Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Isaiah 60:1-7 and Psalm 139:7-12

In Isaiah 59:2 God’s people were warned that their sins had separated them from God, and v.9 describes that separation like this: “We look for light, but all is darkness;
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.”

To be seperated from God is to be isolated from the Source of spiritual light, and this was the condition of God’s people. But as Isaiah 60 began, the prophet spoke these magnificent words on God’s behalf:

‘Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
² See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.’

Jesus came to bring the Light of God to bear on our human condition. Through His life, His teaching, His relationships with others, His behaviour, His miracles, and His decisions, He displayed the glory of God. As Hebrews 1:3 puts it: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”.

At Christmas we celebrate that the LORD “flicked a light switch” by sending His Son, Jesus, into our world. In that moment, the Light of the World was born. In that moment, the glory of the Lord which had taken on human flesh in Mary’s womb became visible to the world. Angels sang, shepherds worshiped, magi bore their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and the powers of darkness trembled. The Light of Heaven had come! The Light of God’s glory had been released into this world’s darkness.

Lord Jesus, shine in my life today. Make the glory of the Living God known to me, and soak my life in that light. Lord shine through my life today. By Your grace, make the glory of the Living God known to others through me. Amen.