Open Heaven 28 April 2023: Let Your Light Shine

Open Heaven 28 April 2023

MEMORISE: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16 (KJV)

BIBLE READING: Acts 13:42-52

42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.

50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.

52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here

In John 9:5, Jesus Christ said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”. He also said in Matthew 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid”. If you are a child of God, it means you are qualified to be called light. Jesus went further to say, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”(Matthew 5:1-6).

Everything God does, He does excellently. It means His shining is extraordinary. He wants you also to shine extraordinarily. God wants you to shine like Joseph did. In Genesis 41:1-44, when Joseph gave the interpretations of Pharaoh’s dreams, the latter said, “We cannot find another man like this in whom the Spirit of God dwells”. The Lord wants us to shine like Moses. In Numbers 12:3, the Bible said, “There’s no man as meek as Moses”. He shone in his meekness. He wants us to shine like Deborah; In Judges 4:1-14, when it was time to go to war, even the captain said, ‘I won’t go unless Deborah comes along’ and she went with him.

He wants us to shine like Daniel. In Daniel 6:1-3, the Bible tells us that even though there were three people chosen to supervise other officers of the kingdom, Daniel excelled amongst them. An excellent spirit was found in him; he shone.

Now as Christians, we will shine by sharing the gospel and turning men to righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 6:1-8, some people were chosen to be the original deacons, but if I ask you today, “Who is Prochorus? Who is Nicanor? Who is Timon?” you will most likely say, “I don’t know”. They were among the seven deacons; they were chosen but didn’t shine. God called you to shine. May you shine so brightly that the name of the Almighty God will be praised continually in your life.