Following The Star Series

A STORY IS TOLD ABOUT A MAN WHO WAS A SHOEMAKER WHO HAD A LONGING DESIRE TO BE A MISSIONARY. EVERYONE WHO CAME INTO HIS SHOE SHOP HEARD ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.

ONE DAY HIS FRIEND TOOK HIM ASIDE AND SAID, "ALL THIS TALK ABOUT JESUS IS RUINING YOUR BUSINESS." THE MAN RESPONDED, "MY BUSINESS? MY BUSINESS IS TO EXTEND THE KINGDOM OF GOD. I ONLY COBBLE SHOES TO MEET EXPENSES.”

WHETHER YOU COBBLE SHOES, WORK AT WAL-MART, OR BECOME THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO GREAT THINGS TO SHINE BRIGHT AS A STAR.

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS JUST KEEP DOING THE LITTLE THINGS LIKE OUR SHOEMAKER DID WITH GREAT CONVICTION, GREAT WISDOM, GREAT BEAUTY AND GREAT LOVE.

THIS IS WHAT OUR SCRIPTURE REFERS TO AS PUTTING YOUR LIGHT ON A STAND TO LET IT SHINE FOR ALL TO SEE SO THEY WILL PRAISE AND GLORIFY GOD. IT’S TIME FOR US TO COME OUT FROM UNDERNEATH OUR BASKETS AND SHINE.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. JUST AS A LIGHTHOUSE USES ITS GLOWING BEAM TO GUIDE SHIPS TOWARDS SAFETY AND AWAY FROM DANGER, SO ARE WE TO USE THE LIGHT OF CHRIST TO GUIDE THE LOST TO THE SAFETY OF GOD AND AWAY FROM SIN’S DANGERS.

YOU MAY BE ASKING, “WHY SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON LIGHT?” LIGHT HAS ALWAYS HELD SIGNIFICANT SPIRITUAL IMAGERY THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE.

FOR INSTANCE, LIGHT WAS THE FIRST THING GOD CREATED. SOME OF THE FIRST WORDS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE ARE, “LET THERE BE LIGHT” (GENESIS 1:3).

ALSO IN THE OLD TESTAMENT LIGHT IS OFTEN USED AS A SYMBOL OF GOODNESS, UPRIGHTNESS OR BLESSINGS. IT IS LINKED CLOSELY WITH YAHWEH AND WITH GOODNESS AND SERVES AS A SYMBOL OF GOD’S BLESSING.

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT LIGHT IS USED TO POINT TOWARDS JESUS CHRIST. JESUS IS REFERRED TO AS “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD” IN JOHN 8:12 AND 9:5. THE BIBLE ALSO TELLS US THAT ANYONE WHO FOLLOWS AFTER JESUS “WILL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, BUT WILL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE” (JOHN 8:12)

ONE OF THE FINAL MESSAGES GIVEN BY JESUS REFERRED TO THE LIGHT. JESUS SAID IN JOHN 12:35, “THE LIGHT IS WITH YOU FOR A LITTLE LONGER…WHILE YOU HAVE THE LIGHT, BELIEVE IN THE LIGHT, THAT YOU MAY BECOME SONS OF LIGHT.”

LIGHT IS ALSO USED TO CHARACTERIZE THE WHOLE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN. WE ARE CALLED TO “WALK IN THE LIGHT, AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT” (1 JOHN 1:7).

WE ARE TO BE “CHILDREN OF GOD…IN THE MIDST OF A CROOKED AND PERVERSE GENERATION, AMONG WHOM YOU SHINE AS LIGHTS IN THE WORLD” (PHILIPPIANS 2:14).

WE ARE ALSO COMMANDED TO “CAST OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS AND PUT ON THE ARMOR OF LIGHT” (ROMANS 13:12) AND TO “WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT” (EPHESIANS 5:8).

THE WHOLE REASON FOR SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON “LIGHT” IS SIMPLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE ARE CONTINUALLY WAGING A BATTLE WITH THE FORCES OF DARKNESS.

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN WIN THE VICTORY OVER THIS DARKNESS IS THROUGH THE LIGHT THAT IS RECEIVED FROM JESUS CHRIST.

THROUGH BOTH TESTAMENTS, LIGHT NOT ONLY SIGNIFIES, BUT TESTIFIES TO ALMIGHTY GOD AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.

LIGHT CAME INTO THE WORLD NOT ONLY THROUGH THE CREATION OF A LITERAL “SUN” AND BUT ALSO THROUGH GOD’S SON JESUS CHRIST.

THIS IS WHY CHRISTMAS IS SO SPECIAL NOT ONLY TO CHRISTIANS, BUT TO THE LOST AND DYING BECAUSE WITH JESUS, LIGHT CAME INTO THE WORLD TO BRING EVERYONE DELIVERANCE AND RECONCILIATION FROM THE DARKNESS.

THIS IS WHY I FIND THE CHRISTMAS STORY OF THE THREE WISE MEN SO FASCINATING. HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER REFERENCE TO LIGHT.

A BRILLIANT LIGHT IN THE SKY NOT ONLY ANNOUNCES THAT LIGHT HAS COME TO EARTH, BUT IT DRAWS THE MAGI TO THE LIGHT.

MORE RADIANT THAN ANY STAR THESE ASTROLOGERS HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE WAS THE VERY STAR THAT SHONE OVER BETHLEHEM TO SIGNAL THE BIRTH OF A KING.

THIS BRILLIANT STAR DREW THESE MEN TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT THEY CHOSE TO JOURNEY FAR FROM THEIR HOMES TO WORSHIP THIS NEWBORN KING.

THE STAR THEY FOLLOWED FOR TWO YEARS IS THE STAR THAT POINTED TO A LOWLY MANGER THAT HELD THE SALVATION FOR ALL HUMANITY.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS STORY OF THE SHINING STAR DOES NOT END WITH THE WISE MEN. THE ABILITY FOR THIS STAR TO CONTINUE SHINING IS NOW LEFT UP TO US.

YES, WE ARE TO SHINE LIKE THE LIGHT OF THE CHRISTMAS STAR! NEVER DIMINISHING, NEVER WAVERING. NO MATTER WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND US WE ARE TO SHINE AS A BEACON OF LIGHT TO THE WORLD!

EVEN WHEN OUR NATION’S LEADERS FAIL US…WHEN BABIES LIVES CONTINUE TO BE SNUFFED OUT THROUGH ABORTION…WHEN OUR NATION DESIRES PERVERSION OVER A PERSONAL SAVIOR AND WHEN GODLESSNESS SEEMS TO PREVAIL OVER GODLINESS THERE IS ONLY ONE THING TO REMEMBER! WE MUST NEVER, EVER, LOSE OUR REFLECTIVE BRIGHTNESS OF THE CHRISTMAS STAR!