The Bright and Morning Star
There have been too many "coincidences" to not recognize that the Lord speaks through the written word. It often takes "coincidences" of seeing the same Scripture or concept repeatedly in the span of a short time for me to realize that He's trying to get my attention. Maybe this will be an encouragement to you too...
This morning, He reminded me of wonder and hope that is found only in Him.
It started with a poem by Amy Carmichael, the missionary who dedicated her life to rescuing sweet girls from slavery in India:
"I am the God of the stars.
They do not lose their way;
not one do I mislay.
Their times are in My Hand;
They move at My command.
I am the God of the stars,
Today, as yesterday,
The God of thee and thine,
Less thine they are than Mine;
And shall Mine go astray?
I am the God of the stars.
Lift up thine eyes and see
As far as mortal may
Into Eternity;
And stay thy heart on Me."
And then, as I completed my annual reading of the Bible, I was struck especially with this verse:
"I, Jesus...am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star" (Revelation 22:16).
The morning star is that beautiful light that arrives, just before sunrise. Jesus Christ applied this title to Himself, because He is our hope for victory over darkness. He is our hope for everlasting life. And just as we can look up to the stars to be reminded of God's sovereign power and control over the vastness of the universe, we can look to the Morning Star to be reminded of His compassionate care and faithfulness to provide us with hope and guide us to Heaven.
We just celebrated Christmas - a time to remember the coming of Jesus Christ to earth. God in flesh appearing. Fully God, He took on human form to identify with our suffering, to take our sin upon Himself and to put it to death on the cross. We're all born into a sinful nature, unable to save ourselves. So, the Morning Star came. The Light of the World came. He showed us that the darkness no longer has to overpower us. We no longer have to be slaves to sin. We no longer have to be separated from God, the source of all life and blessing! We no longer have to suffer in the hopelessness of pain and heartache that is caused by the presence of evil.
Jesus not only took the penalty for sin, setting us free from its ultimate end, He also rose from the grave. We have a living Savior, the one who overcame death itself. The One in which we all can put our trust and receive eternal life in Heaven when we die. The One who promised to give His Holy Spirit to all who would turn to Him to be rescued, so they would be filled with hope and strength in this life, and an assurance of the surpassing joy to come. The One who promised to one day RESTORE ALL THINGS AND MAKE THEM NEW! (Revelation 21:5).
He lives still today. He is the Morning Star, calling upon all who are living in darkness to turn to Him and have hope in His everlasting light.
As we are on the cusp of a new year, I think this is a wonderful, timely reminder.
Whether you have wandered from this beautiful truth, or have never really took hold of it, please know that as long as there is breath in your body, you are never too far, and you're never too late. The Morning Star is shining for YOU. Turn to Him and find warmth, purpose, peace and eternal hope .