AWAKEN: DAY 8

REMEBER, YOU ARE DUST AND TO DUST YOU WILL RETURN.

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 8


Isaiah 60:1-2

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick
darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD
rises upon you and his glory appears over you. (NIV)


MEDITATION BY Susan Smith


People ask how I knew God was calling me to be a missionary. For me, there was no audible voice from God. Instead, I read my Bible and understood this: Others are in darkness. You are to be a light. I knew that it would be an act of disobedience to be concerned only with pleasing myself, and I saw God had given me an enjoyment of people from other cultures.

When I gave missions among the poor a try, God blessed even my baby steps. During a summer internship among the poor while in graduate school, God allowed me to succeed in teaching Cambodian kids from the Bible. Those kids were so hungry to learn! If I can go and be a light, I should go and be a light; the command is already there in scripture. I am a missionary among the poor today because God said, “Arise, shine!”

Isaiah 58:6-8 adds detail: those who loosen chains of injustice, share food with the hungry, and shelter the wanderer will see their light break forth like the dawn, and the glory of the Lord will be their rear guard.

When we shine in dark places, our light and God’s glory become apparent for all to see. I would say that evangelism is not at all my gift. But I love teaching. In Cambodia, my habit of eating lunch together with poor neighbors opened the door later to their willingness to attend a Bible study. In fact, they asked for it. Although we talked very little of the things of God during those lunches, God used those times to bring them to a setting where God could shine his light through me and I could teach them his Word.

In the season of Lent, we remember that Jesus must experience death and resurrection. And when he rose from the dead, he rose upon us so that we may show his glory. Jesus did his part of the story, and he invites us to join him. Although Isaiah was speaking to the Israelites, the challenge to arise and shine speaks to believers today. We—those adopted into the spiritual community of Israel—have the role of assembling nations and bringing kings to recognize Christ's glory.

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: all assemble and come to you… (Isaiah 60:3-4)

We, who walk in the light of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus, need to get up and shine. Evangelism may not be your gift, but you can still bring Christ's light to those around you. As the nations continue to be in deep, black darkness, we need to go beyond spending our time basking in the light of Jesus. It’s our turn to rise…

REFLECTION


Who around you is in particularly deep darkness? Are any of those experiencing darkness also in poverty?
How can you best live before them and live with them so that they can see Jesus' light in you?


Will you have to change anything in your life so the glory of God in you is clearer to others?