JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Luke 15:20.

This is one of the highlights in the Parable of the Lost Son taught by Jesus.

A father had two sons. The younger one took his share of the estate and squandered his wealth on wild living. But after he spent everything and was in need, he came to his senses and decided to return to his father.

“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son and threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

This is a vivid picture of God’s compassion for the person who recognizes their need for forgiveness. Compassion sees the needs of another person and is moved to relieve their distress. Compassion moved the father to embrace his son who had returned home to Him.

The Father’s arms are open wide to receive returning Prodigals today.

This Light Reflection inspires us to marvel at the brilliance of God’s compassion in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to fix our eyes on Jesus.

It’s amazing how much our perspective can change from darkness to light when we focus on Jesus.

His extreme love will inspire us. His gentle humility will move us. His righteous example will give us a pattern for godly living. He will purify our faith so that it sparkles and shines brightly for His glory.

Hebrews 12:1 and 2 encourages us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Fixing our Eyes on Jesus is a Vital Step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Isaiah 6, verses 1 to 3.

Isaiah said, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were **seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah had a vivid view of God’s glory and it was a defining moment in his life. He would be called one of God’s prophets.

When we encounter the living God, we may be overwhelmed with amazement, and overcome by emotion. Like Isaiah, we may be grieved by our own sin in the presence of a holy God. But God’s mercy is also there to pardon our sin and prepare us for ministry. In the light of God’s glory, our faith is purified and our mission is clarified.

This Light Reflection inspires us to marvel at the brilliance of God’s glory in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to tell someone about Jesus.

In a world where people are seeking to be loved and accepted, there is no one who can do that like Jesus. He is the reason for our hope. This day is an opportunity to share the refreshing news of God’s unfailing love.

We can tell others how He meets our deepest needs by His grace. We can point them to the reality of the cross and the empty grave, and share what His death and resurrection mean for our lives-specifically, forgiveness and eternal life.

Simon Peter came to Christ after his brother Andrew said to him, “We have found the Messiah (that is, the Christ).”  John 1:42 says, “And he brought him to Jesus.”

Telling someone about Jesus is a Vital Step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from James 1:17.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

The blessings of God are expressions of His love for us. These blessings enrich our lives in various ways and reflect God’s goodness toward us.

His good gifts consist of resources that we need to survive, the things that He provides for our enjoyment, and the precious people in our lives that we know as “Friends.”

His perfect gifts are Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and His amazing grace. Jesus is the perfect remedy for our sin. The Holy Spirit is the perfect power source for living out the Christian life. And grace is the perfect plan of redemption that God designed before the world began.

This Light Reflection inspires us to marvel at the brilliance of God’s blessings in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to worship God in our trials.

It has been said that “trials are not enemies of faith, but are opportunities to prove God’s faithfulness.”

God can work through our testing of our faith to build our faith to bolder places.

It happened in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were in jail. About midnight, they were singing hymns to God. Other prisoners were listening to them. Then there was a violent earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison. Everyone’s chains came loose.

This event led to the conversion of the jailer, who asked Paul and Silas, “what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” The jailer did believe and was filled with joy.

Worshiping God in our trials is a Vital Step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Ephesians 2, verses 6 and 7.

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

God’s grace is an amazing expression of His love for us where we receive what we do NOT deserve. God’s grace is a gift that saves us from our sins.  That gift was made available through the price that Jesus paid with the shedding of His blood.

God’s grace not only saves us from sin, but also raises us to a new position in Christ. We are declared “Not guilty”.  When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom, giving us access to the Presence and holiness of God by faith.

God’s grace also gives us access to the treasures of heaven. We have a living hope that the future looks bright in the picture of eternity.

This Light Reflection inspires us to marvel at the brilliance of God’s grace in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to worship God through the pain of living.

Grief, sickness, a financial crisis, and conflict: These are some of the challenges that add stress to our lives, and threaten to steal the joy of our faith.

But God’s love is our source of hope through the good and bad times. His goodness never changes through changing events. His grace is greater than our circumstances. His Presence is a source of peace in the midst of the raging storm.

When a man named Job faced disaster in the Bible, he said in Job 1:21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” He praised God in his pain and persevered in his faith.

Worshiping God through the pain of living is a Vital Step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Psalm 119, verse 165.

Great peace have those who love your law, nothing can make them stumble.

Steven Curtis Chapman says in one of his songs that there is no better place on earth than the road that leads to heaven. There is something profoundly peaceful about knowing that we are in the center of God’s will with Jesus leading the way.

God’s law is a light that guides us in God’s will, revealing the wisdom we need for standing firm in the faith. Heeding His wisdom enables us to avoid the stumbling blocks of unbelief and disobedience.

Loving God’s law will lead us in the way of loving God and the people He has made. Those are the two greatest commandments in the Law, based on love, leading to peace.

This Light Reflection inspires us to enjoy the peace of loving God’s Word in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com