Erecting Lamp Post

I want to share a beautiful block of scripture which I meditated in recently. Sitting with this scripture was like sitting near a fragrant candle which gives off light and a sweet aroma.

⁷ The way of the just is uprightness;
O Most Upright,
You weigh the path of the just.
⁸ Yes, in the way of Your judgments,
O Lord, we have waited for You;
The desire of our soul is for Your name
And for the remembrance of You.
⁹ With my soul I have desired You in the night,
Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;
For when Your judgments are in the earth,
The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:7-9 NKJV)

This resonated with me so much because I see such a great need for the judgments of the Lord to be published through out the earth. The ways of the Lord are light, and we are living in some dark times. It is only through sharing the principles and standards of GOD that true light comes into the world. I also see a great need for the building of supportive and life sustaining communities, however people cannot build sound structures together if they do not have common standards of measure. I wrote about this in my first book,

“The role of parents is to provide the consistent standards by which children can make up their rulers to build sound social structures like family, friendships, and business relationships… Psalm 127:1 (KJV) says, “Unless the Lord build the house they labor in vain, unless the Lord keeps the city the watchman waketh in vain.” Until we humbly embrace God’s standards for living or the values God uses for measure, nothing we do will last or be sustainable. The values we set for our children have a profound impact on their future and the future of civilization.” (True Heritage: Recovering from Spiritual Identity Theft, The Firm Foundation: chapter 7.)

The foundation for true unity is common ethics and values. The way people interact must be governed by sound ethics and values just as traffic lines and signals keep motorist and pedestrians safe on the roads. When standards for social interaction and behavior are left to individuals to simply do as they please, it creates the same chaos and danger as vehicles on the roads with no designated lanes or signals. People living their life without the light of GOD’s word in their heart are like people driving their cars at night with no headlights. When the people of GOD live righteously and share His judgments in the earth, they are like brightly lit lamp post along the roads of life. The judgments of GOD are not a sentiments of hate but are reflections of true love unto preserving life.

People in the world will often take offence at any attempts to restrain their behavior. In sticking with the traffic analogies, it is quite common to see people on the roads exceeding the speed limit excessively, running read lights and stop signs, and ignoring pedestrians at designated crossings. Due to the prideful carnality pulsing in fallen human nature, most people have a situational regard for laws. The selfishness of pride would only have laws enforced when it is to their own advantage, other wise they are considered excessive regulations to be ignored. A great example of this is the 1^st Amendment right of free speech. Often, when people have something they feel impassioned about, they will remind you of their right to speak, however these same people are often not very tolerant of speech against something they cherish or revere. I heard a person once say that the 2^nd amendment, the right to bear arms, was necessitated by the 1^st amendment.

Sharing the laws, principles, and judgments of GOD will bring controversy because the essence of it calls us all to turn to GOD. If you are already seeking GOD or turned toward GOD, then the power of His Word only increases your momentum to GOD. On the other hand, if you happen to be headed in a direction away from GOD, then the power of His Word creates resistance as it calls you to turn. The root word of controversy is controvert, which means to turn against. We are all called to be light bearers in this dark world, so we should expect adverse reactions and not allow the controversy or persecution to deter us. To be clear, the motive is love for the propagation of life. A love for GOD is a love for life. I encourage you to let the love of GOD burn in your heart and become an upright lamp post. The more lamps we have along the way, the fewer souls are lost.