O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
The call is to leave human inventions and human leadership behind and follow God alone, putting no trust in princes nor in mortals in whom there is no lasting help, for their breath is in their nostrils and fails and their thoughts perish, while those who have the God of Jacob for help and hope in the Lord will not be led astray. The light to be walked in is the law of the Lord, and walking in it means being converted and learning step by step, even the very A.B.C. of serving God, educating oneself to understand more and more of His will in order to do it. That walking is being washed and made clean, ceasing to do evil and learning to do well, seeking judgment, relieving the oppressed, judging the fatherless and pleading for the widow, in willingness and obedience.
Walking in the light requires a genuinely converted life guided by God's Spirit and consistent with one's teaching, for one who preaches the call while living carelessly and mixing with worldliness contradicts it and becomes a warning rather than a pattern. Mere profession with only a few beams of light is not enough and leaves darkness and uncertainty with the narrow path unseen, and those who profess godliness yet remain unconverted, indolent and slothful do not know what service to God is, so that such indifference and failure to understand keeps souls from seeing Jesus and living with Him in glory. A trivial life of cheapness and folly, hilarity and glee, is overcome only by much prayer and diligent searching of the Scriptures with purpose to practice the truth revealed, and Christ's strong crying and tears to His Father came from grief over such indifference even among His disciples and followers. It means not following worldly influence, which lowers the standard of righteousness and leads to greater impenitence, and it requires recognizing and doing the sacred work that is being neglected.
For true Christians, fathers and mothers, the walk is shown toward neighbors by doing all in their power to be kindly, courteous, humble and contrite, so that by good works they let their light shine amid moral darkness. It means having far more spirituality and Christian courtesy, maintaining a vital connection with God that surrounds the soul with a heavenly atmosphere and encourages others, studying from cause to effect and watching unto prayer, hiding in God while doing the great work called for, and holding to the old landmarks of truth, experience and duty to point out the way when every power of darkness is brought to bear to confuse. It means walking trustingly with Jesus and relying on His grace, with each person needing a personal experience of trust in the Lord in times of trial, watching and praying because the end is near.
Those who have the Lord's light are to keep walking in the light God gives, including meditating continually on God's character, which brings a clearer view of His beauty, joy in His goodness, a stronger sense of His love, and power to understand and accomplish more. When light from the Lord comes as definite direction just given, it must be accepted and walked in by obeying it fully without cutting down the plan, including investing the money needed now rather than spending more later, keeping the building proportionate and symmetrical with room to enlarge, and devising liberal things because the place is an important center. The verse also describes the redeemed walking in the Lord's light through endless ages on the renewed earth, where God dwells with His people, and their life in His presence leads them to praise Him for the gift of Immanuel, God with us.
The call is to leave human inventions and human leadership behind and follow God alone, putting no trust in princes nor in mortals in whom there is no lasting help, for their breath is in their nostrils and fails and their thoughts perish, while those who have the God of Jacob for help and hope in the Lord will not be led astray. The light to be walked in is the law of the Lord, and walking in it means being converted and learning step by step, even the very A.B.C. of serving God, educating oneself to understand more and more of His will in order to do it. That walking is being washed and made clean, ceasing to do evil and learning to do well, seeking judgment, relieving the oppressed, judging the fatherless and pleading for the widow, in willingness and obedience.
Walking in the light requires a genuinely converted life guided by God's Spirit and consistent with one's teaching, for one who preaches the call while living carelessly and mixing with worldliness contradicts it and becomes a warning rather than a pattern. Mere profession with only a few beams of light is not enough and leaves darkness and uncertainty with the narrow path unseen, and those who profess godliness yet remain unconverted, indolent and slothful do not know what service to God is, so that such indifference and failure to understand keeps souls from seeing Jesus and living with Him in glory. A trivial life of cheapness and folly, hilarity and glee, is overcome only by much prayer and diligent searching of the Scriptures with purpose to practice the truth revealed, and Christ's strong crying and tears to His Father came from grief over such indifference even among His disciples and followers. It means not following worldly influence, which lowers the standard of righteousness and leads to greater impenitence, and it requires recognizing and doing the sacred work that is being neglected.
For true Christians, fathers and mothers, the walk is shown toward neighbors by doing all in their power to be kindly, courteous, humble and contrite, so that by good works they let their light shine amid moral darkness. It means having far more spirituality and Christian courtesy, maintaining a vital connection with God that surrounds the soul with a heavenly atmosphere and encourages others, studying from cause to effect and watching unto prayer, hiding in God while doing the great work called for, and holding to the old landmarks of truth, experience and duty to point out the way when every power of darkness is brought to bear to confuse. It means walking trustingly with Jesus and relying on His grace, with each person needing a personal experience of trust in the Lord in times of trial, watching and praying because the end is near.
Those who have the Lord's light are to keep walking in the light God gives, including meditating continually on God's character, which brings a clearer view of His beauty, joy in His goodness, a stronger sense of His love, and power to understand and accomplish more. When light from the Lord comes as definite direction just given, it must be accepted and walked in by obeying it fully without cutting down the plan, including investing the money needed now rather than spending more later, keeping the building proportionate and symmetrical with room to enlarge, and devising liberal things because the place is an important center. The verse also describes the redeemed walking in the Lord's light through endless ages on the renewed earth, where God dwells with His people, and their life in His presence leads them to praise Him for the gift of Immanuel, God with us.