Following Judah's Lion

Arise and Shine

Is.60:1-3 - Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Oh let us rekindle the fire of God’s Spirit within us so that His light would shine once more. The things of this present world have doused our light and darkened our hearts with cares that cannot save. We stand in need of an awakening from the Spirit; one that renews in us a thirst for Christ and a tangible awareness of eternity. The world is dark and needs light, but where is our incandescence that lights the way to Him?

We are His and His alone. New creatures in Christ are we and servants of the Redeemer. The Spirit says “Arise!”, but our ears are closed. Little by little, and day by day, we have allowed our hearts to follow after things and not Christ. Worries fill our minds, and our eyes feed our minds with useless information. But how can we arise if our spirits are weighted down?

We worship doctrines and preachers and fellowships, but do we worship the Christ. Rick Warren say he can worship God while taking out the garbage. What? Worship is now a multitask? No longer need we give ourselves wholly to Him and His presence. No longer must we turn away from our lives and fall before the burning bush. Today, we can be both Martha and Mary and we can worship God while doing the dirty dinner dishes.

Instead of soaring above the Industrial revolution we have succumbed to its subtle spirit of narcissism and greed. But God says, “Arise!”.

Dan.12:3 - And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Why do believers spend time and energy persuading others concerning political perspectives when it is Christ and Christ alone who can change a darkened heart and bring a sinner to life. Why do we pay allegiance to an earthly nation rather than surrendering our allegiance completely to a holy nation whose King is holy, august, and glorious?

He has written us into His story of tragic victory.

A little over two thousand years ago a Jew was put to death on a cross constructed by the Roman oppressors. Tucked away in an obscure place that was sometimes used for capital punishment, this event was only witnessed by a handful of onlookers. This Jew was one of three men crucified that day. Since his poverty could not provide for Him a proper burial place, one had to be borrowed. He lived a little over thirty years. He lived. He died. He had shown some real promise, and he had attracted, at times, some large crowds who gathered to hear his words.

But each time it seemed his popularity was growing, he would say something that would offend people and he would have to start all over again. But even with this checkered track record he made the religious hierarchy a little nervous. Unadvisedly, he went to Jerusalem where the city it seems was brutally divided over him and his words. In juts three years, with no money and no political skills, this Jew had managed to be at the center of a major rift among the Jews.

He was eventually arrested and put to death for sedition. He lived. He died. The world must now move on to more pressing issues. But soon it became clear that this man, now dead, was not going away. How could such an insignificant person still wield interest among people? Could they not see that whatever mission he claimed to promote died along with him?

But what the world failed to understand is that this man’s mission had been wholly and completely accomplished. But how? He was put to death by the Romans. He was punished and he could not escape his own death, even an excruciating and grotesque death. He left a few interesting quotes but He was now gone. But now there was a different problem. The rumor had it that this man was not dead and that he had risen from the dead. But if left alone, that too would eventually dissipate and go away. Maybe...

Does the story seem archaic and redundant to you? Have you heard it so much that it is now stale and has lost its glory? God forbid!! Amidst all the infighting and the doctrinal heresies, the gospel still shines with an eternal glory that make angels quake. Oh yes, with all the sophisticated psychological techniques men still search aimlessly for something, anything. With all the scientific knowledge at our computer worn fingertips man is still empty and void of the knowledge that can set him free. Even religious man has relegated the story of Christ to certain holidays and the children’s vacation Bible school.

The gospel has become a perfunctory sermon benediction that is spoken quickly and without the passion it so richly deserves. I remember in 1975 when I became a born again believer, I was excited every day just to realize that Jesus was the Son of God and that He died for me. How often have I taken that for granted and moved on to bigger and better ecclesiastical things? God forgive me.

Are we ashamed and embarrassed by the childlike simplicity of the gospel? Must we feed our so called intellectual prowess at the expense of the gospel story? Make no mistake, the story of how God became a man and offered Himself a sacrifice for the sins of the entire world is no trifle. It is both the everyday dinnerware as well as the finest of all china. The gospel is the sacred source of all redemption as well as the fountain from which we should drink every day. Intellects have scoffed at it, theologians have changed it, church members have ignored it, cults have manipulated it, sinners have rejected it, and the great religions of the world have created their own.

But God’s redemptive plan is eternal and can never be vanquished! Let those who name His name arise and shine! We are ambassadors for the Lord Jesus, the Everlasting King of all that was and is and shall be. The world dies in darkness and it is we who are His light. Away with politics and nationalism and divided loyalties. Let the resurrection power of the Lord of Lords shine in and through us in ways that cannot be denied by those around us. We are servants of the Most high God.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.