CHAPTER 1
Rise and Shine!
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)
My mother used to come into the bedroom I shared with my sister and announce, "Rise and shine!" I knew what rise meant, but I never quite understood the shine part. What does it mean to shine? Does it mean to let the inner spirit of your being project a light? Does it mean to light up your face with a smile? Does it mean to pledge that day to do good works that will show that you are walking in the light of Christ? What does it mean?
Jesus told us to let our lights shine before others so that they might see our good works and glorify God. Well, maybe now we are on to something. Our good works create the shine. Perhaps Mama was telling us to get up and do some good works. Get up and help somebody today. Get up and make a difference in the world.
I wonder how many of us rise without any intention of letting our lights shine. I really wonder how many of us have no light. How many of us know the source of light? When there is no light, we walk in darkness, but we cannot benefit from the light, if we do not know where it comes from. The light comes from Christ. He is the source of our light. Every day we should rise seeking His light and letting it shine in our lives.
So, tell me, what will you do today that will let your light shine? Will you study the word and learn more about the light? Will you pray for others that they will see the light? Will you reach out and touch someone who is lonely or sick or homeless? How will you shine today?
Arise, let your light shine!
Lord, we cannot rise and shine without you. Be in us in every way today. Amen.
Rising Early
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. (John 20:1)
I have often heard the saying, "The early bird gets the worm." I suppose that means that you have to be one of the first ones up and out to get the blessing. It was certainly true for Mary Magdalene. She was up early; she arrived at the tomb before anyone else, and she got the blessing. She saw the Lord!
What is it that we miss when we stay in bed too long? What is too long? Do we waste away our time for serving God? Do we miss opportunities to see him in others? Just what do we accomplish when we fail to rise early?
Mary Magdalene rose early to accomplish a task. She wanted to anoint the body of the Lord. She had to wait until after the Sabbath, so she waited as long as she could. When she got to the tomb, the Lord had risen. Mary ran to tell Peter and John, but she returned to the tomb to find out what had happened to the body. Her rising early had given her time to find the answer to the mystery. Remember that she had arrived while it was still dark, so she had the whole day ahead of her. She could investigate once the sun had risen. She was in position to discover that the Son had risen!
What wonderful blessing awaits you today? You have time to greet God's people at their many points of need. I am so glad that you decided to rise early.
Lord, thank you for the blessing of this day. Help me use it in such a way that others will see you at work in my life. Amen.
What Shall I Render?
What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me? (Psalm 116:12)
How many times have we asked what we can do for God? Or do we ever ask that? If we were really serious about asking the question, what would be our answer? The psalmist asks what he can return to the Lord for all his bounty, and a songwriter asked, "What shall I render unto God for all his blessings?"
That is an awesome question. What is it that we can do for God? After all, he has everything. All God wants from us is praise and devotion in the presence of his people. This is important. We may praise God and offer our thanksgiving for all he has done for us, but do we offer this praise in isolation so that no one knows how grateful we are? We need to witness. We need to proclaim our love and devotion in such a way that everyone knows what God has done for us. We need to support God's church with our tithes and offerings so that others can be blessed. We need to let others know how much we love the Lord.
God has been so good to us. Do you wonder why I have said that? Well, let us return to the old church warriors. They would stand up in church and thank God for waking them up that morning; for starting them on their way; for clothing them in their right mind; and for giving them a brand-new day. They would not stop there. They would thank God for food on the table and clothes on their backs. They understood how to return to God the praise and thanksgiving he was due in the presence of the people.
What can we render? Ask yourself that question, and when you have an answer, do it!
Holy Father, thank you for all your blessings. Help me be a blessing to others. Amen.
What's in a Name?
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)
My grandson was born on the day that Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. My son and daughter-in-law had been supporters of Obama since he had declared his candidacy, so they named their son Benjamin Barack Kimbrough.
My husband likes to say that his grandson was named for three presidents—Benjamin Elijah Mays (former president of Morehouse College in Atlanta), Barack Obama (44th president of the United States), and his father, Walter M. Kimbrough (president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock). Although this is true, I know that my daughter-in-law loves biblical names and was thinking of Benjamin, the beloved son of Jacob and Rachel, when she chose that first name.
But what is in a name? Does the name we are given at birth affect the lives we live? The writer of Proverbs says that we need a good name, and we can only have a good name by living a good life. We need to accumulate lots of good deeds rather than riches. What if we tried to see how many good deeds we could do rather than how much money we could make? Martin Luther said that good works don't make you good, but good people do good works. Let's try today to do good works. A good name will surely follow.
Lord, thank you for the opportunity to do good today. Amen.
The Rocks Won't Cry
I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out. (Luke 19:40)
When Jesus was making his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the disciples were praising God for all of the powerful things they had seen. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd asked Jesus to tell his disciples to stop praising God, but Jesus told them that if they stopped, the rocks would cry out. I wonder how many of us let the rocks praise God for us.
Are we like the disciples who were not ashamed to praise God for all of the wonderful and powerful things they had seen, or do we let the rocks cry out for us? How many opportunities to witness have we missed? What wonderful and powerful things have we experienced?
I suppose the Pharisees did not want the others who had gathered to hear what God had done, and we may be like them. We receive blessings and we keep it to ourselves. We may be afraid that someone will know that we love the Lord, or we may just be doing what the devil wants us to do. Are we actually afraid to witness? Just what is it that keeps us silent?
Today I will thank God for every blessing. I will thank him for letting me live another day. I will thank him for the ability to think and move and eat and pray. I will thank him for my friends and family. I will thank him for my means of support and for my living conditions. I will thank him for everything I can think of. I will let my thanksgiving be in the form of praise. I don't want the rocks to have to cry out for me.
Lord, thank you for all of the blessings you have allowed me to experience this day and every day. Amen.
Just Taste It
O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)
How many times have we tried to coax a child to just taste a vegetable or dish that somehow just does not look like he thinks it should? We say, "Just taste it. You'll like it. It is really good." The child shakes his head and closes his mouth tight. You know what I mean. If we ever succeed in getting the child to open up and slip a little in his mouth, he often discovers that the food is actually good. I know that I have looked at my granddaughter in a pitiful way and asked her to do it for Gran. Sometimes that works, but often it doesn't.
The psalmist tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good. There is even a benefit to indulging. Those who taste find that they are happy and that they find safety and shelter in knowing the Lord. Why are we reluctant to taste?
I have met many church members who said they were not interested in attending Bible study classes. They felt that Bible study is actually Sunday school, and they believed that they had outgrown Sunday school. I always try to convince them that there is so much about the Bible that they do not know and that they really need to study.
It is amazing that once I convince them to attend a few class sessions, they are amazed. They learn so much and they acquire a taste for Bible study. I have personally grown classes to more than one hundred, and I have read about a woman who has classes of almost one thousand!
Bible study is one way to taste and see that the Lord is good.
You are good, Lord, and I am happy that I have tasted. Amen.
Left or Right?
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34)
Jesus told us that there would be a day of judgment, and the people would be separated as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The good folks, the sheep, would be on the right, and the bad folks, the goats, would be on the left. How do you get to be on the right side? Don't you want to be on the side where the sheep are and not where the goats are? Don't you want to be on the right side of Jesus, the king, and not on the left? Whenever anyone is handing out prizes or rewards, don't we want to be winners? Of course we do. How do we do it?
The answer is easy. Jesus explained it to us. He said that we need to feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoners. How easy is that? Well, it must be really hard because so many of us fail to do it. We are too greedy to share our food and drink with those in need. We are afraid that strangers will rob or steal from us. We love our clothes so much that we are unwilling to give up even one outfit to those who have none. We are too busy to care for the sick or visit the prisoners. That about sums it up. I guess we will be on the left side.
But how can we make it to the right side? We will have to change our way of thinking. We cannot continue to be a people who think only of ourselves. We will have to extend our families to those of different races, social status, and educational backgrounds. We may be willing to share with blood relatives or others who look and think like us, but with no one else. It's time for a change. If we want to be on the right side, we will have to do the right thing.
Holy Father, I want to be with the sheep and not the goats. I want to be on the right side. I want eternal life and not eternal punishment. Help me do the right thing. Amen.
Dressed for Battle
Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
How do you dress when you leave the house? Doesn't it depend on where you are going and what you have to do? If you are going to a job interview, you dress for success. If you are going to a formal affair, you dress in formal attire. It used to be that when we were going to church, we would wear our Sunday best, but many are much more casual now.(I still wear my Sunday best, because God deserves my best appearance.) We dress for what we are about to do.
When should we dress for battle? According to Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we should never leave the house without the whole armor of God. In fact, we may need that armor in the house. We should always be prepared to stand against the wiles (tricks and charm) of the devil. The old-timers used to say the devil is always busy and waiting to catch us unprepared.
How do we prepare to meet the tricks and excitement the devil places in our path? We need the belt of truth around our waist. Truth is a weapon. Most of the time we do not forget the truth, so we don't have to make a special effort to remember it. Truth will eventually come out, so we need to know it and tell it whenever we talk. We need the breastplate of righteousness. Doing what is right ought to always be in front of us leading us, to whatever we are called to do. We need gospel shoes on our feet. We should be running to tell the good news. We need a shield of faith that will ward off the arrows of evil. We need the helmet of salvation, knowing that our heads are covered in the saving grace of God. Finally we need the sword of the Spirit; that is, the word of God. We must know the word, for it is our most powerful weapon.
Now we have on the whole armor of God, and we are dressed for battle. No matter what the day brings, we are dressed for success.
Father, help me lay out my whole armor every day as I lay out my clothes. Amen.
Right Here
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b)
At two years of age my granddaughter, Lydia, was thrilled to welcome her baby brother, Benjamin, into the family. She loved him so much that she became distressed when the baby cried. She did not know what was wrong with Benjamin, and she did not know how to fix it, but she was determined to try.
So, one day when Lydia heard Benjamin crying, she ran to his crib, held his hand, and said, "I'm here. I'm right here." I was amazed that a two-year-old realized the words of comfort she was offering. She wanted her baby brother to know that he was not alone. She was with him. How like the words of Jesus: "I am with you always, to the end of the age." In other words, "I'm here. I'm right here."
How often are we distressed simply because we have forgotten that Jesus is with us? He is available for comfort, love, and direction. All we have to do is recognize his presence. Why is it that we fail to call on him when we need him? Why do we believe that we can handle everything ourselves? He is available to us, and we need to follow his example and make ourselves available to others. A two-year-old has shown us what to do. We need to take the hand of those who are crying and let them know that we are here, right here.
Father, a little child has led us. Bless us as we let those around us know that both you and we are here, right here. Amen.
Five Minutes Before the Miracle
Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? (Luke 15:8)
Susan, a diabetic, passed out after her husband's funeral. They had been married fifty-four years, and the stress was more than she could handle. Her children rushed her to the hospital. Once she was admitted, her son removed her jewelry, which she wore almost all of the time. He placed her two diamond rings and her pearl bracelet in a rubber glove and thought that he put the glove in his pocket. The next day when his siblings asked where their mother's precious jewelry was, he had to admit that he had lost it.
After a thorough search of the house, they concluded that the jewelry had been thrown in the trash at the hospital. They called Frank, a hospital custodian, and asked where they might find the trash from the emergency room. He told them that it had been taken to a landfill, but miraculously the waste management company had not dumped the hospital trash and agreed to deposit it separately so they could search it.
All of the siblings and Frank, the custodian, donned plastic suits and face masks and began their search. They began at 5:30 a.m. and searched for seven hours. They were convinced that they would have to tell their mother that her precious jewelry was gone. But Frank would not let them quit. He told them that you never quit five minutes before the miracle. When Frank opened the last bag of trash, his prayers were answered. The glove containing the jewelry was in it.
Lord, strengthen our faith so that we do not quit five minutes before the miracle. Amen.
