LIGHT

“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.”Isaiah‬ ‭60:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    We are the reflection of the light of Christ. He is the light that brings the world out of darkness, depression, and disgrace. Isaiah was speaking of more than the capital city of Israel. Jerusalem is the representation if the redeemed. Every life that surrenders to the Lordship of Christ has the potential to be filled with His light.

    The presence of the Holy Spirit fills us with joy, heals our depression, overcomes the disgrace resulting from sin and removes the darkness from our souls. God takes action on our behalf. Benjamin Franklin said, “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see, that God intervenes in the affairs of man!” 

    That intervention is lasting. God is eternal. His mercies are new every morning and never come to an end. Nothing can come between us and the love of God. We make choices that allow our focus to drift away from God, but he never abandons us.

Lasting - “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Romans‬ ‭8:38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    The light of salvation is ours. We should focus our attention on eternity and spend our energy on sharing the revelation that God is living and active in every area of our existence. We cannot escape His presence. We cannot go beyond His influence. He will be our constant redeemer. Shaping our lives for His glory. Let that light brighten the path of those around us.

Intervention - “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” Psalms‬ ‭139:7-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    My life has been marked by a series of mistakes. I have clumsily fallen more times than I can count, but depending upon God’s forgiveness has allowed me to become graceful. God fills us with grace when we follow His plan for our lives. Words from an old song are ringing in my thoughts today, “It is no secret what God can do. What He’s done for others He’ll do for you.”

    God is making each of us graceful. He is picking up, repairing and replacing our past failures, working with every detail making His glory known. He is gracefully healing us, shining  His light into the dark places of this world. We are gracefully answer His call. Becoming the positive change we are waiting to experience is our goal.

Gracefully - “But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Enduring the difficulties of life becomes less of a burden when we recognize that God is standing with us. We are standing in His strength, not our own. God is faithful! He will deliver us and bring us to safety. He is actively healing every transgression, sin and disease. Salvation in the result of the light of Christ within us. God will bring the wanderers back. They just need the light to brighten the path.

Healing - “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” James‬ ‭5:13-15, 19-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Many of us have lived through traumatic experiences. We have been “left for dead” but God has offered us a more glorious plan. He has sent into our lives messengers of healing. We just needed someone willing to “leave the light on.”

Trauma - “Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.” Luke‬ ‭10:30-34, 36‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Are you willing to let your light shine?

Lasting 

Intervention

Gracefully

Healing

Trauma