indeed, no man can come into the true spiritual light of Jesus Christ unless he is enabled - John 6:37. Morning Devotion for Today on the Old Testament and the New Testament
Following Jesus is the condition of two promises in John 8:12. First, His followers will never walk in darkness, which is a reference to the assurance of salvation we enjoy. As true followers of the Light, we will never follow the ways of sin, never live in a state of continually sinning - 1 John 1:5-7. Rather, we repent of our sins in order to stay close to the Light. The second promise is that we will reflect the Light of Life. Just as He came as the Light of the world, He commands us to be "lights," too. In Matthew 5:14-16 we see believers depicted as the light of the world. Just as the moon has no light of its own, reflecting the light of the sun, so are believers to reflect the Light of Christ so that all can see it in us. The Light is evident to others by the good deeds we do in faith and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The emphasis here is maintaining a credible and obvious witness in the world, a witness that shows us to be faithful, God-honoring, trustworthy, sincere, earnest, and honest in all that we do. Also, we should always be ready to give an account of the hope that we have - 1 Peter 3:15, for the gospel Light we have, is not to be covered, but made obvious for all to see and benefit from, that they, too, may leave the darkness and come into the Light.
Dancing as a form of Worship
Dance is mentioned on many occasions in Scripture. The first appearance of God's people dancing as an act of worship is found in Exodus 15:20: "Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing." This joyful dance to the Lord, led by Miriam, followed Israel's crossing of the Red Sea and celebrated Israel's newfound freedom from slavery.
However, dancing is not always presented in a positive light in the Bible. Soon after Miriam's dance of praise, the Israelites were found dancing before a golden calf in worship. "When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain" (Exodus 32:19). On this occasion dancing was part of a wicked, idolatrous carousel. Thus, dancing is a mode of expression that can be used for good or for evil.
Other instances of dancing in the Bible Include 2 Samuel 6:16, which has David "leaping and dancing before the LORD." Also, the Amalekites danced in celebration after plundering Judah and Philistia (1 Samuel 30:16); theirs was a short-lived dance, however, as David and his men soon defeated them (verses 17-20). Family Devotional Activities on the Joy of Singing, Count Your Cost and Divination
The Psalms offer a unique look at dance as an act of worship. In Psalm 30:11, the psalmist says, "You turned my wailing into dancing." Psalm 149:3 encourages the use of dancing to worship God: "Let them praise his name with dancing!" Likewise, Psalm 150:4 urges, "Praise him with tambourine and dancing!" just like Miriam.
Some have argued that dance is an Old Testament form of expression. Since dance is not mentioned as a method of worship in the New Testament, Christians should not worship in this manner. However, this is an argument from silence and is not based on clear biblical teaching. Most early Christians were Jewish and likely would have incorporated Jewish forms of worship in their praise of the risen Messiah.
Another concern has been the association of dance with sinful activities. The idea is that, if dance is used in worship, it could be seen as approving dance in other situations that do not honour God. However, this is not necessarily the case. The Amalekites' dancing in 1 Samuel did not prevent David from dancing in 2 Samuel. Christians can and should utilize dance as they do any other art form such as music, painting, drama, or filmmaking. As long as the dance is worshipful, God-focused, and praiseworthy, it can have a proper place in worship. Worship dance is a far cry from the seductive dance of the daughter of Herodias (Mark 6:17-28).
Finally, it is important to understand that dance in the context of worship is not simply self-expression. It should be done in a way that is helpful to the entire congregation. Paul noted that "everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way" in the church (1 Corinthians 14:40). "Everything" would include the use of dance in worship. Anything during a worship gathering that distracts from a focus on Christ should be left out. Each congregation bears the responsibility to structure its worship service in a way that honours God and encourages those within its group.
Dance is used as an act of worship in Scripture and can continue to be used in that way today. However, churches should take care to avoid dance that leads others to temptation or sin, and the focus must remain on worshipping God rather than drawing attention to the self. When practised in this way, dance is a beautiful art form that can communicate truth, bringing glory to God and edifying others.
Cast the first Stone
Jesus' statement "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" is found in John 8. Jesus was teaching in the temple when the Scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, and they asked Him if she should be stoned as required by the Law of Moses. However, they cared nothing about this woman; they were using her to trap Jesus. In their minds, if He told them to set the woman free, they could claim He did not hold to the Law of Moses. If He told them to stone her, they could claim He was not the Savior; and, if He said nothing, they could claim He lacked wisdom. Jesus did not answer immediately but stopped and wrote something on the ground, and they kept pressing Him. Finally, the Lord said, in essence, "Go ahead and stone her because that is what the Law requires. But the Law also requires that the first stone be thrown by a person who is sinless in connection with this charge" - John 8:6-7. Benefits of Family Bible Study on Why Does God Allow Natural Disasters, Faith and How Can I Recognize God"s Voice?
There is no doubt that this woman was guilty of a capital offence and that the Law required that she be stoned, but the Law also required that the guilty man be stoned as well - Deuteronomy 22:22, that witnesses be produced, and that a witness begin the execution. But the Jewish leaders came with venom against Jesus and were thwarted by their own single-minded hate. They did not produce the guilty man, and they were unwilling or unable to produce the required witnesses. We do not know what Jesus wrote, but some Bible Scholars are of the view that He wrote out the adultery date and time committed by the woman’s accusers., after He wrote a second time, the Jews left one by one, from the oldest to the youngest, without saying another word. Jesus then set the woman free with a warning to her to sin no more.
From this passage we learn that we do not accuse others unless we first thoroughly search our own hearts and minds to make certain that we are pure in every possible aspect - Matthew 7:3. Also, if we must admonish someone, we should do so as instructed in Scripture; we always look to God's glory and never cause unnecessary division or harm - Matthew 18:15, but we do work to keep the church pure. Moreover, Jesus was the only sinless person in the temple scene, and, instead of condemning the woman, He looked ahead to His work on the cross and offered her life. Likewise, we should use every possible opportunity to forgive and to reach out with the gospel and the love of Christ, always remembering that we, too, are sinners in need of the Savior - Romans 3:23.
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