JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Isaiah 53:4 and 5.

This is a prophecy about Jesus, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed.”

This prophecy came to light at the cross, where Jesus died for our sins. At the time this prophecy was written, crucifixion had not been invented. Yet, the prophet wrote about the way Jesus would be pierced for our transgressions.

The cross was the place of the great exchange, where the Savior suffered for our sins so that we could be forgiven by God and restored to a peaceful relationship with God. Our ultimate healing flows from the blood of Jesus shed at the cross.

This Light Reflection inspires us to remember the price that was paid for our redemption in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1sbV63ti6zeEcLIoFtBZd7?si=b4568bd5fd88493e

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to walk by faith, not in fear.

Being a witness for Jesus involves taking a public stand for the Gospel. The Apostle Paul was an excellent example of a bold believer.

He said in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” He consistently stood for Jesus in crowds that were receptive to his message and crowds that were hostile to his message.

Peter struggled with that kind of boldness at times. After Jesus was arrested, he denied knowing Jesus three times. But later, he would learn from the error of his ways and turn back to Christ.

He encouraged a church under persecution with these words in First Peter 3:14, “Even if you suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats, do not be frightened.”

Walking by faith, not in fear 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 Isaiah 56:7b.

My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

This yearning came to light in the actions of Jesus when He cleansed the temple by overturning the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. He expressed these words from Isaiah and then added, “But you are making it a den of robbers.”

Jesus had zeal for the temple to be a place of worship. That is why He cleared the corruption that was evident there. That is not the only temple that He seeks to purify. The Bible tells us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. In love, He seeks to purify our faith, so that our body is a place of sincere worship.

Jesus is willing to overturn the idols of our heart and the circumstances of our lives, not for the purpose of destroying us, but to cleanse us and set us free to worship God in spirit and in truth.

This Light Reflection inspires us to offer our bodies to God as houses of worship in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Zechariah 9:9.

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

This prophecy came to light on Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on those animals. If Jesus entered on a horse, He would have come as a military leader. But He came with humility and in peace. There was much rejoicing on that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The crowds shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven.”

Palm Sunday is a celebration to remind us how Jesus comes to us in humility with His offer of grace and peace.

This Light Reflection inspires us to welcome Jesus as our Righteous King and worthy Savior 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 sharing the reason for our hope.

As we set apart Christ as Lord of our lives, our belief turns to conviction. God becomes our source of confidence. We hold dearly to the promises of blessing that He has declared for those who love Him.

The quality of our relationship with God overflows into the way we relate with other people. Because we have tasted that the Lord is good, we want others to experience the goodness of God in their lives too.

And so, in our conversations with people, we can look for timely moments to share the reason for our hope, friend to friend.

Here is how we can represent the Lord in meaningful conversations. First Peter 3:15 says, “In your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Sharing the Reason for our Hope is a vital step to a radiant faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to set apart Christ as Lord.

This is the step of faith that puts Jesus at the throne of our heart. He becomes the king of our ambitions. We turn to Him to be the guiding influence of our lives. What matters to God is a priority for us. We seek to love what He loves and hate what He hates. We want to be in alignment with the purposes of His heart.

First Peter 3:15 says “In your hearts, revere Christ as Lord.”

Knowing Jesus this way will better equip us to share the reason for our hope in the Lord with others.

Setting apart Christ as Lord 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 Revelation 19:10b.

“Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

The book of Revelation is a prophetic book. Contained in its writings is a promise of blessing for the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, who hear it, and take to heart what is written in it.

Here we see one of the blessings of taking the prophecy of Revelation to heart. It leads us to worship God. Jesus is revealed as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS. His victory is revealed over the forces of evil. His worthiness is celebrated at heaven’s throne among the angels and God’s people.

The prophecies of the Bible are not mere speculation. They are true and trustworthy. Second Peter 1:19 talks about the prophetic message as something completely reliable. We will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.

This Light Reflection inspires us to heed the prophecies about Jesus in the Bible in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Happy Spring! This week, it’s the Spring Songs edition of the Praise & Worship Program. The playlist is filled with songs that celebrate how God is faithfully working in each season. Plus, a special focus on new growth and awakening in Spring!

Kristi Leigh, WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

Podcast: Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Follow: Instagram & Facebook

Playlists: Spotify

Song Title	Artist	Album	Year
6:00 A.M.
This Is What You Do	William Matthews	For The Sake Of The World	2012
Alive	All Sons & Daughters	Season One	2012
Evergreen	Gable Price and Friends	Fractioned Heart	2020
Seasons	Hillsong Worship	Christmas: The Peace Project	2018
Into The Light	SisterBrother	TBD	2013
Awakening	Hillsong United	Aftermath	2011
Refresh Me (Live)	Leeland	Christ Be All Around Me – Live	2014
Dance With Me (feat. Chris Quilala) [Live]	Jesus Culture	Consumed (Live)	2009
Let The Earth Awake	Charlie Hall	The Rising	2010
Psalm 96 (Let the Earth Rejoice)	Robbie Seay Band	Psalms LP	2015
Made New (Live)	Life.Church Worship	Fully Devoted (Live)	2016
All Things New (Live)	Elevation Worship	For the Honor (Live) [Deluxe Edition]	2011
7:00 A.M.
Grow	Jason Upton	God Finds Us	2020
Good Ground	Citizens	Single	2023
Joy In The Morning	Tauren Wells & Elevation Worship	Single	2023
Youre Not Done (feat. Charity Gayle)	Leeland	Single	2023
Goodness of God	Jenn Johnson	Goodness of God (Studio Version)	2019
Rise And Shine (Live) (feat. Mitch Wong)	The Belonging Co	Now (Live)	2022
Step Into the Light (feat. Sean Curran)	Passion	Single	2019
My Awakening (feat. Clay Finnesand)	Canyon Hills Worship	Single	2021
All Things New	Hillsong Worship	No Other Name	2014
Joyful, Joyful	Casting Crowns	Until The Whole World Hears	2010
Beautiful	Phil Wickham	Cannons	2007
8:00 A.M.
Marvelous Light	Charlie Hall	Flying Into Daybreak	2006
Awake My Soul	Hillsong Worship	Awake	2019
Your Love Awakens Me	Phil Wickham	Children Of God	2016
Up & Alive	Luke + Anna Hellebronth	Single	2019
Cherry Blossoms	MoveSomebody	MoveSomebody	2020
Beautiful Things	Shane & Shane	The Worship Initiative, Vol. 1	2014
In the Garden (There Is None Like You)	Watermark	A Grateful People	2006
Communion (feat. Steffany Gretzinger & Brandon Lake)	Maverick City Music	Maverick City, Vol. 2	2019
Graves Into Gardens (feat. Brandon Lake)	Elevation Worship	Graves Into Gardens	2020
Here Is Our King	David Crowder Band	A Collision	2005
Let The Light In	Cody Carnes	Run To The Father	2020
9:00 A.M.
Creation Sings	All Sons & Daughters	Poets & Saints (Deluxe Community Edition)	2016
Old for New (Live)	Hannah McClure	Starlight (Live)	2017
Desert Song	Hillsong United	Across The Earth – Tear Down The Walls	2009
God of New Seasons (feat. Laura Souguellis)	Christ For The Nations Worship	God of New Seasons	2021
Every Season	Canyon Hills Worship	Single	2023
What I See (feat. Chris Brown)	Elevation Worship	LION	2022
Resurrecting	Elevation Worship	Here As In Heaven	2018
More to Come (feat. Kristian Stanfill)	Passion	Follow You Anywhere	2019
Fresh Wind (Studio)	Hillsong Worship	Fresh Wind/What A Beautiful Name (Live) – EP	2021
The Garden	Kari Jobe	The Garden (Deluxe Edition)	2017
Springtime	Chris Renzema	Let the Ground Rest	2020
Roses	Andrew Ripp	Evergreen	2021
Only Good Will Grow (feat. Brian Elmquist)	Matt Maher	The Stories I Tell Myself	2022

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Second Corinthians 5:15.

Speaking of Jesus, “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

The light of the Gospel gives us purpose to live for God’s glory.

The death and resurrection of Jesus motivates us to love and serve God with every ounce of strength that we have. Jesus gave His all for us. Now, in gratitude, we have the opportunity to live for Him. We live with the confidence that we do not serve a dead Savior, but a Living Savior. Therefore, our purpose is a victorious cause.

In light of the resurrection, First Corinthians 15:58 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

This Light Reflection inspires us to delight in God’s purpose for our lives to glorify Him in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com