Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.(KJV)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDFA study of the above verse shows us that the responsibility of shining is up to us and not God. The above scripture says you “Arise”, you “Shine” because the glory of the lord has already risen upon you.
The glory is risen upon you so shine!
The responsibility of shinning in this life is now up to us and not to God. Since we are responsible for our shinning, we are the ones to also decide the extent to which our lights shine.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.(KJV)
Matthew 5:16
Even so let your light be shining before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.(BBE)
So if people around you are not giving glory to the father, at your presence it means that your light is not shinning yet.
So what is light and how do I shine my light so that men would see my good works and glorify my father who is in heaven?
Ephesians 5:13
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.(KJV)
Another translation puts it this way
Ephesians 5:13
But all things, when their true quality is seen, are made clear by the light: because everything which is made clear is light.(BBE).
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is… light
So the word of God is light, it makes everything clear. It brings everything into their right perspective
So light is an understanding
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Let’s examine the above scripture closely. The god of this world blinded the “minds” of them that believed not. What is the mind used for? For Understanding. So the devil blinded the minds of those which believed not, so that they would not understand the scriptures.
Let’s look at this verse one more time
2 Cor 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
It’s suppose to have said
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should be understood unto them. ”
Because, it’s talking here about their minds being blinded, so they would not understand the word of God. Rather it replaced the word “understanding” with shinning. It means your shinning in this life is in understanding.
Shinning in life is in your understanding of the word of God. Your understanding of the word of God is what the world is waiting to see. When you come to a perfect understanding of some truths in the word of God, you might not necessarily have to do a lot of talking, the proofs would be evident.
The you you are presently is the shinning of the light of the word of God you have right now in your spirit. But that light does just need to shine, it needs to “so shine”.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.(KJV)
So this means, let your understanding of the word of God be obviously tangible that men would see the proceeds of this your understanding of the word of God that they would automatically give praise to God, whether they are believers or not.
Let’s quickly examine Psalm 82
Psalm 82:1-7
1. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
2. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4. Deliver the poor and needy: rid [them] out of the hand of the wicked.
5. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6. have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High.
7. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.(KJV)
So this gives a description of the poor and fatherless, the afflicted and the needy, the poor and needy in the hand of the wicked. The bible says in verse 5 “They know not, neither will they understand”. So the absence of the understanding of the word of God is what makes the poor and fatherless; afflicted and needy; and the poor and needy; so poverty, lack and want is only a by-product of a lack of understanding of God.
“they walk on in darkness”- ignorance of the word is walking in darkness. That you are born again is not enough. Being born again, might be your ticket to heaven, but it’s not a guarantee to living a godly life on earth. To live that godly life on this earth, you must understand the word of God; your shinning is in that understanding. The godly life is the life of God, the life of the king of kings, the very everyday life of God
Amidst, the poverty, needs and fatherlessness God says “I have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High.” But because “they know not, neither do they understand, But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”
So that you are born again is not enough. You need an understanding of the word of God. Else the essence of the word of God will be absent in your life.
Your shinning in this life is in your understanding of the word of God.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.(KJV)
