Arise and Shine

Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people:
but the Lord shall arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light,
and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:
all they gather themselves together, they come to thee:
thy sons shall come from far,
and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
Then thou shalt see, and flow together,
and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged;
because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee,
the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
The multitude of camels shall cover thee,
the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
all they from Sheba shall come:
they shall bring gold and incense;
and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee,
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee:
they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar,
and I will glorify the house of my glory.
Who are these that fly as a cloud,
and as the doves to their windows?
~Psalm 60:1-8
Even when God shines favor into our lives, it can be tempting to treat others the same way they have treated us. It seems fair to our imperfect minds that if someone else did not help us when we were down, we do not need to help them either. In contrast, God is very clear in His command for us to abandon that reasoning and instead demonstrate love to others. We are to provide for their worldly needs while also proclaiming God's Word to their lives. We should rejoice that others in the darkness can also be brought into the light, just as we have been.
-Tiffany Anne Crowder
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people:
but the Lord shall arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light,
and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:
all they gather themselves together, they come to thee:
thy sons shall come from far,
and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
Then thou shalt see, and flow together,
and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged;
because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee,
the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
The multitude of camels shall cover thee,
the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
all they from Sheba shall come:
they shall bring gold and incense;
and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee,
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee:
they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar,
and I will glorify the house of my glory.
Who are these that fly as a cloud,
and as the doves to their windows?
~Psalm 60:1-8
Even when God shines favor into our lives, it can be tempting to treat others the same way they have treated us. It seems fair to our imperfect minds that if someone else did not help us when we were down, we do not need to help them either. In contrast, God is very clear in His command for us to abandon that reasoning and instead demonstrate love to others. We are to provide for their worldly needs while also proclaiming God's Word to their lives. We should rejoice that others in the darkness can also be brought into the light, just as we have been.
-Tiffany Anne Crowder
Posted in Psalm 60:1-8
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This scripture and message was brought up this morning at Bible study at Dairy Queen. My friend Bo brought the message it was on Psalm 37. It was about not fretting about evil doers and being envious of the wicked. The owner of Dairy Queen, David, brought up how we, as Christians, are treated badly and reviled to push back the same way, but we have a calling to treat that person with respect, honor, and also to pray for them. Christ died for them and we are all made in His image, but the world pulls us to react the same way everyone else does, after all no one would blame us for doing so. We would just be reacting the way anyone else would. The scripture that came to mind was
n2 Peter 3:3-4...knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation."....
nI may have never said this with my mouth, but I sure have with my actions many times. The verse spoken this morning that went with Isaiah 60:1 was
nPsalm 37:5-6... Commit your way to the Lord; trusting Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday....
nSometimes I need a little shaking to wake up and remember not only is Jesus coming back soon, but He here with me now. And when I am tempted to treat someone the same way, its an opportunity to show God's grace. It may not effect them at all. It make shake them a little and remind them of Jesus' presence. But one way or the other, being in constant practice of reading and doing God's Word and following Him, committing our ways to Him, and trusting in Him. He will bring forth our righteousness as the light and our justice as the noonday.
nISAIAH 60:1 is quoted in
nEPHESIANS 5:12-17...For it is shamefuleven to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "AWAKE, O SLEEPER, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST WILL SHINE ON YOU." Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is....
nI like the way that is put. "AWAKE, O SLEEPER, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST WILL SHINE ON YOU." I need that constantly! I'm just like Jonah, knowing I'm not in the perfect will of God but, as long as I'm able to get by I can ask for forgiveness and go back to sleep. But, I need that shaking and reminder that this is real. Every little thing counts. My reactions and what I do can be a cause to blasphemy the name of God or bring glory to his Name.
nAnd when things do go well according to God's will, plan, and purposes. It's also tempting to get the attitude like Elijah that, I'm the only one left doing God's will. I need to wake up and realize it's not me doing anything for one it's Him. And I'm not the only one He graciously uses to do His will. There's a word in Isaiah 60:5 that's really cool. RADIANT.
nIsaiah 60:5- Then you shall see and be RADIANT; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you...
nThat word RADIANT is a word picture of the church, the body of Christ reflecting God's glory like light sparkling off a million waves in the sea. In the strong concordance its H5102 NAHAR ..To sparkle, to be cheerful. The sheen from a running stream, to assemble or flow together and be lightened.
nThe song , "GOD WHO TOUCHES EARTH WITH BEAUTY", describes the Hebrew word NAHAR well.
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nGod, who touches earth with beauty,
nMake me lovely too;
nWith Thy Spirit recreate me,
nMake my heart anew.
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nLike Thy springs and running waters, (NAHAR)
nMake me crystal pure;
nLike Thy rocks of towering grandeur,
nMake me strong and sure.
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nLike the shining waves in sunlight, (NAHAR)
nMake me glad and free;
nLike the straightness of the pine trees
nLet me upright be.
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nLike the arching of the heavens,
nLift my thoughts above;
nTurn my dreams to noble action,
nMinistries of Love.
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nGod, who touches earth with beauty,
nMake me lovely too;
nKeep me ever by Thy Spirit,
nPure and strong and True. Mary Edgar
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nThose people that we're so prone to lash back at or right off, I believe that God can graft them into the body of Christ just like Jesus putting that ear back on the servant of the High Priest's that Peter cut off. That man could of been another Paul and a sparkle from the river that flows from the throne of God.
nI think the prophesy of Habakkuk 2:14 consists of loving each other and loving God and reading God's Word and doing it. And praying for our enemies.
nHabakkuk 2:14 - For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
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