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Shine Like Stars Devotional
What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "shine?" Stars, sunlight, diamonds, sparkle, shimmer, dazzle, an old pop song? The culture revolves around the shiny lives of movie stars and musicians. We are encouraged to be true to ourselves, to let our true selves shine through. We even aim to present the shiniest, most beautiful parts of our lives through social media.
But, what does it mean to shine? By definition, shine means "to be bright by the reflection of light." Shining is all about reflecting. And when we belong to Jesus, our lives look different than the world. Instead of reflecting chaos, despair, and selfish desires, our lives reflect the hope and good news we have found in Jesus.
We can look to the life of Jesus and the example he set in the Gospels to help us understand the significance of our life's reflection. The Gospel of John mentions the importance of Jesus being sent by the Father forty times. Count them. Forty! Jesus was the Father's representative on Earth. He did as his Father would do, healed as his Father would heal, and loved as his Father would love. From birth to ascension, Jesus reflected the heart of his Father to the world.
John 20:21 goes on to tell us, "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you," Just as Jesus represented the Father who sent him, we represent Jesus who sends us. Did you catch that? Not only are we being sent by Jesus, we "re-present" Him. We cannot replicate what Jesus did on the cross, but we get to represent Him to our family, friends, and neighbors.
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 (MSG)
As followers of Jesus, those who have seen his glory and experienced His love and mercy, our ultimate assignment and privilege is to be a bright reflection of Him — to display His character and carry out His work to a world deeply in need. We are compelled and propelled to extend compassion, comfort those who mourn, apply the healing salve, and dispense His living water to every tribe, every nation, and every tongue! And when we do— we shine! We burn bright for the glory of God!
Based on the song Shine Like Stars by Jess Cates, Brett Younker, Ricky Jackson, Patrick Mayberry. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Burn Bright by Passion.
Last Updated: September 9, 2022
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What do you think is one of the most repeated commands in Scripture? There are the famous Ten Commandments, a plethora of additional commands the Israelites were supposed to obey in the Old Testament, and of course the greatest commandment: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'... And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37,39) But the command we are given more often than most throughout Scripture may surprise you. It is not a warning or a "thou shalt not." It is simply this— give thanks! The Hebrew word for "thanks" is used forty-seven times in the Psalms alone. If we look at each occurrence, we notice it is often accompanied by a specific reason for giving thanks. The psalmists learned general thanks is valuable, but there is power in naming what God has done in our lives! Psalm 9:1 says, "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds." Wherever we find ourselves today, there is always room for giving thanks. There is always space to recount the faithfulness of God in our lives. In the harvest— give thanks.In the desert— give thanks.In the pain of heartbreak— give thanks.In the disappointment of dreams lost— give thanks. In the face of uncertainty— give thanks.In the grief of death— give thanks.In the celebration— give thanks! And there, in the middle of our gratitude, is right where we find God! Because His command to give thanks is an invitation to enjoy Him! It is in our rehearsing, retelling, and recounting of what God has done that we see once again His grace, mercy, love, and kindness toward us. When we remember what He's done— that Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, emptied Himself, humbled Himself to the point of death so that we who believe in Him could be made alive with Him, that we should not perish but have everlasting life, we realize thankfulness is an act of praise! Our gratitude is worship! And we see once again Jesus is worthy to receive all the worship we can bring! Based on the song What He's Done by Mia Fieldes, Jacob Sooter, Chidima Ubah. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Burn Bright by Passion.
A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Take a minute and list some adjectives you would use to describe Jesus. What words or phrases came to mind? Gracious, merciful, powerful, kind, loving, forgiving. Many of us probably had one or more of those on our list. But have you ever thought of Jesus as beautiful? The likelihood of the adjective even existing in the vocabulary of men, other than in referring to their wife or a woman they would like to date, is very small. After all, the word does hold a very feminine connotation in our culture. Merriam Webster defines beautiful as "giving pleasure to the mind or the senses." Watching a sunset, listening to our favorite song, tasting the first sip of coffee in the morning, embracing someone close to us — all of these could be described as beautiful. But the question remains, do we experience Jesus in this way? When we think about him and spend time with him, is our mind filled with pleasure? Do we find joy in his presence? In Psalm 27:1-4, David writes, "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?When the wicked advance against me to devour me,it is my enemies and my foeswho will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me,my heart will not fear;though war break out against me,even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord,this only do I seek:that I may dwell in the house of the Lordall the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." An army is coming against David, and what is the one thing he asks of God? To live with him forever so that he can contemplate his beauty! For David, God is more than a philosophy or a worldview. He is more than a quick fix for his day or thought he can share on social media. He is life itself! Pastor Tim Keller said, "Religious people find God useful. Christians find God beautiful." It is only when Jesus becomes our life, the breath in our lungs, the one who calms every fear, the salvation for our souls, and our greatest reward that we see him as beautiful! And when we do, we want nothing less than to echo David's prayer, "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to gaze on the beauty of the Lordand to seek him in his temple." (Psalm 27:4) Based on the song Beautiful Jesus by Mia Fieldes, Jacob Sooter, Chidima Ubah. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Burn Bright by Passion.
It is easy to let the news, social media, and our past experience determine the way we see our future in today's world. Our hopes can rise and fall on the general state of our country, workplace, or family. For others of us, we choose to resist any form of hope whatsoever. The very idea of hopes dashed is too painful. When we look at our situation, we seem to be surrounded by a desert on all sides. It is as if we are in the middle of a hot, barren wasteland where nothing can grow. We are thirsty, but there is no river. And in this place, we are tempted to believe this is the hand we have been dealt. Nothing can change. There is no way forward. But God. Isaiah 43:19 says, "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Through Isaiah, God is saying he is making way for all creation. He has a plan for salvation and a path of deliverance for all people, and His name is Jesus! He is saying he has come to give us hope and a future! In the middle of the dried up, worn out, broken down— there is a way forward. Time after time in Scripture, we see God do just this. After tending sheep for forty years, Moses was stopped in his tracks by a burning bush. He was about to become the leader of the Israelite exodus. Joseph was thrown into a well, left for dead, sold to the Ishmaelites, falsely accused, and thrown in prison for over two years. He became second in command over all of Egypt and saved his family and the entire country from famine. Hannah longed for a son but couldn't have children. Year after year, she wept and poured out her heart before God. She eventually gave birth to Samuel and five other children. The way may look different than we think or desire, but God's promise remains. As we close, it is important to note God does not promise to bring us out of the wilderness but that he will make a way in the wilderness. Paul says in Romans 5:5, "Hope does not disappoint us because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." God has given us the Holy Spirit whose work it is to open our eyes to the overwhelming significance of God's love for us; a love that has staggering implications for our future, a love that fills us with hope! We are prone to believe the lie, the false story that things cannot change. But take another look at God's track record and his promise. For generations, he's been doing new things; he's been making ways in wastelands and rivers in deserts. Who are we to believe the promise is not for us? Who are we not to believe he will do it again? Based on the song New Thing by Melodie Malone, Jessie Early, Patrick Mayberry. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Burn Bright by Passion.
When we enter the scene in Isaiah 6, we find Isaiah before the throne of God in heaven. The train of God's robe, majestic and beautiful, fills the temple! Isaiah hears the seraphim, creatures we would think to exist in the fantasy world of Tolkien or MacDonald, crying out to each other, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:2) Isaiah sees the Lord high and exalted, and his immediate response is one of sorrow and grief. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5) Isaiah sees the Lord and is convicted of his sin. He knows he is not worthy of being in the presence of a holy God. So much so that Eugene Peterson translates his response as, "I'm as good as dead!" But one seraph flies over to Isaiah and touches his lips with a burning coal. He says, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." (Isaiah 6:7) It is because God sees Isaiah that Isaiah then sees God. God is the one who gives Isaiah the vision. God is the one who sends the seraphim with the burning coal to take away Isaiah's guilt and shame. God is the one who sees, and God is the one who provides. And just like God sent the seraphim to Isaiah, he sends Jesus to us, who used "his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all." (Hebrews 9:12 MSG) In the same way, Isaiah did not do anything to deserve the atonement he received; neither can we do anything but receive the gift of salvation Jesus offers to us. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8) When we realize that from the very beginning, God has seen us and put a plan in place that would unfold from generation to generation, resulting in our salvation, like Isaiah, we cannot help but respond, "my eyes have seen the King of glory!" Based on the song My Eyes Have Seen by Jess Cates, Jon Duke, Patrick Mayberry, Chidima Ubah. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Burn Bright by Passion.