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Hear the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3mQ9Zcw
1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. (Isaiah 60:1-6 NRSV)
Happy New Year! And a blessed and joyous Monday be yours, dear ConCafe Family. May the light of God shine on you, Friend, in ways that will not only dazzle you but all those around you! As we prepare for the Day of Epiphany, may it be a time of awesome preparation. May we pray for God to speak to us and help us shine brightly into all areas of darkness that we encounter. May the time we spend together in this passage and devotional bless us on our walk with Jesus.
I am humbled by the power of God and the power of God's word. When a popular king died some 700 years before Jesus was even born, a young prophet had a vision from God of all that was to come for the benefit and wellbeing of all people. The words read from today's passage were written by that prophet, Isaiah, some 700 years before the wise men came to the crib of Jesus. 700 years! And more interesting is that these words were studied by Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, those whom we know as the Magi. The Day of Epiphany means a lot of things to a lot of people. Number one, the birth of Jesus was for the whole world, not just the Jews. The Magi came from parts of the world not known for being Jewish or even Jewish friendly. Their study of ancient writings and prophecies led them to faith in what God was up to and what God could, and would do. Imagine being one of the magi reading prophetic words about being able to arise, and shine because light had finally come and the glory of the Lord had come to them. The reality of darkness covering the earth was something they knew to be true in all places, and to hear that the Lord God would arise and His glory would appear over them would also mean that all nations would come to the saving knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. The second thing is the "aha" moment of people realizing the truth and power of God would be for them. And it would be a calling of all people to "come home" to God, from all corners of the world.
When we come to accept that truth about Jesus, we become radiant; our hearts thrill and rejoice, "because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to (us.) Those 700 years, plus the 2,000 since Jesus' days come to that one instant when we realize the life in abundance is truly ours. Light will not ony shine into our lives, it will shine out of our lives. You that like to fish, think hard on what that phrase "the abundance of the sea" would mean to you! And the "wealth of nations" means the rich blessings of God would come to you. And a known time and cultural reference to "A multitude of camels" covering you; but the most telling and prophetic of that important day was the reference to two of the three gifts offered by the magi; "They shall bring gold and frankincense," and what these men would do, "Shall proclaim the praise of the Lord." (Reference Matthew 2:1-12). Matthew's gospel is known as the one written with a Jewish audience in mind; seeking to convince fellow Jews that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, the true Son of God. And the good news? It applies to us as well! I don't know if you're into making, or keeping, resolutions, but here's one you should make daily; get to know the fullness of God for your life!
PRAYER: Loving God, as I start this New Year, let me pray John Wesley's prayer as my own: I am no longer my own, but Thine. Put me to what Thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for Thee or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in Heaven, amen."
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show someone the Light of love and hope radiating out of you!
Receive my blessings of hope and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
