(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World" in preparation for lighting the Bethlehem candle)
Isaiah 58:10
"Yesterday's devotional pointed us to the fact that God used Mary and
Joseph to literally bring Light to the dark little village of
Bethlehem, and ultimately to the entire world. Today, He wants to use
us, His children, to bring that very same Light to the darkness that
surrounds us in our world, as well. Our 'assignment' to reach out is
not just to make us feel good; it is the very heartbeat of God!
Read again the words of the Scripture for today: 'And if you give
yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness.'
Literally that means that if we will furnish the Light we have inside
of us to those who are spiritually (or physically) hungry for what we
have, and feed the souls of those who are afflicted by their spiritual
darkness, then our Light, Jesus in us, will rise up and reveal Himself
in the midst of their darkness. By obeying God's command to 'go into
all the world and preach the gospel,' any gloom that we might be feeling
this holiday season will also soon fade away. It will 'become like
midday' in our hearts. There is no brighter time of day than a sunny
day at noon! But this promise can only be fulfilled in us if we are
fulfilling the command that Jesus gave to us to take the gospel to the
world. Consider who you might bring the Light to . . . the stressed
cashier at Wal-mart, the cold Salvation Army bell ringer, the frustrated
customer service representative at the store or on the phone, the
exhausted waitress, your child's teacher, the one who wants to tell you
their long story as you are trying to hurry to the next thing . . . ?
Whoever God leads you to, He calls you to share your Light.
Throughout Scripture God has chosen to light the darkest, most
remote, and least expected places and people. Picture your own darkness
at the moment that the Light came into you. Where were you? What were
you doing? What did your life look like? Quite likely you were in a
very dark place, and even if you thought your sins weren't as bad as
others, you still were in complete spiritual darkness. We all once had
an two insatiable hungers inside of us: to sin and to be loved. And
our souls could find no rest until the Light of Christ was gloriously
poured into us. Where would you be if no one had shared the gospel with
you? You would be in the exact same place that your 'picture'
captured, or worse.
Now that the Light dwells inside you, He will not be content to stay
there. The life of Jesus in us in the form of the Holy Spirit desires
greatly to be released out of us. His greatest plan for us has little
to do with what job we will get or what spouse God will choose for us.
His perfect will for us does not lie in the 'particulars' of our lies as
much as it lies in our obedience to do what He has already told us to do!
We are to go into the entire world and be a reflection of His Light.
By obeying that command, we are in living in His will, and He will work
through us to complete His desire to see all come to the Light. His
desire for us is that we would be yielded and surrendered to Him so that
He can use us to bring those who are still in darkness to the Light of
His Son.
Too often we are perfectly content to 'have' the Light, and quite uncomfortable
with the thought of 'sharing' our Light with others. But can we really
go on in such selfishness, when so many of our family members, friends,
neighbors, and co-workers are still walking in utter darkness? Can we
continue to ignore their 'God-sized hole of hunger,' having had our own so
wonderfully satiated? Will you choose to obey God's command and walk in
His will this Christmas? 'Advent' means 'the coming.' What better way
to celebrate the coming of Jesus to the world than to share Him with
someone who needs Him. Who knows, maybe by your willingness to share,
someone will be able to say that because of your kind love to them, that
Jesus has come to them!
What part will you play in this Advent Season? Will you share your Light?
Oh Lord Jesus, send us out! Send us into the darkness so that we
might bring the Light of Your presence. Give us each our 'Bethlehem,'
and may the lives of many find faith, hope, and love in You! Holy
Spirit, be our Commander! Give us our marching orders and be our
strength and courage to come out of our comfort zones to bring comfort
and joy to others this Christmas season. In the name of Jesus, the
Light,
Amen!"
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