glory & light.

to spare myself mental overload, i'm going to break down this past weekend's thoughts & revelations into some more manageable pieces... so here's part one.

[thoughts from my drive to the mountains on December 31, 2009]

i wonder if the blue sky longs to be a sunrise or a sunset.

it's in those transitory moments that the glory seems most significant; the colors that catch in the shift are so unique & short-lived that they inspire uncommon awe.
but the clouds aren't the glory. the light is.

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" - John 8:12

He is even described as:

"...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." - 1 Timothy 6:15-16

if God is the ultimate glory & light of the world, then midday is symbolically more glorious than the sunrise or the sunset. when the sky is clearest, the light shines truer than when it is hindered by the work of turning clouds pink or orange.

the times of struggle in our lives - where we must surrender the things of darkness to the One who brings all things to light - are significant & crucial, but it is when we move beyond this self-focus that we reflect Him best. His glory shines most radiantly when we let Him through to fulfill His purposes.

"He must become greater; I must become less." - John 3:30

so enough philosophical babble... i know there's more to this & i'm getting there :]
as for me, i think it all comes down to learning to better appreciate my time to focus. sure, following God may seem more exciting when there are great challenges being revealed & the struggle is at hand. but sometimes i just need to look to Him in obedience & let Him shine through me. there will be more sunsets & sunrises, transitions & lessons, but the daylight is where i am most useful, so if this is my morning & afternoontime, by golly, i want to be used!

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." - Proverbs 4:18

"'I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'" - Acts 26:17-18

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them... But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible." - Ephesians 5:8-11,13-14

sometimes the personal overhaul that needs to take place puts you out of work for a while. but as long as i'm able & until something heavier intervenes demanding my attention [like maybe the next plank for instance], i want to be a part of God's glory shining brightly by being about Him.


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(more verses on our LORD of Light) -

"The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?" - Psalm 27:1

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." - Psalm 119:105

"You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light." - 2 Samuel 22:29

"He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him." - Daniel 2:22

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light." - Micah 7:8

"Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.'" - John 11:9-10

"You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled." - 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17

"This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all... But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." - 1 John 1:5,7

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light..." - Revelation 21:23-24