YOU HAVE BEENAPPOINTED TO SHINE - PART 1

TUESDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2022

Jeremiah was the very mouthpiece of God. When God called him, He said to him, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Alas, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you" (Jeremiah 1:4-8 NIV). In today's article, let's consider his phraseology about God, the Creator.

Reference: Jeremiah 31:35 New International Version (NIV) "This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is His name."

When the Lord reached out his hand and touched Jeremiah's mouth, he said, "I have put my words in your mouth." From then on, Jeremiah became God's spokesman and thus, everything he prophesied was God's mind, according to His inspired words. However today, I want to emphasize on what Jeremiah acknowledged about God in our referenced Scripture, and how it relates to us as born again Christians.

God is the reason the sun shines by the day. He decreed the moon and stars to shine by night, and he stirs up the sea at will so that its waves roar. As a Christian, I'm often filled with wonder when I think of God's level of creativity, considering the sun, moon, the planets, stars and galaxies. They are all truly amazing and awe-inspiring, and to honour us, God chose to appoint us as light of the world, just like he appointed the sun to shine by day. More so, the path of the righteous is likened to the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18 NIV).

Beloved, in Christ Jesus we have been strategically positioned in a path that shines brighter and brighter unto a perfect day. For clarity, a path is a route, bearing or direction in which a person or thing is moving. And for us, we are in the path of righteousness, moving under the course of a spiritual force that shines brighter and brighter, enabling us to achieve glorious outcomes or results.

As God's own possessions, we are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness, meaning that we are spiritually-illuminated children of God (1 Thessalonians 5:5 NIV). Night represents a pathway full of of hopelessness, despair and complete absence of joy. No wonder the Bible says, "Weeping may stay all night, but by morning, joy!" (Psalm 30:5 CEV). So night is a state that veils the atmosphere of joy.

On the other hand, darkness is connected to night but the difference between both is that darkness is not hopelessness or despair; however, it's a realm that strengthens such feelings, as well as the feelings of despondency, fear, misery and unhappiness. This is the reason people in any form of dark place can begin to experience those strange or negative feelings, whether or not its night time. Got it?

Beloved, God has appointed us to significantly shine as light in our daily lives. Therefore, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16 AMP). Stay tuned for part 2 as we continue to explore more of how we can shine - as Christians in this world.

Scripture Reading - Matthew 5:14; John 8:12; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Peter 2:9.

Guided Prayer: God has called me out of darkness into His marvellous light and He has appointed me to shine in my world like the sun. Therefore, I am the light of the world and as a shining light, I'm different because I'm connected to the day both internally and externally. Praise God!