The Radiance of the Lord

The Radiance of the Lord

2 Samuel 23:4

And [he shall be] as the light of the morning, [when] the sun riseth, [even] a morning without clouds; [as] the tender grass [springing] out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

                The account in 2 Samuel 23 said that these were among the last words spoken by David, the Psalmist.  What do you hear in these words of David?  Do you hear “His mercies are new every morning?”  There is freshness in the Lord everyday and everyday as the sun rises He is fresh in His tenderness and love.  The blood of Jesus washes us clean each day as we bring our sins in repentance before Him.  He is like the fresh scent after a rain, the air of our spirits are clear and shining as the radiance of the Son shines through them.  We are His radiant ones because of the Radiance of the Mighty One who in-fills us with His precious Spirit and presence.  We are so wonderfully blessed to be called the children of the Most High God.  Proverbs 4:18 says, “But the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”  God has called us “the light of the world and a city set upon a hill.”  Who is that light, but the out-shining of the in-dwelling Christ in us. 

                Jesus gives an interesting account in Luke 11:33-36,  “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth [it] in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thine eye] is evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness.  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore [be] full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.”  What is He saying, but that lights aren’t lit to be hidden, but to be seen?  They are given to be illumination for the path of others who are walking in otherwise darkness.  He is saying if our eye is single and our purpose in life is foremost and utmost Christ, then our whole body will be full of light.  Spirit, soul and body will be His candlesticks lit with His Spirit and Truth, but if we are double-minded and our eye is evil, looking unto other things, then our bodies are also full of darkness.  The light we think we have, will it then be not polluted with the flesh and the darkness of the world?  If our whole body then is full of the light of God’s truth and His ways then we will be full of light and darkness will have no part in us.  Our light, our truth shall be clear not only to us, but to those around us that they may clearly see their way to God through Jesus Christ His Son.   What a holy and awesome responsibility He has put upon his disciples and his followers, which we are.  If our life is askew, then we will direct others in the same way.  We have to be right because we are the signpost and the watchmen and the guardians of Truth that direct others on their journey through life to the “Way of Life”.   “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).” If we were to see our world through the eyes of the Spirit, I wonder if we would be looking into a dark place where we would see little beacons of light like fireflies in the night.  Perhaps they would even vary in their intensity depending upon the truth that was shining out through them.  How much illumination of God’s truth are we bringing to our world?  Ephesians 5:8 says, ” For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” How many of us have become lathargic in our Christian walk?  We have become complacent, dull, ineffective and asleep, neglectful of our calling and hope in Christ.  The Lord is calling to us, ” Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”  The Lord has not cast us off but He is giving us a call to action and purpose in our lives.  In 2 Peter 2:9 we are reminded of our calling and who we are, ” But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”  We have a responsibility as the children of Light to show forth the light of His presence and truth.  How shall the world know that Jesus is raised from the dead unless they see the evidence of His resurrection life in us? 

                In 1 John 1:7, John deals with us about the practical side of the light we say we have in us, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”  That light is going to be evident in our relationships and attitudes toward others, for he says again in 1 John 2:9-10, “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.”  That light of Christ will be seen in us as the love of Christ is manifested toward those within and without of His body.  That doesn’t mean we accept the ways of those in darkness, but we reprove them with the truth, making manifest their evil ways.  We speak and act out of the love of Christ, but with the same uncompromising conviction and authority we saw in our Lord.  Thus, we are exhorted in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 

                In John 8:12 Jesus says, “… I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  May that Light so shine and radiate through our lives that it exemplifies and magnifies the Author of Light and Truth who desires that all men be shown the way of Life. 

Blessings,

#kent 

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Is Your Light Shining?

Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Is Your Light Shining?

We need to take just a moment to think about the implication of this scripture that Jesus has spoken to us as His believers and followers. Think about how this relates to what Jesus said in John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Again He speaks in John 9:5, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Is Christ in the earth today? If He no longer walks the earth as the physical man Jesus, then what form has He taken? If we are the light of the world then the light and the life of Christ now abides in us, His body. His light and life is now manifested through us, His people who are called by His name. 1 Peter 1:23 says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” This is us in Christ. When we were born again we took on a new blood line, a new genealogy, an incorruptible inheritance. We became a new creation and creature in Christ Jesus. Now our bread is not in the natural, but it is in doing the will of the Father. The food that we seek is His flesh and His blood. That flesh and that blood are His Word and His Life. John 1:1-5 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” He is now the impartation of His Word through us. If we are what eat, then we had better be eating of the right food and of the right tree. He is the tree of Life and as such we are the branches of that vine and we receive our life from its roots. Our fruit is based upon where we are getting our life from. We will bear fruit after our own kind. Our kind, as believers, is Christ. That is why we are light bearers and the light of the world. We possess and bear the most precious gift, life and light ever bestowed upon mankind. We should never be ashamed or timid concerning what we possess. We possess the life of God that every man should covet and desire.
Today is your day to go out and light up your world. Never be ashamed of who you are. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The apostle Paul declares in 2 Timothy 1:8-12 what should also be in our hearts, “8So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” It is to our much greater shame if we deny who we are in Christ and hide the light that He has imparted to us. 1 John 2:28 leaves us with this thought, “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” Let us be the manifestation of all that He has called us to be. That can take on many forms of expression, but allow yourself to be the expression of Him that He has made you to be, however simple that may be. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Blessings,
#kent