Turn from Darkness to Light

Tom Reed

Description

The Trilogy examines our typical lives and reveals how God's hands and influence guide and impact ordinary lives making them extraordinary. Stories and characters from the Bible illustrate each point.

Sujets

• Développement personnel
• Développement personnel
• développement personnel
• Développement personnel
• Self-help
• Inspirational
• Motivational

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 04 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489741936
• Langue: English

Extrait

Turn From DARKNESS TO LIGHT
 
 
A Trilogy: Waiting; Patience taught by God. Second Chances; Gifts from God. Great Escapes; Hope from God.
 
 
TOM REED
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2022 Tom Reed.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4192-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4193-6 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022909116
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 06/23/2022
Presented To:
 
 
From:
 
 
To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light … (Acts 26:18)
Contents
Dedication
Note to Reader
Section I Wait
Introduction
Wings
Gold
Ready
Rock
Will
Grrrr
Time
Not yet
Hurts
Silence
Good
Speed
Insignificant
Accept
Section II Second Chances
Introduction
Knife
Moses
Joseph
Choices
Rahab
Turn About
Ruth
Daniel
David
Abigail
Adulteress
Peter
Paul
Jonah
Jailor
Hopelessness
Mark
Boiled
Hair
Section III Great Escapes
Introduction
Jailed
Spies
Basket case
Earthquake
Concluding thoughts
Scripture References
Other books by Tom Reed
Dedication
Grandchildren Will and Amanda Cooper are two very bright stars out there with futures as bright as they are. Both excelled in academics.
Amanda has chosen a career path of service to others as a nurse, following in her mother’s footsteps. Will can and will do anything. Engineering came from a childhood of building blocks and leggo structures. His business skills came from watching his father juggle many enterprises and grow them to success.
Beyond their many skills, their caring for others and their family distinguishes them from the masses. This book is dedicated to who they are now and what they will become in the future. Their family lovingly watches and wishes them well.
Note to Reader
Life is not an easy journey, nor was it designed to be. We are often like that frightened rabbit in the middle of the thicket, bramble bush where we cannot see very far ahead with danger and risks at every angle. Which path to take? Where is it safe? Which path is best? We make choices. Some work out, for a while. Some choices are devastating.
As we make various choices throughout a lifetime, and goof up often. Many times, like that rabbit, we are frozen in time and must “wait.” The first section recalls stories of those who were called or forced to wait until God’s timing was right and they were able to move forward on the right path.
Sometimes we get what they call in golf, a “do-over” or a second chance. The second section of this book looks at a variety of Biblical stories of “do-overs” or God giving a selected person a second chance. The second chance often changed the course of history and impacted countless other lives.
Sometimes in life, like that rabbit in the bramble bush, we are trapped and stuck in a terrible situation. From the darkness and fear of the thorn bush we have little hope of escape, but from God’s view and God’s perfect plan; there may be a “great escape” so that God’s will can be realized. The third section looks at “great escapes” within the pages of the Bible.
The stories selected are few, and many scholars probably would have selected other stories. Many books and libraries are full of these stories, often expanded to include the writer’s opinions. These presented here rely mainly on what is found within the Scriptures. Very little is added to the story itself.
After the review of the Bible story there is a brief section of “Meditations or Ponderings” to give a little more thought and understanding to the lesson within the story.
The Bible used throughout for the quotes is the New American Standard Version. Most standard Bibles, like the King James Version, will be helpful and I encourage you to find and use yours as you proceed through these stories and meditate and ponder on your own.
The God who makes us wait until the right time, the God of second chances, and the God who offers a great escape from the thorns and darkness will bring each of us into the bright light to find our true, authentic selves.
We can then become a light for others; and we might impact the world as the characters you are about to discover.
Blessings,
Tom Reed
Section I
Wait

Introduction
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. (Lam 3:25)
Waiting and learning patience seem to be a major theme throughout the Bible. Perhaps it is because we humans need the lesson to “wait.”
Waiting is not my strong suit. How many of you have said something along the line of: “I want patience, and I want it NOW!”
We all know impatient people who could benefit by slowing down a little. I see one every morning in the mirror.
I want to “do something.” “Hand me the ball coach, put me in the game.” But note: these are my desires, my plans, and my time line, which is the wrong approach. We should be asking, “What is God’s will and wait—patiently—for His timing.
Let’s look at some people who changed the world and see their stories:
David, the young shepherd who fought the giant Goliath, was anointed one of the early kings of Israel. However King Saul was currently on the throne, so David waited more than 15 years trusting in the Lord before he actually became one of the greatest kings of the people. Perhaps David was being prepared and matured for the duties that were ahead him.
Earlier there was Job. Job, as you recall was an ‘upright man’ who lost all his possessions, his children and finally lost his health. What he did not lose was his faith in God. We hear about some people having the “patience of Job.” Job suffered greatly, but patiently waited on God to direct him to his next chapter in life. Job’s faith was tested, just like ours’ is every day.
Paul recovered from getting knocked off his horse and retreated to the desert for three years before he was ready to start his church building journeys.
Then there was Jesus.
Jesus spent 90% of His life in obscurity. For 30 years he was tucked away in a tiny village doing manual labor as a carpenter. Only the three years of His ministry are recorded for us. Talk about patience. Even at the wedding in Cana he told His mother that His “time” had yet to come.
We must get to the point where our faith is strong enough that we really do, “Let go and let God.” Our own plans, ego, and oversized self interfere with God’s plans for us. All of our ‘waiting’ often has a purpose, and often we can’t see it at the time.
That country music songwriter, Garth Brooks, had a glimpse of this when he wrote the lyrics, “Thank God for unanswered prayers.” Often what we think we want is not what we really need, and if we patiently wait, God will provide.
We tend to live in ‘our time for our plans’ and not in God’s time following His will for us.
As you ponder this, fall back on the wisdom of Solomon.
1. There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under he aven---
2. A time to give birth, and a time to die;
4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to d ance;
7. A time to be silent, and a time to s peak;
11. He has made everything appropriate in its time; He has also set eternity in their heart, yet that man will not find out the work, which God has done from the beginning to the end. (ECC 3:1—11)
The wait is where we lose our plans and learn His plans. It is a maturing process for our own good. When in doubt…..wait.

Wings
We all grow weary and tired. Our prayers go up every day and we receive…. silence. We are restless and ready for action, but no nudge, no direction, no green light. Nothing.
King David frequently sought the guidance and advice from God before going into battle. If he heard nothing, he did nothing until he received a clear message. David was an active soul, but he learned that patience would help him succeed in the battles to come. He did and is an example for us. David trusted in the Lord. This trust is to ease our waiting period knowing that in His perfect timing, a clear message will arrive to guide us. The great prophet Isaiah said it better.
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new stre ngth;
They will mount up with wings like ea gles,
They will run and not get t ired,
They will walk and not become w eary.
(IS 40:31)
 

Meditations and Ponder ings:
During our