You Are Shining!

I had the privilege of sharing with my "sending church" family up at Sunbury last weekend. The week leading up to that sermon, I asked God to give me a specific word for my family at Sunbury Baptist and immediately the Holy Spirit reminded me of something He'd helped me to understand back in October last year. 

I don't have the podcast from the sermon yet, to upload here, so instead I decided to share what I'd written in my journal back in October 2013 when I first caught the wonder and encouragement, personally, of what I shared last Sunday!

"...He has spoken to us through His Son...This Son is the radiance of the Sh'khinah,"

Hebrews 1:2-3 (CJB)

28 / 10/ 2013

"Pastor Julie is always reminding us Kingdom Living College students that we're shining...Yesterday as I pondered the same thing, God caused me to realise something incredible! We are SHINING!!! We are shining, not with some random, impotent light, but with the very Sh'khinah glory of God! 

As I was walking along, thinking about the fact that we're shining, God posed the question in my mind, "What do you think that light is?" and then before I even had a chance to respond, He just as quickly caused me to realise the answer: I have God living on the inside of me! His sh'khinah glory - His presence and glory cannot help but radiate out of me just as Moses' face radiated with that same shining light when he had been in God's presence! (Exodus 34:29-35)

...This Truth gives a whole new meaning to Jesus' words in Matthew 5:16, "Let you light shine before people, so that they may see..."!

I memorised Matthew 5:16 as a child and always thought the verse was saying that I needed to live a good life and do good deeds so that others' would see my good works and praise God. I now understand that Jesus wasn't saying that at all! He didn't say, "Let your good deeds shine before men..."

He said, "Let your LIGHT shine..." that is, the light of His presence and radiance...that emanates out of us because we literally host the presence of God within our spirits! As I allow His light to shine out of me, others will see and find themselves praising God!

What a wonder to think that the blinding radiance of Jesus' sh'khinah glory literally shines out of me, because I have the Holy Spirit - the Third Person of the Godhead, God Himself  - living on the inside of me!!!

We may not always feel like we're shining, but the more we believe and receive what God says about us (as opposed to how we feel about ourselves) the more we will shine!

I have days when I'm walking along, feel tired or heavy, and suddenly the Holy Spirit reminds me: I'm shining! As I start to chew on that precious thought, my steps get lighter, my drooping shoulders lift up, my heavy heart brightens and WHAM-OH! Suddenly, I'm not only shining on the inside (my spirit) but that radiance and light is bursting out into my soul (my mind, will and emotions) and beaming off my face and others see it too! I think that's what Jesus meant when He said, "(You) Let your light shine..."

I hope this blog post encourages you, precious friend. Whatever you're facing in life right now, however you feel within your emotions, the Truth is that you're SHINING!!! With the very radiance of God's glory and presence! You're shining! And the more you trust this special Word from your Daddy God, to you, His precious child, the more that shining light in your 'inner man' will radiate out into your soul and beam from your face so that others see it also!

"For it is the God who once said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has made His light shine in our hearts..." 2 Corinthians 4:6 (CJB)