Ephesians 5:8-9 (NLT)
… So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Your light is God’s light — His good, right and true light. Let it shine!
Good morning, Lord. Shine Your light on me. Shine Your light through me. Make me a beacon of your good, right and true light.
A bit of wisdom regarding sight and sound from Charles Spurgeon (based on the story of Gideon).
“Gideon commanded his small army to do two things: First, after hiding the light of the soldiers’ torches in clay pots, they were to break those pots at the appointed signal and let their lights shine openly. And then, secondly, they were to blow their trumpets and shout … This is precisely what all Christians must do. First, you must shine … secondly, there must be the sound: the blowing of the trumpet … proclaiming the message of Christ ”
Morning and Evening, September 20 – Morning
Read about Gideon in Judges 6 & 7; read Spurgeon’s entire devotion here.
Good morning, Lord. You call me to shine in this dark world and share our eternal hope with those who are lost. Forgive me for hiding my light and avoiding certain conversations. May my words and deeds be helpful to others and acceptable in Your sight (Psalm 19:14)
Last week, we focused on seeing and hearing God ourselves.
This week we’ll consider how others see and hear God through us.
Matthew 5:16 (NIV)
… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Mark 16:15
… Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Shine and speak — for the sake of the kingdom and the glory of the Lord.
Good morning, Lord. Shine though me today, as I work at home and when I step out into the world. Speak through me today — encouraging a coworker, affirming a fellow believer, sharing the hope that is within me (1 Peter 3:15). Nudge me out of my self-centered bubble and connect me with those who need a glimpse of You.
Ezekiel 12:1-2 (NIV)
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.
Do I count myself among the rebellious people who cannot hear the Word of the Lord? Possibly. I’m surrounded by competing messages. Am I listening to the right words?
Good morning, Lord. I hear and read mixed messages. I try to make sense of them, but it’s hard to sort right from wrong. Teach me to use the wisdom of Your Word and the nudge of Your Spirit to identify what is right and good. Lead me away from things that sound fine but don’t line up with Your truth. Give me ears to hear Your voice above the clamor of our culture.
John’s gospel applied words from an Old Testament prophet to the people of Jesus’ day. Certainly, these words apply to us too.
John 12:30 (NIV)
He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.
(from Isaiah 6:10)
What am I not seeing? Have I let any worldly wisdom harden my heart?
As a nation, what are we not seeing? What worldly wisdom hardens our hearts?
Good morning, Lord. Open my eyes to the truth of Your Word and the lies of the enemy. Grant me the insight to know which is which.
As a nation, open our eyes to Your wisdom and the world’s foolishness. May we turn to You and find healing.
Proverbs 20:12 (AMPC)
The hearing ear and the seeing eye—
the Lord has made both of them.
Sight and sound — gifts from God.
Good morning, Lord. Thank You for my eyes that see and my ears that hear. Teach me to use them well, just as You intended from the beginning. Open my eyes to read Your Word and see You at work in this world. Open my ears to hear the nudge of Your Spirit over the clamor of my culture. I want to hear and see You, O God, above all else.
Everybody (including me) has an opinion about the state of current affairs. We think we’re right.
What if I’m wrong?
James 4:14-17 (ESV)
… What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Good morning, Lord. My opinions will pass away like the morning mist, but Your Word endures forever. Teach me to look to Your wisdom to guide my life and not depend on my own understanding (or the so-called “truths” of my culture). I trust You, O God, to direct my path (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Isaiah 5:20 (NIV)
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
I gave much thought to right and wrong last week. I read opposing claims regarding good and evil. I felt the darkness and heard the bitterness. Light and sweet were in short supply.
“Woe to us” seems about right.
Good morning, Lord. Woe is me, woe to all of us! Without Your grace and mercy, we would have no hope. Teach me to define good and evil according to Your Word. Rid my heart of all bitterness and let my light shine steadily in this dark world — for Your glory and not my own, amen.
I’m very nearsighted. Without my glasses, I can’t recognize faces and read signs.
God has eternal vision. He sees every event that led to me being who and where I am now. He sees the impact I will have on the future.
Isaiah 49:9-10 (NIV)
… I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
Good morning, Lord. I see the here-and-now, I remember the past, and I can only imagine the future. You see it all at once — past, present and future. By Your grace I am here now, and by faith I will trust You for my future days.
1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
As I mature spiritually, I let some things go. I’m making more room for God.
Good morning, Lord. When I was a spiritual baby, my soul was cluttered with worldly things. Clean me from the inside out, transform my spiritual space, fill every nook with Your grace and glory. I want to be a sacred temple fit for Your Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).
