Show Me, Lord

Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind." - John 9:39

Since God is love, any lack of love is sin. Sin isn't just failing to live up to God's commandments by breaking some of His rules, but the majority of sins we commit are against one another. Anytime we hurt, offend, or insult someone, we are sinning, and these are probably the sins that anger God the most because we are involving another of His beloved children. Being that this type of sin is so delicate, we need to closely pay attention to our treatment of others so that we don't sin against them without meaning to. Scripture gives numerous instances of Jesus giving sight to the blind, not only literally but metaphorically as well. He restored spiritual sight to people so that they can see the obstacles keeping their souls away from God. He can restore spiritual sight to us so that we can say who we are hurting and why we are hurting them and when we are hurting them. We might be completely oblivious to the fact that the smallest thing on our part is making someone else feel inferior. It's not entirely our fault if we never realize it, but it is our fault if we never ask the Lord to open our eyes to the things we need to see and address. It's our fault if we never ask the Lord to restore our sight so we can see the roadblocks ahead and get them out of our way. Just by asking Jesus for sight, we are on our way to the forgiveness of many sins.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, restore my sight and make me whole. Open my eyes and show me what You need me to see. If someone is hurting because of my words or actions, please show me and help me fix it. If someone is hurting because of my lack of attention, please show me,… guide me in what I should do. My trust is in You, my Lord. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

The Mouth Speaks

From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. - Luke 6:45

I think it's horrible when people talk about others in a negative way. It's horrible when they start to criticize someone for their appearance, how they act, who they hang out with, etc. It always feels like poison to hear all these things coming out of their mouths. However, it's especially horrible to think this of someone else and not correct ourselves if we do it as well.
A lot of times we're the last ones to notice our own faults. What do we think of people? What do we say about them? If we bump into someone at the mall with a friend, what do we say as that person walks away? Do we say "omg, they look so fat!" or "they are so annoying!" This sounds terrible when we read it plainly like this, but these are really the things that come out of our mouths! Jesus tells us that the mouth speaks what's in our hearts. If that's the case, then the majority of us have some work to do within us. We need to ask God for forgiveness and work on being more humble so that the words that come out of our mouths represent the love we have in our hearts, and not pettiness and pride.

Today's Prayers:
Lord Jesus, You can look into my heart and get rid of all the things that need to go. You have nothing but love for me, faults and all. Show me to be the same way. Purify my heart and do away with all the nastiness that keeps me from loving my brothers and sisters and keeps me away from You. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

Lift Him Up

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. - Luke 7:44

I was one of those people who was up early to watch the Royal Wedding. I got teased about it by some who said they didn't understand all the pomp and circumstance, but in a society in which jeans and a nice top are considered "dressed up," I think we need extraordinary celebrations to really put in perspective what's important in life. This all made me think about Jesus and how we also try to make Him into a more casual figure as well. We've become very relaxed about how we attend church, how we pray and how loosely we interpret and follow the gospel. We've become very relaxed about sin, toning down the seriousness of our offenses and writing them off as just human nature. Although Jesus came down from Heaven, lowering Himself to be one of us, we can never, even for a second, forget that He is God. He lowered Himself so we can raise ourselves up to reach the Heavens. All Jesus did was not for us to remain lowly, but for our human nature to be exalted and made like His.

In this passage in the gospel, a woman bathed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The pharisees didn't do anything like that for Jesus. I'm sure they all thought of themselves on the same level as Jesus. This sinful woman was the only one who lifted Him up and treated Him like the King He is. Some things are worth making a "big deal" about. When we give special importance to things, we express how much they mean to us, and Jesus' place in our lives should be exalted and celebrated.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, give me love and attention for the things and people worth celebrating. Most of all, show me how to value Your redeeming work in our lives. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

Religiously Correct

As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. - John 6:66

Jesus was a controversial figure because He provoked a strong reaction from everyone He met. No one was left unaffected by an encounter with Jesus. In this passage in John 6, Jesus had told His followers that He is the bread of life, His "flesh is real food" and His "blood is real drink." This completely shocked the majority of the people who were following Him. You have to remember that this happened right after He had just fed thousands with the multiplication of the loaves of bread and fish, and now most of these people found what Jesus just said hard to swallow. But did Jesus stop them and say, "hey, no… wait… let me explain." No, He didn't. He let them walk away. Jesus spoke the clear truth. He never sugar-coated a thing for anyone's approval. He said what needed to be said at any cost and then some.

If Jesus were walking the earth today, He would be even more controversial in our overly politically-correct society. He would have all kinds of groups angry at Him demanding public apologies. The sad part is that you and I are supposed to be Jesus today, and we're not. At least I know I'm not. I know I've shied away from speaking my mind on what I really think about taboo subjects such as abortion and separation of Church and State. I never want to offend anyone, or have anyone think I'm closed-minded for my beliefs, so I've kept them to myself many times. I'm definitely not doing what Jesus would do, and I'm not doing anyone any good with my silence. I need to learn to walk in the light of the truth. It's either I please people or I please God.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, give me the courage and conviction I need to speak the truth like You did. Take away my fears and speak through me the truths You need me to stand for. Most of all, give me love in dealing with Your children so that my words may not hurt anyone, but instead strengthen their faith. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

Trust

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

I realized today how much I trust my parents. I can be anxiety ridden and stressed, and my mom can look at me, place her hand over mine and tell me things will be ok, and I somehow know they will be. My father can point things out to me, things I would have never seen on my own, and might not still at that moment, but because he told me it's there, I believe him. My parents have always been there for me and it's that past that dictates my confidence in them come rain or shine.

If this is the trust I place in my parents, who are flawed human beings, my trust in God should be rock solid. After all, God created my parents and their love for me comes from Him. That relationship is only a tiny reflection of what my relationship with God should be. And that goes for all of us. As much as we love our family and friends, one day, whether they'll mean to or not, they will disappoint us. We can't take that too personally because we all sin. God, on the other hand, stands firm and His love for us is unchanging, always waiting for us whenever we call upon His Name.

Today's Prayer:
God, as much as I trust my loved ones, I know I should trust You more. Give me wisdom to know that when I place my trust in humans, I can set myself up for disappointment. But when I place all of my trust in You, You give me more than I could ever ask for. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

Do You Know Jesus?

Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."
The evil spirit said to them in reply, "Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?" The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house. - Acts of the Apostles 19:13,15-16

We've all heard people say that life is all about connections. It's all about who you know. Therefore, you might not be surprised if someone tells you they were friends with Julia Roberts in High School, but in reality all there is to the story is that their lockers were in the same hallway. Or, someone might say they met Kim Kardashian in a clothing store but the truth is that they weren't there at the same time, just on the same day. As ridiculous as these scenarios seem, some of us are guilty of fluffing up our relationship with Jesus.

This passage in Acts of the Apostles is pretty funny: some brothers had seen Paul drive out demons in the Name of Jesus, so they tried it by driving them out in the Name of "the Jesus Paul whom preaches!" The evil spirit was quick to point out that he knows who Paul is and he knows who Jesus is, but he has no clue who they are and beat them up. The bible says they ran out of there naked and wounded! We could use our connections and think we're religious by association because our grandma's were or our parents are, or even because we go to mass every Easter and Christmas… but we shouldn't kid ourselves, this isn't knowing Christ. We'd get beat up by those evil spirits if that were the case! Knowing Jesus and being in a relationship with Jesus is the easiest connection there is since it's what we were created for. Life is all about who we know, but we don't need any other connections except for Jesus. Getting there is simply a matter of at least one conversation a day and asking Him to show us more.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, I want to know You better. Show me who You are. Show me how I can follow in Your steps and grow closer to You. Open my heart to receiving all that You have to teach me. In Your Name we pray amen.

Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

He Is Risen!

"Forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14

I chose to start writing again as my Lenten sacrifice and I'm not going to lie, it was very difficult. With working full time and the baby I've been so tired and writing at the end of the day felt like a chore. Yet, here I am, Easter Sunday and writing again.

I want you to know I do this for you. All gifts we receive from the good Lord are so we can share them with our brothers and sisters. The Lord has inspired me to do this and I must obey Him, joyfully. I pray each night that whoever receives these messages may be touched by the Holy Spirit and that each of you receives exactly what you need to hear from God. I pray for you all and what you need. I simply ask that you also pray for me so that I can continue and that the Lord may keep on guiding me. Thank you and God bless!

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, You conquered death and have made us all conquerors. There is no longer anything to fear as long as You are by our side. Keep us faithful to You and away from anyone and anything that can lead us from You. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

On The Road to Emmaus

But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place - Luke 24:21

On the very same day Jesus rose from the dead, He also met two of His disciples on the road to a town called Emmaus. The two were debating back and forth on the events of the past week, Jesus' death and the fact that some women said they had seen Him, so when Jesus approached them they didn't even recognize Him! How could you not recognize someone you love? There were a lot of factors at play besides the fact that Jesus was now in a glorified body. As this verse says, they were really hoping Jesus would be the one to change everything for them, but it seemed their hope died with Jesus. You put all your effort and faith into something and then to see it just taken away from you is beyond disappointing. These two felt lost. It was really the last thing they had expected. Of course they weren't going to think this man on the road was the man they were mourning. In fact, their "debating," as Luke writes, about all that was going on was also working against them being able to see Jesus. They were most likely arguing back and forth about whether or not they should believe. They were too caught up to recognize Jesus.

The journey these two men took on the road to Emmaus is very similar to our journey of faith. Think of all the setbacks we've experienced and how we handle them. When our hopes are as dead as these two men saw Jesus, do we trust because our faith tells us to keep on trusting? Most of us don't. Most of us let our faith die and resentment set in. Most of us take to telling others about how our faith has failed us as these two men did when they encountered Jesus. But these men were wrong. With God, we need to keep on trusting because even death, what used to be the ultimate end, is not final. When things take a turn for the worst and we feel our faith failing us, instead of debating, we need to pray and stay vigilant. If they would have been praying, they would have been able to recognize Jesus immediately, as we see Jesus at work in our lives when we live in faith and trust in Him.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, death has no hold on You. You've conquered darkness and I know that nothing will ever prevail over my faith in You. You have shown me there is nothing You can't do for me and that You will always be my hope. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

Jesus Went First

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. - Hebrews 4:15

Whenever I go on a roller coaster I like to look at the people who just got off the ride to see if they're ok. If they survived it, I could do it, too. When I was pregnant and terrified of childbirth, I would also look at other women due around the same time and take comfort in the fact that they got through it.

One of the perks of having God on our side is that not only is He the only One who fully understands us and knows what we're going through, but He's also the only One who can actually do something about our situation. Being fully human, Jesus lived our human condition and all the feelings that come along with it. Just because He is God doesn't make Him less human. The pain, the sorrow, the anger, the joy, the happiness were all experienced by Him. When we are going through simple or complicated situations in our lives, we can take comfort in the fact that not only does He get us because He's been there, but His is the power to change things around for us. Most importantly, with His death on Good Friday, He conquered the biggest fear we all have: death. He walked to Calvary dragging that cross so that we'd have a path to follow and to swing wide those Heavenly gates for us to enter into.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for leading the way. You knew we couldn't make it through this life if You didn't show us how to do it first. Keep on giving me the strength to follow You until the very end of this life and into the next. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

Respect Good Friday

Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, "Truly, this was the Son of God!" - Matthew 27:50-54

Years ago Good Friday was observed in a very solemn way. No one played music. People hardly spoke to one another out of respect for Christ's death. Instead, the day was spent in quiet prayer and meditation. The Christian community took very seriously the sacrifice of the cross and truly reflected on it.

Today it feels like most people see Good Friday as a day off. Holy Week is a mini-vacation. It's sad how disrespectful we've become. I want to challenge all of us to bring back the importance of the day to our lives. What would it mean to you if Jesus never died for you and all you have is this one life with no hope of anything else? No comfort in suffering. No hope of being reunited with loved ones we've lost. Christ has given all of Himself to us and on Good Friday He deserves all of out attention. Tune out everything and everyone else to the best of your ability and tune in to Jesus for just one day.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, show me how to meditate on Your death and immense love for us. Help me keep the day dedicated to You and observing what You have done for me. Keep away from me all distractions so that I can be united with You in prayer. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com