Isaiah 60: 1-3
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Traditionally, the Prophecy Candle is the first candle lit in the Advent Wreath. There are so many prophecies in the Old Testament that foretold the birth of Christ and all who He would be to us that I will only choose a couple to share with you these two days leading up to the first Sunday of Advent. The verses I have chosen should help us understand more clearly how much our hearts are in need of preparation, as we typically tend to fly into and through Christmas, only to be completely worn out as the sun sets on Christmas night. Begin to open your hearts now to the messages of the prophets, and the Holy Spirit will surely come to speak to you.
In today's reading God, through Isaiah, prophetically tells us of the coming Messiah. Did you catch the references to light? "Arise, shine, for your LIGHT has come . . ." Jesus is the Light of the world. When He came to earth, God's glory appeared upon Him. Why would God want His glory to appear on Jesus? That was the very way that God would draw the nations to Himself. You see, if humans could just see what the nature of God looked like, then the Spirit could draw them to Him. What an awesome plan! But when Isaiah penned these words in the spirit of God, did he know that it was Messiah that he was writing about? And did he also know that he was writing about us, believers in Christ the Messiah?
We stand in an interesting place in history. In Isaiah's day the coming of Messiah was a future event. In the days of Jesus, it was a current event. But today it is a past event. The Messiah, our LIGHT, has already come, and those of us who know Him intimately have that very blessing of the glory of God both in us and coming out of us! That promised blessing of the glory of the Lord rising on us is His glory, His beautiful Light, in the form of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us!
God's incredible and outrageous plan is that Christ, the Light of the world, lives in every believer! It is through His light in us that He will draw others to salvation and to a life of walking in the Light. How amazing that the One who created both physical and spiritual light would choose you and me to be a part of His plan, to be the very vessels He uses to light up the darkness! He wants us to "carry the Light" to the whole world, but more importantly, to those around us who need a Savior. The ones who live in darkness must have the Light brought to them.
Have you looked in the spiritual mirror lately? God ahead. Take a look. What do you see? Is the Light of Jesus shining out from you? Is there anything coming out of you (like the fruit of the Spirit) that God can use to draw people to Himself? The Light inside of you is not just for other believers. It is for the lost as well. Remember, what you saw when you looked in the mirror might be the only Light some of the lost may ever get the chance to see. Do they see Jesus, the Light of the world? All other light sources will fail them. Who will experience your Light today?
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