Light of a New Day
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Light of a New Day
Scripture:
Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor
do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it
gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.
1 Peter 2:12
By this
my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my
disciples.
John 15:8
Arise,
shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen
upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the
peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen
upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of
your rising.
Ephesians 5:7-14
for at
one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children
of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right
and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the
unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even
to speak of the things that they do in secret.
John 8:12
Again
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me
will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Proverbs 4:18
But the
path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and
brighter until full day.
1 Thessalonians 5:51
You are
all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the
night or to the darkness.
Devotional:
Today
is a new day. Today is a day when we can look at yesterday, say “Thank You,
Lord, for what You showed me yesterday. I lay it at your feet, give it to You,
and choose to walk into this day expectant and excited for what You want to do.”
I don’t
know about you, but when I make a mistake it can be really easy for me to hang
out there for awhile. Almost like I am doing penance, I can sit, analyze,
overthink, and basically wallow in my regret and shame. When I do this, I can
get stuck for days and miss the joy of the moments God puts in front of me.
Lately,
I have been learning that while God absolutely brings us to correction, He has
no intention of crucifying us when we miss His standard for us. Not at all.
Those mistakes truly were nailed to the cross, and He wants us to let go of
that nail!
I had
an amazing session with my private counselor last night. She has been with me
through years of storms, trials, reactivity and growth in the Lord. Whenever we
meet, God speaks truth through her to remind me of how far I have come. She
reminded me last night how even just a year ago, I was a different person. God
has changed and grown me in just that short amount of time.
The
Light of God can shine through even someone like me. Even someone who doesn’t
always say exactly the right thing. Even someone who has a past like mine—because
ultimately, this is NOT ABOUT ME. This is about making Him known. This is about
drawing His children (like me) back to Him so they will find His light. He can
use any vessel He chooses. Oh, how faithful God is. He is so worthy of praise.
He has an intention and a desire to see His children whole and fully alive in
Him.
Let
your light shine, friends. That is the light of God. It is not about
personality, character flaws, mistakes. He is the light, and we simply need to
step aside. Shine with Him today!
Prayer:
Father,
I thank You that You have shed Your light in my heart. I stand before You
thankful and humbled and hungry to shine with You. I release my grip on past
mistakes and give them to You to handle.
I
renounce darkness and fellowship with darkness anew today. I choose to embrace
Your Word, Your Truth and Your light.
I lift
up my children today. Shine through me into their hearts. Let our family walk
as children of the day.
(Spend
some time naming areas of need or concern in your child(ren)’s life. Name it,
lift it to the Lord. Ask Him to shed His light on it. Maybe start a small
journal naming and dating that concern. Look back over it to see what God is doing
and what growth you can see.)
I ask
You to seal this time with You, Lord. Let the light of Your Presence wash and
make me whole.
In Jesus’
Name I pray, amen.
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