"Walk
While You Have The Light"
Jesus said to them, "The light is
with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the
darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know
where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that
you may become children of light."
After Jesus had said this, he departed
and hid from them. Although he had performed so many signs in their presence,
they did not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet
Isaiah: "Lord, who have believed our message, and to whom has the arm of
the Lord been revealed?" And so they could not believe, because Isaiah
also said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that
they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn -
and I would heal them."
Isaiah said this because he saw his glory
and spoke about him. Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in
him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it,
for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human
glory more than the glory that comes from God.
John 12:35-43
In John 12 we learn that some leaders of
the time were motivated by a desire to please others. In their case, they refused
to follow Jesus openly because they wanted to be accepted by the Pharisees.
Although they had seen the Savior's miracles and believed in Him, they would
not acknowledge this publicly.
We are all subject to social pressures.
If we are true to ourselves and to God, we will be able to withstand the strong
pull of the crowd. But if we become crowd pleasers, we will be in far worse
shape than we ever thought possible.
Yielding to God's
Spirit within
prevents conforming to
the world without.
Our
Daily Bread -