Bible League: Living His Word Arise, shine;For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. In our verses for today Isaiah speaks of a coming day when the people of God will shine with the glory of the LORD. At that time Daniel says we will "shine like the brightness of the firmament" and "like the stars forever and ever" (Daniel 12:3). We will arise from the darkness, affliction, and calamity of the old order of things into the light, blessing, and happiness of the new order to come. The glory of the LORD, His beauty and magnificence, will shine upon us and we will shine by reflecting His glory. What does it mean to shine with the reflected glory of the LORD? No doubt it includes the Shekinah glory of the LORD that was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 13:20-22). For the people of God, the next life will be a place of light as opposed to a place of darkness. The radiant glory of the LORD, however, includes much more than literal light. It includes everything beautiful and magnificent about the LORD. We will shine because we will be like our heavenly Father. At the present time the earth and the people of earth are covered with a shroud of darkness. In the darkness there is a struggle to find any Shekinah rays of glory that will light up the pathway forward. The beauty and magnificence of the LORD's glory is shrouded by the ugliness and inferiority of Satan. In that future time, however, all this will change. And yet, despite the darkness, we don't have to wait for that future time to experience the glorious light of the LORD. Already our light has come. Jesus is the brightness of the LORD's glory (Hebrews 1:3) and He came into the world. He is the "true light which gives light to every man" (John 1:9). Those who accept Him already reflect the glory of the LORD. His light shines through us in the midst of the shroud of darkness and the darkness cannot extinguish it (John 1:5). Arise from the dust and the darkness, then, and shine with the heavenly glory of the LORD! Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 148-150 Psalm 148 -- Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him in the heights! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 149 -- Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 150 -- Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Corinthians 11:16-34 1 Corinthians 11 -- Reverence in Worship; The Lord's Supper NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.Insight Power from the Holy Spirit is not limited to strength beyond the ordinary—that power also involves courage, boldness, confidence, insight, ability, and authority. The disciples would need all these gifts to fulfill their mission. Challenge If you believe in Jesus Christ, you can experience the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times.Faith is as much the rule of temporal as of spiritual life; we ought to have faith in God for our earthly affairs as well as for our heavenly business. It is only as we learn to trust in God for the supply of all our daily need that we shall live above the world. We are not to be idle, that would show we did not trust in God, who worketh hitherto, but in the devil, who is the father of idleness. We are not to be imprudent or rash; that were to trust chance, and not the living God, who is a God of economy and order. Acting in all prudence and uprightness, we are to rely simply and entirely upon the Lord at all times. Let me commend to you a life of trust in God in temporal things. Trusting in God, you will not be compelled to mourn because you have used sinful means to grow rich. Serve God with integrity, and if you achieve no success, at least no sin will lie upon your conscience. Trusting God, you will not be guilty of self-contradiction. He who trusts in craft, sails this way today, and that way the next, like a vessel tossed about by the fickle wind; but he that trusteth in the Lord is like a vessel propelled by steam, she cuts through the waves, defies the wind, and makes one bright silvery straightforward track to her destined haven. Be you a man with living principles within; never bow to the varying customs of worldly wisdom. Walk in your path of integrity with steadfast steps, and show that you are invincibly strong in the strength which confidence in God alone can confer. Thus you will be delivered from anxious care, you will not be troubled with evil tidings, your heart will be fixed, trusting in the Lord. How pleasant to float along the stream of providence! There is no more blessed way of living than a life of dependence upon a covenant-keeping God. We have no care, for he careth for us; we have no troubles, because we cast our burdens upon the Lord. Daily Light on the Daily Path Luke 9:23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.2 Corinthians 6:8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Galatians 5:11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. 1 Peter 4:14-16 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. • Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; • but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 2 Corinthians 5:14,15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; • and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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