Love, Life, and Light Always Find A Way

Watchman Dean
(c)Jeffrey Dean 2018

If I follow Christ, truly follow him in love, then those who seek a life of love in the spirit will want
to follow me. This is natural and there is nothing wrong with it. In fact the Apostle wrote: "Be
followers of me, in the same way I also am following Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)

So, does this make us then "followers of men?" No, not when the men we are following are
following Christ.

Does this mean that I crave a following?

God forbid!

Rather I crave a following for Christ. I crave my brothers and sisters to be following in HIS
footsteps, so that, should I stumble along the way, they won't stumble with me. (For, although I
intend to not stumble, the best of intentions sometimes are not enough). I do not say that I shall
stumble (God forbid) but that it is certainly within the realm of possibility of which I cannot
ignore.

1 Corinthians 10
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Some of my brothers and sisters have stumbled and have fallen (like me). Does this mean we say
that we MUST stumble? That there is nowhere in the world where the light is bright enough to
keep us from stumbling? IF we do say such a thing we hid our lamp "under a bushel," rather
than shining it out there for our brother to see, so that not only do we ourselves not stumble
because of this light we shine, but so that our brother's way is lit as well.

Matthew 5:
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth
light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Yes we have all stumbled and if we deny this we are liars. Yet, if we say God doesn't see our
stumbles, we deceive ourselves even worse for God sees all and knows all. Like the spiritual
song says, "If you think God doesn't see all the bad stuff you're doing today, I bet you're gonna
be surprised on judgment day." God sees your stumbling around in the dark for there is no
darkness great enough to hide your doings from an all seeing God.

My stumbling brothers and sisters have failed themselves, deceiving themselves into thinking
God no longer cares about them, nor their stumbling. That God doesn't want to help them walk
upright and that God doesn't want to keep them from falling. You might say, "that is putting
words in their mouths." Not really, for how else do you explain their claims that they will always
be a stumbler and that will never change in this life? There is no conclusion to draw but that
they don't think that God cares about them or their sins, enough to chastise them.

This makes them "bastard" (cursed) children according to all the apostles.

Hebrews 12:
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied
and faint in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son,
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons.

I am a stumbler too, but God has shown me the light and each day it gets brighter and he that
walks in the light, there is "no ocassion where he might stumble."

9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1 John 2:

10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
So, what was my point at the beginning?

If you crave a love and a life of peace and happiness, free from sins completely (not just free
from the guilt, because such is an illusion), then you will follow those who crave the same, and
they shall follow you. In this way, you all shall get there together!

Love, life and light find a way.

Hatred, and death, and darkness do not.

Unity is now the watchword my brothers and sisters, no matter what your theological
differences.

If Christ comes and finds us in disunity, there will be no mercy for any of us!

Don't say you weren't warned.