via TJC
“I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.”
Revelation 21:22-23 NLT
“And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”
Genesis 1:4 NKJV
My favorite time of day is sunrise. There is something about the light pushing out the darkness that always makes me think of God. Today's verse from Revelation isn't my favorite when I first read it because there will be no sunrise in Heaven.
Right now I seem to be surrounded by so much of the “darkness” of this world. I have friends with life threatening illnesses, brothers who have broken families because of the cancer of pornography, multiple men recovering from vehicle accidents that have changed their lives and others who have watched close loved ones pass over the last few days. The world just seems rough sometimes but a sunrise always feels like a new start to me.
God created light and separated it from the darkness, creating a distinct difference between the two. When sin entered the world it brought darkness between us and God the Father. Thank goodness He didn't turn off the sun and leave us in darkness but kept that reminder of His light in place for us and that daily spark of morning joy I like so much.
So if there is no sunrise in Heaven where will that moment of joy come from? I thought about that for a while. The other thing missing from this verse is darkness. One of the great promises we get from God is that His plan for us includes removing all the darkness. Until that final fulfillment of the promise, even though we live in a dark world with dark problems, Jesus promises something for us right now.
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””
John 8:12 ESV
Those men dealing with dark things in their lives - I’ve gotten to walk with each one of them as we work to follow Jesus together. And Jesus has shared His light in each situation. He will do it for you too.
Daily Battle Order:
Check your “lights”. Are they on? Are they on bright or dim? Have you spent enough time with Jesus this week to keep your battery charged to keep the light shining in the dark parts of your life? These battle orders are a good start but they aren't enough. Just showing up at church isn't enough. If, like me, you weren't really taught how to actually follow Jesus let's get that fixed. The Joshua Commission can help and we can train you to help others too.
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