JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is peacemaking.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

God’s love is so strong that it can be a force to turn enemies into friends. That is what happened at the cross when Jesus died for sinners. We were in hostility against God, and our sin was the expression of that hostility. However, His love draws us to His saving grace and turns us from foe to friend when we yield to His love.

We also become ambassadors for Christ to share a message of grace and peace through Jesus. This good news has the power to persuade people to follow Jesus and build healthy relationships between people. James 3:18 says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Peacemaking 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 a Pure Heart.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

This beatitude has to do with living for God with pure devotion and pure motives. If we want to live in the light, then the way forward is to fix our eyes on Jesus and protect our heart from all kinds of corruption.

The starting place for a pure heart is reverence for God. Job was commended as a man who was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. In light of all that God has done for us, it is fitting for us to respond with gratitude and offer ourselves to Him with complete devotion.

Second Corinthians 7:1 urges us to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

A pure heart 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, verses 9 to 11.

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

God’s Word is a light to help us overcome temptation. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responded by reciting God’s Word, and did not give in to the devil.

Taking God’s word to heart will affect the desires of our heart so that we do not want to grieve God’s heart. Our delight will be in the Lord and our fellowship with Him will take top priority in our lives.

James 4:7 urges us to submit ourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from us. Come near to God, and He will come near to us.

This Light Reflection inspires us to guard our heart from temptation by the power of God’s Word in the Year To Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Second Peter 1:19 to 21.

“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you 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 your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Bible prophecy is a light to bring us hope in a world darkened by sin. The prophets were moved by God to utter revelations of things yet to come, and to speak truth to the people of their time. The message of prophecy can be compared to a list of God’s promises. Just as Jesus fulfilled many prophecies about Him at His first appearance, so He will fulfill more prophecies when He returns. God is faithful to His Word.

This Light Reflection inspires us to trust in God’s promises 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 Mercy.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.”

Mercy can be shown in different forms. Both expressions are life-giving in our relationships. One way to express mercy is to reach out with a helping hand to someone in distress. The Good Samaritan extended this kind of mercy to a man that was badly beaten by robbers. He attended to his needs and helped him get back on his feet.

Another way to express mercy is to forgive someone who has wronged us. Jesus equated mercy with forgiveness in one of His parables. Ephesians 4:32 encourages us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

The demonstration of mercy is a powerful way to represent Christ and to refresh others with hope and encouragement.

Mercy 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 Second Timothy 3:16 and 17.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

God’s Word is a light to build our character and prepare us to live out God’s calling. In the Kingdom of God, character matters. God’s Word is reliable for describing what God is like and what He treasures. As we see our lives in light of God’s will, we have opportunity to make changes in our lives so that we might more accurately reflect His image.

God’s Word also points us to the example of Jesus as the ultimate standard. He did not commit any sin, never compromised the truth, and always lived a life of love and purity. The closer we move toward Him, the more likely that we will reflect His character.

This Light Reflection inspires us to turn to God’s Word for spiritual training and growth 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 an appetite for righteousness.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

This craving is satisfied by faith in Jesus who said, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Jesus is our source of righteousness. His grace moves us to embrace what pleases God and to reject what dishonors His name.

So, today, we can taste and see that the Lord is good as we receive His grace and take His words to heart. His righteousness will be our guiding light and shine through us to uphold His grace and truth.

An appetite for righteousness 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 meekness.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 5:5.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

One definition of meekness is “enduring injury with patience and without resentment.”

In the devotional book “For Every Season” Greg Laurie describes meekness as “power under constraint” or “strength under control.”  It’s a picture of a stallion that has been broken. The horse has not lost its will or strength, but has surrendered its will to the rider. That is a good picture to inspire us to surrender our will to God.

Psalm 37 contains a good description of meekness and how God works through that quality in our lives. Verse 5 says, “Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him, and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

Meekness 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 Romans 15:4.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.

Bible history is a light to help us learn from the successes and failures of those who have gone before us.

First Corinthians 10 recalls moral failures of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness in the days of Moses. Verse 6 says, “These things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.”

On the positive side, James 5:10 says, “As an example in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

This Light Reflection inspires us to find hope and encouragement in the lessons of Bible history in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com