On Being Bright
Judges 5:31, “So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may your friends be like the sun as he shines in his might.”
Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen on you.”
Daniel 12:3, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Zecharaiah 9:16, “On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of His people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on His land.”
Matthew 13:43, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Philippians 2:14-15, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
Throughout Scripture two people are described as “shining.”
The first, of course, is God. His face shines on us, conveying delight, joy, benevolence, and His covenant-strong friendship. Paul describes this most simply and beautifully in 2 Corinthians 4:6: “God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” God is the source of glory; He is, simply, glorious: “the Father of lights,” He “dwells in unapproachable light.” (James 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:16) And to be with Him is to be in a place that “has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23)
Here’s a fun thing, though: the other person described as “shining”? You. Lit by the glory of God, we walk about our worlds like lamps. Friends of God shine like the brightest sun. (Judges 5:31 above)
Sin stinks. Folly embarrasses us. The hairballs of sin and folly that are the world’s bureaucracy frustrate us. Other people send us into rage. And our countenance falls. We dim and darken. Something fades. Instead of standing out, shining, shocking, drawing, making clear, we complain, we snap, we argue, we waste, we sneer and mock, we consume, we envy. We become utterly unremarkable.
This is not what God would have for us. He wants us to shine. He wants you to shine. Turn people toward righteousness by your good works in hard spots with kind words. Smile. Like a jewel, refract in many colors the love of God on a land that needs Him. (Zech 9:16 above)
Here’s a place to start. First, let this be a prayer. It’s okay to pray that you become bright, that God give you a smile, that your light might so shine. Second, lay out. Get some sun! Spend some time basking in the smile of your God. Enjoy His friendship, in Jesus. Lastly, go be you. Everywhere needs God’s light. We’re all essential-personnel in spreading the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
The world needs the bright benevolent clarity of the smile of The God. So the world needs you and me.
(This whole discussion brings to mind one of my favorite quotes: “Throw the very best parties. Go to the broken parties and bring the better wine. Clean up afterwards.” –Jeff Vanderstelt)
We were made to shine like the sun in the Kingdom our Father. Doesn’t that sound cool? May it be so.
Photo by Patrick Selin on Unsplash
