Rise and shine

Isaiah 60:1 (ESV)

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

You may have people come into your life who try to discourage the dream God has put inside of you. When someone feels like they are drowning, they try to save themselves by pulling other people down around them. Persecution is a very real part of our Christian walk, but God assures us that He will be our light in darkness. Remember, it’s not flesh and blood we’re dealing with—we’re dealing with Satan and his plan to keep us from our destinies!

When we experience this kind of pressure, we have to get into God’s presence. Jesus told us in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Think about a hot air balloon. If you want a hot air balloon to go up, you need to put more hot air in it. If you put God’s truth over the opinions of the people around you, you are going to rise; those weights—regret, discouragement, and lies—have to fall off.

Don’t let your circumstances weigh you down and choke out the Word— rise and shine!

It’s our job to stand against the darkness so that we can raise each other up. God wants us to honor one another in love and be positive influences on the world around us. Your value is not about what you have or what you did. God says you are valuable, loved, and nothing will change the love He has for you. Let go; throw off those weights of self-pity, anger, and unforgiveness. Today is the day to stop living in the past. Drop the regrets. Rise and shine! There is a bright future ahead!

Dear Lord, we thank You for Your light that shines in us. Help us to not let those around us discourage us or dim that light.  Help us to fill our self with Your truth over the opinions of others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What are Your Priorities?

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island, he tells of five men who escape a Civil War prison camp by hijacking a hot air balloon.

As they rise into the air, they realize the wind is carrying them over the ocean. Watching their homeland disappear on the horizon, they wonder how much longer the balloon can stay aloft. As the hours pass and the surface of the ocean draws closer, the men decide they must cast overboard some of the weight, for they had no way to heat the air in the balloon. Shoes, overcoats, and weapons are reluctantly discarded, and the uncomfortable aviators feel their balloon rise. But only temporarily.

Soon they find themselves dangerously close to the waves again, so they toss their food. Better to be high and hungry than drown on a full belly! Unfortunately, this, too, is only a temporary solution, and the craft again threatens to lower the men into the sea. One man has an idea: they can tie the ropes that hold the passenger car and sit on those ropes. Then they can cut away the basket beneath them. As they sever the very thing they had been standing on, it drops into the ocean, and the balloon rises.

Not a minute too soon, they spot land. Eager to stand on terra firma again, the five jump into the water and swim to the island. They live, spared because they were able to discern the difference between what really was needed and what was not. The "necessities" they once thought they couldn't live without were the very weights that almost cost them their lives.

Every day and in every way, keep Jesus Christ first in your life. He is the Savior of your soul!

Dear Lord, thank the You that You are all that we need throughout eternity. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.