SPARKle & Shine

Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death.  Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace. Luke 1:78MSG 

I love the scripture for the weekend and when I read God’s Word, I like to pull it apart in order to really understand what God wants to tell me.  God’s Word is truly a love letter that’s written to each of us.  So let’s break it apart.  I want to start where I think it begins…and where I remember my walk with God beginning...

“those sitting in the shadow of death.” This picture of the girl sitting alone on the staircase could be any of us.  Those in the darkness, sitting in the shadow of death...

Darkness is the absence of light.  There are different kinds of darkness: spiritual darkness, when we refuse to let God enter our lives. (No one is perfect.  We all need Him to enter our lives.  Romans 3:23 says “We ALL sin & fall short of the glory of God.”)  There is the darkness of negative emotions like unforgiveness, pride, jealousy, anger, bitterness or intense fear. There is the darkness of living in disobedience to God’s ways. Sometimes we feel as if we were put there & find ourselves in the darkness

, for reasons out of our control, 

because of something or someone in our lives.  We find ourselves sitting in the hopelessness, unable to move or unwilling to move.  "Sitting" indicates we've been there a while, and have given up trying to get out.  The darkness can be paralyzing.  

BUT let’s look at what God’s Word says… while we were there sitting in darkness, in the shadow of death… God’s light penetrates the darkness.  (Like in the picture)  

God did not create us to live in the darkness.  He wants us to see His light, so He reveals Himself to each of us in His own way.  

"God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness,"  

Another translation says God will visit us, or come to us because some of us need Him to appear gently, like the gentleman that He is.  This translation says that He will break in, like a hero, that appears in just the nick of time!  Some of us need a hero.  

God’s Sunrise is God’s beloved Son, JESUS who is "The Light of the World". Jesus WILL break in when we’re sitting in the darkness.  It doesn’t say He might…He will.  

John 8:12 Jesus...said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but WILL have the light of life.  

Our lives are touched with many different kinds of light: stoplights, city lights, candlelights, blinding lights, confusing and deceiving lights.  All of these have 1 thing in common: they eventually go out. They’re not reliable. 

The world’s light is false & leads back to darkness.  The Bible even says Satan poses as “an angel of light”. (

2Cor.11:14)

But God doesn’t say follow A light, He says follow my Son, the light. His light will never dim and never goes out.  Now we sometimes do things that separate us from the fullness of His life and cause His light to appear dim in our lives.  I have electricity in my home but if I don’t plug into it I don’t see the light.  I have Jesus in my heart, but if I don’t plug into Him daily, I won’t see His light either, even though it is there.  I have to connect with Him, talk to Him, worship Him.  Spend time with Him.  

More tomorrow...