DECEMBER 20 GLORIOUS ILLUMINATION By Karen Smith New York Dean of Women, Word of Life Bible Institute
For 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. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
The theme of light is woven throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. At the dawn of creation, God spoke light into existence, and darkness was gloriously illuminated: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). God called the light “good.” Much later, Isaiah described the illumination that is God Himself: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). This passage foretells Jesus’s birth, mission, and ministry. He is the long-awaited Messiah, and He is the Light. The wonderful verse of 2 Corinthians 4:6 draws these two passages together: “For 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.” Referencing the words He spoke at creation, God speaks of a different kind of light. This light is not created light, but the Light of God. Jesus came to make His Father known and to offer salvation that allows each of us to know God deeply. This is the reality of the believer – to live in the light of the knowledge of God. In John 1:4–5 and 9, light and life are connected. Jesus promised in John 8:12 that if we follow Him, the Light of the world, we will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. What a glorious promise; we walk in the light of His presence! Lastly, in Revelation 22:5, we read about the glorious illumination of the New Jerusalem. Friends, this is what we can look forward to – days of glorious light in the presence of our Savior! Maybe these days find you struggling to see the light. Look to Jesus. Allow these truths to illuminate your heart as you celebrate the Light of the world.
At Messiah’s birth, God used the light of a created star to point to the Light of the world. May we be lights who point to Him.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker