SHINE: Your Light Has Come

Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."

When the seasons change from winter to spring many of us are excited for more daylight hours with the warmth of the sun shining to thaw us from the coldness of winter. In our own lives we have others who shine for us and in turn we also shine for others. There is a saying about being a “shining example” of which we should all be as children of God and followers of Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 13 as Jesus is teaching the parable of the seeds, He says in verse 43 that the righteous will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father”. Get that! Not only will we be a shining light on earth but we will be a shining light in heaven. Do you remember the childhood song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine”? We are instructed to be the light that shines in the dark.

We know that in the darkness all kinds of critters come crawling out but the minute a light is turned on they scramble back into the darkness. We know that walking on a trail in the darkness is dangerous and difficult, but we turn on the flashlight to shine ahead where our feet are going and we are safely walking the trail. Light illuminates the dark and the darkness cannot overtake the light as long as our light shines with the power needed (see John1:4-5). The power to shine in this world only comes through God by His Holy Spirit working in us.

The apostle Paul, writer of Ephesians, hit the nail on the head.

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” ~ Ephesians 5:13-14

When we go out into our world, we need to be sure that our batteries of the Lord are filled to maximum capacity, our lantern is filled to the brim with His Holy Oil, and that we are ready and able to shine His love and forgiveness in this world filled with the darkness of sin.

Strive to be a shining example for all who walk on a dark path!

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