THE DIVINE LIGHT OF CHRIST

Crucial questions
Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples. And you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free."  (John 8:31-32.)  What sort of freedom did Christ mean? Jesus expanded what He meant in John 8.34-35. He was speaking about freedom from the bondage of sin and condemnation. And for those of us who are acutely aware of our sins, this means everything. Like King David, our sins are always before us. 

What is the truth? Jesus was speaking of truth that leads to salvation: In other words, Jesus is truth. I find it ironic that Pilate posed this very question as he was looking at Truth square in the face. 

What is the light? Jesus is the light of the world. 

The light came into the world but the world did not comprehend it (See John 1.5)  Still, the light of Christ shines despite drastic or dire earthly circumstances. The light and Truth of Christ has both confounded and illuminated the hearts and minds of men and women living from the 1st to the 21st Century. Suffering has the capacity to draw the sufferer closer to Christ as their interior Guide and Master. This beautiful interchange points to the center of mystery of Redemption. Suffering itself is an experience of evil but Jesus made suffering the ultimate good of eternal salvation at the Cross.

To those who unite their suffering with the Redeemer, new horizons of the Kingdom of God are slowly revealed, through their suffering. That Kingdom is built of the redemptive power of divine love.

The light still shines

How can people comprehend the light? I’m not sure human beings are capable of comprehending the light without utterly and completely surrendering themselves to the Light (Jesus Christ). They must submit to the will of God—content to accept whatever that may be.

Now I know that the words “surrender” and “submission” represent particularly repugnant concepts to a vain, spoilt and stiff-necked generation like the ‘boomers (of which I am a part). Submission to anything is unthinkable to most of us. But the option is to stubbornly remain in soul-darkness, stumbling or suffering without meaning. That ends in the greatest human poverty: spiritual despair. I believe that is why depression is so common. In a culture with everything—the highest standard of life, the lowest levels of infant mortality, the greatest comforts and the least wants, why is depression so rampant?

I’m not referring to depression caused by grieving or mourning loss. I’m talking about unfocused depression. Could it be attributable to the level of Christ’s light we shut out or allow to be shut out of our inner selves?

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Light shines brighter the darker it gets.

Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. Noone comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6). Christ’s truth can (and does) set people free, even today. He said: “If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Crucial questions
But what sort of freedom did Christ mean? Jesus expanded what He meant in John 8.34-35. He was speaking about freedom from the bondage of sin and condemnation. And for those of us who are acutely aware of our sins, this means everything. Like King David, our sins are always before us. 

What is the truth? Jesus was speaking of truth that leads to salvation: In other words, Jesus is truth. I find it ironic that Pilate posed this very question as he was looking at Truth square in the face. 

What is the light? Jesus is the light of the world. 

The light came into the world but the world did not comprehend it (See John 1.5)  Still, the light of Christ shines despite drastic or dire earthly circumstances. The light and Truth of Christ has both confounded and illuminated the hearts and minds of men and women living from the 1st to the 21st Century. Suffering has the capacity to draw the sufferer closer to Christ as their interior Guide and Master. This beautiful interchange points to the center of mystery of Redemption. Suffering itself is an experience of evil but Jesus made suffering the ultimate good of eternal salvation at the Cross.

To those who unite their suffering with the Redeemer, new horizons of the Kingdom of God are slowly revealed, through their suffering. That Kingdom is built of the redemptive power of divine love.

The light still shines
How can people comprehend the light? I’m not sure human beings are capable of comprehending the light without utterly and completely surrendering themselves to the Light (Jesus Christ). They must submit to the will of God—content to accept whatever that may be.

Now I know that the words “surrender” and “submission” represent particularly repugnant concepts to a vain, spoilt and stiff-necked generation like the ‘boomers (of which I am a part). Submission to anything is unthinkable to most of us. But the option is to stubbornly remain in soul-darkness, stumbling or suffering without meaning. That ends in the greatest human poverty: spiritual despair. I believe that is why depression is so common. In a culture with everything—the highest standard of life, the lowest levels of infant mortality, the greatest comforts and the least wants, why is depression so rampant?

I’m not referring to depression caused by grieving or mourning loss. I’m talking about unfocused depression. Could it be attributable to the level of Christ’s light we shut out or allow to be shut out of our inner selves?

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Light shines brighter the darker it gets.

I believe that’s why the light of Christ is so evident in suffering. It is in the ‘dark night of the soul’ that Christ’s light is most evident. Christ acts within suffering by the power his consoling Spirit of truth. That is why sorrow of affliction and the Joy of Christ can exist simultaneously.

Jesus referred to this in his passage about being the vine while we (his followers) are the branches. He said,

“As my Father has loved me, so have I loved you. If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

We must love even in suffering. If tears obscure your eyes, know that Christ is with your fire of suffering—whether you know it or not— just as he was the 4th figure with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in a fiery furnace.  

The Meaning of Suffering: A Christian Perspective

Read my latest blog "The Meaning of Suffering: A Christian Perspective" at http://markpickup.blogspot.com

Mark Pickup

Take up your cross daily

Disease might deprive me of physical dignity but it can not deprive me of my spiritual dignity, unless I allow it. I am a child of God, who bears His image and likeness. Although it is a mystery to me, I trust there was an ordained purpose to my suffering and slow destruction.

After nearly quarter of a century (I’m a slow learner) suffering has taught me that at the foundation of existence rests a heartrending and beautiful mystery. Once that mystery is glimpsed, everything else becomes an irrelevance, a diversion. That mystery is the light of Christ. Suffering can create a renewed quality of conversion, so-to-speak. Many people throughout history have discovered this truth, including Saint Francis of Assisi, John Milton, John Donne and millions of ordinary people.

Suffering has the capacity to allow the sufferer to transcend their situation -- and even themselves -- with spiritual illumination (if the sufferer allows it). Suffering can draw the sufferer closer to Christ and transform them toward Christ’s likeness (if the sufferer allows it). Christ grants a special grace that transcends the suffering – if the sufferer allows it.

Christ’s grace allows inklings of comprehension of a glorious, transforming liberty of the children of God, regardless of their physical circumstances

Saint Paul referred to this liberty in his second letter to the Corinthians:

“…but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image of glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2Corinthians 3.16-18.)

This spiritual liberty may well up internally when, in any human context, the sufferer possesses no liberty whatsoever! Even in a wretched physical state and surroundings, salvation and Joy can emerge. Into the sufferer’s inky darkness of despair a great light can shine as the individual unites his suffering with Christ’s Passion,

Yes, the truth and liberation of Jesus Christ’s light and truth can penetrate through human suffering. Christ’s truth can (and does) set people free, even today.

The Cross of Christ has given a context to my suffering. His Resurrection intensifies my longing and desire for eternity. By allowing Christ as my interior Master and Guide, he is revealing new dimensions of the Kingdom of God being built by the saving power of His love. Christ is slowly leading me into his world, uniting my suffering with his – inviting me to take up my cross daily. (Luke 9:23-25, 14:27)

He is my example. My hope and my destiny are with Him.

Mark Pickup

Shadows of suffering fade in the light of Christ

Maurice Ravel’s Pianoforte Concerto for the left hand was written for an Austrian pianist (Paul Wittgenstein) who lost his right arm in the 1st World War.

Imagine Wittgenstein’s grief! Music was the center of his world. He grew up in a prominent Viennese household visited by composers such as Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Straus: As a boy, Paul Wittgenstein occasionally played duets with them. He was close to 30 years of age when he lost his arm. It must have been a terrible shock!

Victory over adversity

Despite losing his arm, Wittgenstein did not give up. He went on to a successful career as a concert pianist. He commissioned various works that he could perform from composers such as Benjamin Britten, Paul Hindemith, Richard Strauss and, as I just mentioned, Maurice Ravel. Wittgenstein was a wonderful example of human capacity to overcome and triumph over adversity!

The public loved Wittgenstein most as a one armed pianist. (Everyone loves an over-comer!) Did Paul Wittgenstein play Ravel’s Pianoforte for the left hand better than any two armed pianist? Probably not, but the public wanted it played by someone who had earned the right to play it. The musician’s suffering was as important to the composition for the left hand as the notes themselves; together they made the music more beautiful and compelling.

Disability or suffering need not eclipse or darken the human spirit. Adversity can darken a person’s life for a period of time, yet nature itself tells us that shadows will pass. Hurting people usually emerge from the shadows of suffering inexorably changed. The sufferer decides how they are changed by suffering. They can use suffering as a vehicle for internal growth or a stumbling block to it. To remain unchanged would be to render the darkness of suffering without purpose.

In a spiritual sense, our sufferings, sorrow and pain may seem to eclipse our ultimate source of light: Christ. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” At our deepest point of personal darkness we may lose sight of the light. At such times, we must cling desperately to God’s promise not to leave us nor abandon us (Hebrews 13.5-7)—regardless of appearances or feelings. We must remind ourselves that God’s promises are reliable, feelings are not.

Fertile ground for growth

Even though our bodies are wasting away, God is working an ultimate glory that will surpass all our suffering (see 2Corinthians 4.16-18). We walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5.7.) Shadows and darkness can provide fertile ground for faith to grow.

The Scriptures tell us that faith is the realization of things hoped for and evidence for things not seen (Hebrews 11.1). And what is it we hope for? A Christian’s hope is that yet unfathomable reality of standing in the full light of Christ’s love and glory of eternity. For now, it seems so faint. We have only inklings and Divine promises to steady our pace toward the final goal. Saint Paul put it this way:

“At present we see indistinctly , as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially, then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13.12

That’s what awaits those who are in Christ Jesus! No more reflected light, just the real thing. No more shadows or darkness, just the light of Christ. We will understand just as we are already understood. He leads us by His light through the shadows of a darkened world toward eternity where nothing is dark anymore. Life’s present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us.

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.” (Romans 8.18, 24-25.)

May God bless you today.

Mark Pickup

My 7 spiritual blessings found in suffering

The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ (and how people respond to them) defines human destiny.

The illumination of the sickroom taught me that it is not suffering that destroys people, rather the bitter experience of suffering without meaning. My own experience with protracted suffering has come in the form of seven spiritual blessings:

1. Surrender. My first spiritual blessing came in the form of surrender: I asked myself how Jesus handled suffering. My answer came from Christ’s agony in the Garden. Luke tells us Jesus was in such agony and prayed so fervently that his sweat became as blood. Three times he asked that the cup of suffering be lifted from Him. He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22.42). “Not my will but yours be done.” That’s the key. God wants us to totally surrender to Him, regardless of circumstances. That led to my second spiritual blessing:

2. Humility. Multiple sclerosis stripped away my foolish illusions of self-sufficiency and autonomy. It’s hard to be Proud and puffed up when I couldn’t even dress myself and had to get someone else to tie my shoes. Yes, at times I had to rely on others for simple personal, daily tasks. It mortified me and gave rise to honest, sometimes brutal self-examination. With my insidious Pride shattered, the light of Christ started to shine deep into my heart, and my love for Christ began to grow. And that paved the way for my third spiritual blessing of suffering.

3. Trust. Having a degenerative disease has given me the opportunity to trust God when the stakes were horribly high. The example of Christ’s Passion taught me that fear and pain sharpened my focus on Him.

4. Patience and perseverance: My 4th blessing found in suffering with my chronic disease helped teach me to patiently persevere. That has been my 4th spiritual blessing found in suffering. Long days, months and even years spent convalescing have encouraged these virtues (and boy do I need them). The silence of the sickroom gives context to the Scriptural exhortation: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46.10).

5. Faith: My 5th blessing found in suffering is that it teaches Faith. In so many ways, my Christianity was shallow and counterfeit and would likely have remained that way if it were not for the MS. Even in the midst of calamity and tragedy, however, I have learned that God abides with me.

6. Courage. My 6th spiritual blessing found in suffering is that it rouses courage in cowardly people, like me. Courage develops as we begin to understand that our hope lies elsewhere. Rather than cower in disease and defeat, I learned to strive confidently on in my journey toward the gates of the Celestial City.

7. Eternal perspectives. My 7th spiritual blessing in suffering was it gives a desire for eternal perspectives. Suffering cuts away those things that are extraneous in life, leaving only bare essentials. My loss of physical things (like body function) awakened a desire for eternal perspectives and God.

Mark Pickup