<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 4;21-23<div><br></div><div><b>21. &nbsp;And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand?</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The light of Christ comes into us to do His&nbsp;work of revealing hidden things in us, both good things God has hidden in us&nbsp;and the&nbsp;bad we ourselves try to excuse, cover up,&nbsp;and&nbsp;hide.</div><div><br></div><div>Christ, the true light enlightens us with the gift of repentance, empowering us to confess and renounce our sins, and to turn away from them. &nbsp;Jesus the truth, demands that we face the truth of our wrong doings and also the truth of our neglect of God given duties, (sins of commission and of omission). &nbsp;He by the Holy Spirit&nbsp;is forever cleansing his ‘temple,’ us!</div><div><br></div><div>To say ‘we have no sin’ is to put the light of Christ under a bushel. &nbsp;We remain in our own dead darkness. &nbsp;Confession of sin is the Spirit’s work within us. &nbsp;We must not resist the Holy Spirit.</div><div><br></div><div><i>“God has revealed to us through the Spirit;&nbsp;&nbsp;for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. &nbsp;For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? &nbsp;So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. &nbsp;Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.” &nbsp;(1 Corinthians 2;10-12)</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>Likewise, the Spirit reveals to us through God’s Word, and&nbsp;through godly&nbsp;personal&nbsp;desires (the good works&nbsp;which are&nbsp;in keeping with the will of the Father), so that by faith in Christ indwelling us,&nbsp;we do that which&nbsp;He has prepared beforehand for us to walk in. &nbsp;(see, Ephesians 2;10)</div><div><br></div><div>The gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism has been given us so that we would be enlightened in the inner man, knowing our sins, confessing (and&nbsp;receiving absolution, cleansing)&nbsp;and turning from them in our daily lives. &nbsp;<i>“Sin shall no longer have dominion over you”</i>&nbsp; &nbsp;(Romans 6;12-14) &nbsp;AND,&nbsp;knowing the power of God at work in us for walking in newness of life, doing the Father’s will, following Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>The Spirit is given so that we may do our spiritual housekeeping now, and&nbsp;escape the light of Judgement when all unconfessed, unrepented, rebellious darkness still&nbsp;in unbelievers will be exposed to their ever lasting shame. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Hearing ears understand, our sin <u>must</u>&nbsp;be confessed. &nbsp;We will never know the total darkness that is still working in us, but, we must not resist the Holy Spirit’s call in us&nbsp;to be changed. &nbsp;We must allow the light of Life to do his work in us, his house.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us grace to face ourselves as the Prodigal son came to himself and repented. &nbsp;Stir our hearts to believe we are called to be children of the Light, called into lives of love and good works, in Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”<br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 4;21-23
21.  And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand?22.  For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.23.  If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The light of Christ comes into us to do His work of revealing hidden things in us, both good things God has hidden in us and the bad we ourselves try to excuse, cover up, and hide.
Christ, the true light enlightens us with the gift of repentance, empowering us to confess and renounce our sins, and to turn away from them.  Jesus the truth, demands that we face the truth of our wrong doings and also the truth of our neglect of God given duties, (sins of commission and of omission).  He by the Holy Spirit is forever cleansing his ‘temple,’ us!
To say ‘we have no sin’ is to put the light of Christ under a bushel.  We remain in our own dead darkness.  Confession of sin is the Spirit’s work within us.  We must not resist the Holy Spirit.
“God has revealed to us through the Spirit;  for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him?  So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.”  (1 Corinthians 2;10-12)
Likewise, the Spirit reveals to us through God’s Word, and through godly personal desires (the good works which are in keeping with the will of the Father), so that by faith in Christ indwelling us, we do that which He has prepared beforehand for us to walk in.  (see, Ephesians 2;10)
The gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism has been given us so that we would be enlightened in the inner man, knowing our sins, confessing (and receiving absolution, cleansing) and turning from them in our daily lives.  “Sin shall no longer have dominion over you”   (Romans 6;12-14)  AND, knowing the power of God at work in us for walking in newness of life, doing the Father’s will, following Jesus.
The Spirit is given so that we may do our spiritual housekeeping now, and escape the light of Judgement when all unconfessed, unrepented, rebellious darkness still in unbelievers will be exposed to their ever lasting shame.  
Hearing ears understand, our sin must be confessed.  We will never know the total darkness that is still working in us, but, we must not resist the Holy Spirit’s call in us to be changed.  We must allow the light of Life to do his work in us, his house.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us grace to face ourselves as the Prodigal son came to himself and repented.  Stir our hearts to believe we are called to be children of the Light, called into lives of love and good works, in Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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