Your Life - Colossians 3:4

Colossians 3:4 ESV 

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

No one can see the coming glory and wonder of what God has in store for us. We are unable to conceive our transformation into the full revelation of Christ at His coming. This revelation will include the revealing of the children of God, for we will be like Him. 

He is our life because He has given His life. He is our life when we receive it. He is our life when we live it. 

Beyond

His words bring us to the Word, an experience beyond words. 

Is Conceived - Matthew 1:20-23

Matthew 1:20-23 ESV 

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).

The sons of God replicate the conception of Jesus in the body of each believer. Within us is conceived a new creature from the Holy Spirit, born from above by the will of God. 

We are called sons of God by God Himself. This new creature will take on the image of the Christ and when we come face to face with Him, we will see that we are like Him. The children of God are created by the Son, the word of creation. 

We are His sons and daughters, and He is well pleased. 

What's In A Name?

Jesus = "Jehovah is salvation"

What's in a name? In this case, everything. 

I Am Working - John 5:17

John 5:17 ESV 

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

The Father and Son, Almighty God, are working in creation to create a new heaven and earth. This will continue until Jesus returns to establish peace on the earth. 

We have a foretaste of that Sabbath rest in the comfort of His Spirit which is already given in heart of the believer. The union of heaven and earth has begun. Heaven has invaded our earth with the seed of the divine. When He returns, our earthly bodies will unite and conform to our eternal life. 

When death and Satan are finally destroyed, His labors will cease. This is the Sabbath to come which is signified by seventh day of creation in Genesis. 

Rushed Down - Matthew 8:30-32

Matthew 8:30-32 ESV 

Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

The Lord continues to free us from the domain of the prince of the air. The demon(s) of the world then flees to the darkness of the deep. This is the sea of mankind that refuse to walk in the land of the living. These unclean and demon possessed pigs rush to their destruction and so it is for those who travel down that wide road. Narrow is the way that leads to the mountain of God. 

In the beginning God separated the land from the sea. The light from darkness. In these last days He separates the wheat from the chaff and the goats from the sheep. A new creation is underway where heaven and earth are joined and the sea is no more. 

Set Your Minds - Colossians 3:2

Colossians 3:2 ESV 

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

There are two perspectives open to the believer. The non-believer only has one and it is on the things that are on earth. The things of the earth shall pass away. 

We who follow Christ must decide every day whether to gather manna from heaven or eat off the plate of the world. Christ does not abide with a lukewarm believer or a double minded person. There is a choice and the choice is clear. 

James 4:8

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Revelation 3:16

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Seek The Things - Colossians 3:1

Colossians 3:1 ESV 

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Christ was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been raised to a lesser degree by that same Spirit. We have been raised from the grave of death into the life of God. We now can seek the things above as we follow after Christ to take our seat with God. The seeking is in the present tense and to be an active part of our life. 

There are things that must be done, and done by us as we walk in His light. He will enable us if we seek and follow Him. 

Revelation 3:21

The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Becoming And Being - Colossians 2:13-14

Colossians 2:13-14 ESV becoming and being 

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 3:5-6 ESV put to death 

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

While we were dead in our trespasses, we were alive, but subject to death. Alive in body, dead in the spirit. Israel who had the law were dead because of the law as it revealed those trespasses. Those without the law were dead in their ignorance of the law and the covenant with God. 

The record has been cleared through God's intervention and our acceptance of His grace. 

Now we are alive to Him, Paul says we must do something. We are to put to death that which is earthly in us, for we are still in the flesh though awakened in the Spirit. The spirit is awakened, but the flesh remains. The inheritance of God belongs to the one who overcomes. Jesus makes a promise to the one who overcomes and that is the promise of everlasting life. 

If we live in Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit, He will do this thing if we walk in His light. Saying yes to Christ means following Him. He is the way and not just the end. Do not sit down along the path, but get up and journey with Him. 

We are attached to the vine but must bear fruit in keeping with the Spirit. Branches of the vine that do not bear fruit are removed and discarded. It is not a question of works, but one of becoming and being. 

These Are A Shadow - Colossians 2:16-17

Colossians 2:16-17 ESV 

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Do not be distracted by the food of the earth. Our food is the bread of heaven, the manna which God provides for His people. 

This bread is not found within our camps or festivals, our rituals or observations. We must go beyond the boundaries of our of earthly residence and thinking to gather what we need. 

The Israelites did not wait until Sabbath to come together to partake of the bread of life. They gathered an extra portion before the day arrived. They came to the Sabbath not to be fed, but to rest. 

The shadows result from His distant light. We have moved from the shadows to the substance of light, into the body of Christ. 

Is From God - Colossians 2:18-19

Colossians 2:18-19 ESV 

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

There are two minds before us in this passage. The earthly mind of man and the mind of Christ. The earthly mind is capable of reasoning without reason. The wisdom of man is not the wisdom of God. 

There is one head in body of Christ. We do not lose our head to enter His body, but we are given access to the mind of Christ. We can grow with a growth that is from God. 

Three In One

What might it mean that we are made in the image of God? We can think of the three persons that make up the one God. They are the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, yet there is one God. 

We have a similar make up. We are mind, body, and spirit, yet we are one person. If we lose any one of the three, we are not whole. 

At the end of the day God will make us whole. We will see Jesus and we will be like Him. And we will be one. 

The Sand Of The Sea - Romans 9:27-28

Romans 9:27-28 ESV 

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”

Revelation 12:17

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

The phrase "the sand of sea" is used several times in Scripture to describe the descendants of Israel. They can be thought of as the beginning of dry land. The Lord uses them as the gateway to a new earth, to a new creation. They serve as the beach and shoreline between the sea of man and the Garden of God. 

The dragon stands, or persecutes the people of the Lord and calls forth beasts from the sea of lost men to wage war against the offspring of her people. It is the dragon who wishes to eliminate Israel and all those who follow Christ. He and his followers are hard at work as amply recorded and confirmed in the daily headlines and reports which testify to the rebellion against God. 

The dragon is furious and incites the deluded to march in his army of destruction and hate. We can see the faces of twisted and angry men who follow the furious path of death in the fog of delusion. 

God is in heaven and sits on the throne of creation. One day He will rise and claim His throne on earth. There will be no place found for the dragon and his followers. 

A Thought

Our thoughts determine our world. Our thoughts can change our world. They are not confined by the boundary of our skulls, just as our spirits are not confined to our bodies. We are told to transform into the new man by the renewing of our minds. This is possible by the word of God. We are raised with the word of life into new life. This is the new earth. 

In Your Tent - Psalms 15:1

Psalms 15:1 ESV 

Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?

A Psalm of David. O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 

To be in the body of Christ is to sojourn in the tent of the Lord. 

Mount Up

Mounting up on eagle's wings in the faith of God Almighty inside of me, I take to the air of the Holy Spirit breathed on me. I soar in the life of God. His light shines on and warms me as His Spirit lifts my wings into the glory of His fellowship. 

Under The Altar - Revelation 6:9-11

Revelation 6:9-11 ESV 

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Those under the altar are the servants of Israel. They are still tied to the altar of sacrifice. They anticipate the resumption of sacrifices in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. The Holy of Holies will still be behind the veil of separation. 

In contrast, the Church has become a living sacrifice unto the Lord beyond the altar and have entered the Holy of Holies which is the raised body of Christ. 

The fate of Israel is to experience the great tribulation, the time of Jacob's troubles. A remnant will be saved and they will gather at the feet of Christ and give witness to the Lord. A great multitude will join the presence of God as a result. 

Led By The Spirit - Romans 8:14

Romans 8:14 ESV 

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Not being led by the Spirit is being led by the spirit of flesh. This is the same spirit shared by every creature on earth. This would be a child of nature and is the way we arrive in the world at birth. 

We are innocent until we reach the age of accountability. Then all eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We know the difference between the two. The nature of man becomes contrary to the Spirit of God, which is the life of God, and we fall from His presence. We are no longer attached to the vine of life and join the crowd who are dead to God. 

For those who reach for the tree of life, the Spirit is given that leads to the mind of Christ. We are raised from our animal nature into the life of Christ. We do not lose our minds, but our thinking begins a process of transformation of a new life in spirit. We become a son of God and enter the body of the Son of God. We are putting off the the body of flesh and putting on Christ. Just as Christ was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, we journey through the wilderness of the world led by that same Spirit. 

I Lay Down My Life - John 10:14-15

John 10:14-15 ESV 

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

To be known by Christ is to be known by the Father. To know Christ is to know the Father. 

To know the Son is the only way to know the father. To be in the body of Christ is to be in the bosom of the Father. 

He lays down His life like the manna from heaven for us to gather. We will eat and be satisfied. His life has become ours. 

In A Cleft Of The Rock - Exodus 33:18-23

Exodus 33:18-23 ESV 

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

We stand on the Rock of Jesus and it is a firm foundation. We have been placed in the cleft of that Rock, which is the body of Christ. We are covered by the hand of God, sealed with His Holy Spirit. 

One day we will see Him face to face. 

Open The Eyes

Our perspective is limited to what we can see.

Open the eyes of my heart Lord. 

Open the eyes of my heart. 

Unknowing

The more we know the more we experience the unknowing. 

Why Was There No Man? - Isaiah 50:1-2

Isaiah 50:1-2 ESV 

Thus says the Lord:

“Where is your mother's certificate of divorce,

with which I sent her away?

Or which of my creditors is it

to whom I have sold you?

Behold, for youj

Why, when I came, was there no man;

why, when I called, was there no one to answer?

Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?

Or have I no power to deliver?

Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea,

I make the rivers a desert;

their fish stink for lack of water

and die of thirst.

The Lord looked to this people to bear the fruit of His light. He tended that vineyard, lavished His attention only to find a fig tree barren of fruit. No man was found to answer when He called. 

Revelation 5:1-5

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

John essentially hears the same question asked in throne room of heaven. "Who is worthy?" John weeps because his people were chosen to produce such a man, but did not. Yet God used them to do what they could not do. What is impossible for man is possible for the hand of the Lord. Though God had given Adam the breath of His life, Adam was unable to obey and so were his descendants. Their flesh was weak. The Lord provided plenty of opportunity to show that weakness and to demonstrate the need for a Savior, and to prepare the way for His coming. 

God would indeed work with and through the dust of man for a man to be born in His exact image. God brought forth a man from the earth of their flesh who is worthy, the Christ Jesus. God entered creation, taking the form of the flesh of man and mixing it with the life of the divine. 

There is a man, the Son of Man. He will bring forth many sons from the earth of our flesh to be transformed into that image. We each repeat the creation of a new man as depicted in the Garden. 

That is and has always been the plan, from the beginning. 

Trust In The Name - Isaiah 50:10-11

Isaiah 50:10-11 ESV 

Who among you fears the Lord

and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness

and has no light

trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God.

Behold, all you who kindle a fire,

who equip yourselves with burning torches!

Walk by the light of your fire,

and by the torches that you have kindled!

This you have from my hand:

you shall lie down in torment.

We can light our own torch, but it will not light the way. We will only find our way to torment. 

Only the light of God can separate us from darkness of world and make us holy unto Him. 

Every Moment

Is any one miracle greater than another? Is the parting of the Red Sea any more of a miracle than the beauty of a flower dancing in a breeze? The word of God brought forth both and brings everything into existence. Is it not a miracle that we might think on this and ask that question?

Every moment is a miracle and contains the inexhaustible miracle of God. 

He Opened Not His Mouth - Isaiah 53:7

Isaiah 53:7 ESV 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

The Greek word for "inflicted" conveys the idea of Jesus voluntarily submitting to this ill treatment at the hands of those He came to save. He is in effect the one who leads the way to the slaughter. 

When the guilty stand before the white throne judgement they will have no words for their defense. When Jesus took our place for the judgement of our sin He likewise had nothing to say. 

Every voice shall be silent, "so He opened not His mouth."

Be All You Can Be

A plant responds to the sun by growing and maturing in its light and warmth. It fulfills its life purpose then dies. 

Man made in the image of God is the only creature who is able to respond to the Son by growing and maturing in His light and warmth. He fulfills his life purpose then lives. 

Be all you can be. Be in the body of Christ. 

A Child - Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6 ESV 

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who become like a child. If we follow after Christ, we walk as He walked. He cast off who He is to be born as a son of man. We are then able to cast off the old man to be reborn from above and  become children of God. 

God gave His Son to reap many sons. A child is born so that we might be reborn. 

Who is this child born and given to us?

Wonderful Counsellor- Holy Spirit

Everlasting Father- Father 

Prince of Peace- Son

What does that mean?

Almighty God!

They Made His Grave - Isaiah 53:9

Isaiah 53:9 ESV 

And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

He died for the wicked and rich, for every man from end of the spectrum to the other. The wicked might be prone to overt violence, while the violence of the rich might reveal itself in deceits more subtly violent and wicked. The grave will welcome both. 

The righteous will just be passing through. 

In Our Image

When we contemplate God in our image we are unable to seek and see ourselves in the image of God. We deny ourselves the riches of heaven for the poverty of the earth.  

As You Received - Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians 2:6-7 ESV 

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

How did you receive Christ? How do you receive Christ?

Receiving Christ is not an event, but a process of relationship. It is an ongoing conversation in the life of God. It is a sharing of His light which is the light of the world. We enter His light and become children of light. 

Our experience of the light is not a flash in the night, but a steady and increasing flame which brings light into the world. The flame of the Holy Spirit keeps the fire burning. 

Transfiguration - Matthew 17:1-8

Matthew 17:1-8 ESV 

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

After six days. This may remind us of the six days of creation as told in Genesis. On the seventh day God rested. This can serve as a preview of our coming Sabbath rest, even as we have a foretaste of that blessed state with presence of the Holy Spirit. 

The transfiguration allowed the disciples to glimpse the ultimate fulfillment of God's purpose for man and creation. The light called forth in the beginning has been given the shape of a man and is revealed. We will follow Christ in transfiguration and see that we will be like Him. 

The meeting with these two men with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, which ends with only Jesus present, serves to confirm that Jesus is the end, just as He is the beginning. Elijah and Moses disappear with the fulfillment of the light before the three disciples. 

Moses led the Israelites to the promised land, but was unable to lead them across the Jordan river into the journey's end. He parted the Red Sea when he obeyed the Lord, but was stopped by a river after he disobeyed. Israel has returned to the promised land, but has not been able to take full possession. 

Elijah represents the Church, taken into heaven to be with God. The church does not inherit the promised land. This is reserved for Israel. The Church inherits God. He is our portion and reward. We have become one with God even as we wait for His return. 

One day He will return from the mountain of God to dwell on earth with His Bride on the throne of David. Heaven and earth will be joined. 

Pour Yourself Out - Isaiah 58:10-11

Isaiah 58:10-11 ESV 

if you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the Lord will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail.

When we pour ourselves out for others we are really swimming in the living water flowing from the throne of heaven to the parched earth around us. We are living well watered, and that to overflowing from a source that will never fail. 

It is Christ, the Holy Spirit, falling as rain on His seed growing into the full harvest that is maturing and made ready for His return. We are the seed which is sown and that has put down roots beside the still water of His peace and truth. 

We have become the well watered garden of the Lord that replaces and restores the Garden of Eden. The Lord has taken us from the dust of the world and placed us in the Garden of His presence.

A Spark

We all have received the spark of life. It remains to be seen if we can accept the flame of the Holy Spirit to be part of the light of the world. 

The Angel Of The Church - Revelation 2:1

Revelation 2:1 

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

The angels of the seven churches could be the presence of the Lord in these seven churches, as in the Isaiah passage. It is the Lord who holds the churches in His hand and walks among us. He is with us, for we have the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of truth who will never leave us as orphans, but will remain. The letters come through the Spirit of Christ and Christ is speaking. 

Isaiah 63:8-9 ESV 

For he said, “Surely they are my people,

children who will not deal falsely.”

And he became their Savior.

In all their affliction he was afflicted,

and the angel of his presence saved them;

in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;

he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

In Him - Colossians 2:15

Colossians 2:15 ESV 

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Some translations say He triumphed over them by His cross, or something to that effect. The Greek says "in him." The cross served as part of the stage for the passion of sacrifice which offers salvation to mankind. 

What happened on the cross of Jesus took place in the body of Christ. The body of Christ had to pay the penalty of sin so that we, the new body of Christ, could be raised in newness of life. His flesh paid the debt our flesh owed. We have been raised with Him in Spirit. Death no longer has dominion over those in Him. True death and true life are optional. 

Which option makes the most sense to you?

Book That Is Sealed - Isaiah 29:11-12

Isaiah 29:11-12 ESV 

And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

Revelation 5:1-5

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The mystery of God is beyond Israel because God has sealed that book due to unbelief. The meaning of the words lies behind the curtain of the Holy of Holies and that veil covers their eyes to this day. 

After the gathering of the Church, the Bride of Christ, the seals of Revelation will be broken by the one man who can, the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. 

The great tribulation and time of Jacob's trouble will ensue until the wrath of God is poured out. 

Circumcision Of Christ - Colossians 2:9-12

Colossians 2:9-12 ESV 

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Circumcision of the flesh took place on the body of a man through which the seed of life would pass into the fertile soil of the woman. A new creature would be conceived. It  would foreshadow the circumcision of Christ. 

This cutting of the flesh made in the heart of man is done by the Holy Spirit. The seed of the word passes through a new heart pumping in the breast of a new creature, a new creation in Christ and a son of God. Instead of a flap of skin rolled back, this circumcision puts off the body of flesh and frees us for life in the Spirit. We are raised from the soil of our earth into the kingdom of heaven. 

Get Ready

The Lord is ready when you are. He will always be waiting on you. 

The Substance - Colossians 2:16-17

Colossians 2:16-17 ESV 

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

When we come into the light we encounter the substance of Christ which is the fullness of God. 

Leave the shadows behind and you will be free. 

In Spirit - Colossians 2:4-5

Colossians 2:4-5 ESV 

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Our faith is explained and maintained by presence and witness of the unifying reality of the Holy Spirit. The noise and appeal of the plausible arguments of human reasoning simply fade into silence in the presence of God. 

All voices will be stilled before the living God. Be still and know. 

A Child - Isaiah 11:6-9

Isaiah 11:6-9 ESV

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

Who might this child in these verses be? Is this not the shoot from the stump of Jessie, the branch which shall bear fruit?

A child has been given who brings peace to the world, who will rule with justice and wisdom, and who will defeat the power of the snake. 

The interpretation of the divinity of this child is further supported by the threefold presentation of the peace this child brings. The child is described as little, nursing, and weaned. 

Finally, His holy mountain is declared safe, and all those in Christ will be saved and will dwell there on that Rock. 

The knowledge of the Lord has displaced the darkness of the deep. The earth is given shape and is filled with the light of the Lord. 

Another Place

Any religion can serve as a way of life, and any is as valid as another in this world. 

If you seek God there is but one way and that is through His Son Jesus Christ. It's all in His book. It will take you to another place. 

A Great Light - Isaiah 9:1-2

Isaiah 9:1-2 ESV 

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

The way of the sea speaks of the waters of the deep, the unformed state of the earth and man before God said "Let there be light." The light would come to fully shine in these latter days in the form of the Son of man. 

The first darkness in these verses has the meaning of ignorance, or the lack of knowledge. Eyes that can see the light of the Lord are able to see beyond the darkness of this soul without God into wisdom that is of God. 

The second darkness refers to the shadow of death which overshadows mankind. It encompasses the entire land. If your eyes are filled with this darkness, it is dark indeed. There is darkness within and outside of man so there is no escape without the Lord. 

The light is first witnessed with open eyes. The second experience of the light is the warmth and hope that comes with the dawning of the Son, after the darkness of a long and troubled night. Seeing leads to experiencing which leads to knowledge which leads to seeing, etc. We become a living witness to the glory of the Lord as we are able to enter His light.