To Shine As Lights (Psalms 34:5)

Glory be to God!

To Shine As Lights

"They looked unto him and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed." Psalms 34:5

The Bible says the life of the children of God before we were saved were in darkness. But now we are light (Ephesians 5:8). We know how we became light. We who were dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) when we sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, we saw great light (Matthew 4:14-15). That light was Jesus, the true light that enlightens every man (John 1:9). On the other hand, when we were in an horrible pit and in the miry clay (Psalm 40:2), God sent Jesus into the world to bring our souls out of the pit and to enlighten us with the light of the living (Job 33:30). It will happen for us to look upon Jesus and pray, “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me for thy mercies sake let me not be ashamed, for I have called upon you" (Psalm 31:16). When we look to Jesus and pray, believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved (Romans 10:9). Therefore, God delivers our souls from death so that we may walk before God in the light of the living (Psalm 56:13). He rescues our souls from the pit so that our lives may see the light and rejoice (Job 33:28) and sets our feet on the rock that is Christ (Psalm 40:2). We, who have been called out of darkness into the marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9) will not be ashamed since we follow Jesus and have the light of life (John 8:12).

Our life which shines after looking upon Jesus continually wisdom maketh our face to shine (Ecclesiastes 8:1). It is because as we examine the scriptures daily, our wisdom increases (Daniel 12:4). Thus, Jesus who of God made unto us wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30)  leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ is happening for us to go on unto perfection (Hebrews 6:2). When we are with excellent wisdom and understanding, we become enlightened (Daniel 5:14). Moreover, our clear knowledge of God and Jesus helps us to live in the fear of God, as Jesus did (Hebrews 5:7). This life with the fear of God makes us to shine compared with the light of the morning when the sun riseth (2 Samuel 23:3-4).

In our life of following Jesus we have the light of life (John 8:12), since Jesus gives us the words of eternal life in abundance (John 6:68). By holding these words of life, we can shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15-16). Not only that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). He redeemed us from all iniquity so that we might be his own people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14). For this reason, through the inspired scriptures, we, as God’s people, are furnished unto all good works ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, by seeing all the good works which we do shine before men as light so that they may see them and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). Jesus also says that those who hear and do His words are wiser ones  (Matthew 7:24). Such life of living being wise will make us to shine as the brightness of the firmament forever and ever in eternity (Daniel 12:3).

In our Christian life, since God guides us every day with His counsel, so that we afterward receive to glory (Psalm 73:24). Therefore, God must look upon us every day and give us counsel (Psalm 32:8). For this, we must pray before God like the child Samuel, saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:9-10). When we hear what God speaks to us, the skin of our faces will shine like Moses (Exodus 34:30). Then, in our lives, we begin to listen to God’s counsel at baptism (Luke 7:30) and become servants of righteousness by obeying from the heart that form of doctrine (Romans 6:17-18). In this way, we become righteous ones by fulfilling all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). The light of such righteous people shines like the light of their faces (Proverbs 13:9). Moreover, on that day the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43).

Jesus says of us that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We must arise and shine in these days, for our light has come (Isaiah 60:1). For this, let it happen for us to arise from sleep and cast off spiritual drowsiness. Not only that let us also cast off the backsliding state of our life so that we may rise from the dead. Then Christ will shine upon us (Ephesians 5:14). We can do this by serving the Lord being fervent in spirit and not slothful in business (Romans 12:11). We can work for the Lord in two ways. Firstly we see that God has made us a light to the Gentiles, that God’s salvation may reach unto the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). The apostles emphasize this point when they begin to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46-47). Jesus also wants us to be his witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Those who thus proclaim Jesus and turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever in eternity (Daniel 12:3).

Secondly Jesus himself reminds us to help the least of Jesus (Matthew 25:40). The acceptable fast to the Lord is to break every yoke and to loose the bands of wickedness and to let the oppressed go free. It is to deal thy bread to the hungry, to bring the poor that are cast out to thy house, to cover the naked, and not to hide ourselves from thine own flesh is pleasing unto God. If we do this, our light will shine like the morning (Isaiah 58:6-8). Those who stand on the right hand of the throne of glory have inherited the kingdom of God because they did these things for the least of the brethren of Jesus (Matthew 25:34-40). In the same way, if we draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul our light will rise in the darkness (Isaiah 58:10).

God, who said that light should shine out of darkness, we who were in time past having darkness in our lives, cause to look upon Jesus so that our God making us to shine as light. In further in order to reveal the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ to manifest in us God shine in our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6). When Jesus transformed before the disciples in the mount of transfiguration the face of Jesus did shine as the sun and his raiment was white as the light (Matthew 17:2). Since we are called to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ may our God help us to receive that glory ( 2 Thessalonians 2:14). For that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, will shine in our minds (2 Corinthians 4:4). As such we by receiving the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, by the Spirit of truth our God leads us unto this divine truth (John 16:13). Likewise we in our faces  beholding the glory of the Lord as in a glass we all are changed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). Therefore we who are enlightened by looking unto the Lord our face will not be ashamed before Him at His appearing (1 John 2:28). Thereby we may have confidence at the coming of Jesus so that we shall be like Jesus and joined with Him in eternity (1 John 3:2). On that day all of our faces will shine like the sun and our raiment become white as the light like our Lord ( Matthew 17:2). May our Lord God help us and prepare us for that excellent glory.