JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Psalm 89:14 and 15.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
Jesus is the firm foundation for the Christian faith. At the cross, God’s love and justice came together to demonstrate God’s righteous justice toward sin and faithful love toward sinners. Jesus paid the price for the sins that we commit. He is the advocate we need for forgiveness.
He has done all the work that is necessary for our salvation. Our proper response is to receive this gift of grace with gratitude and worship.
That word “acclaim” in this passage means to praise God publicly and with enthusiasm. This is how we can shine our light for God.
This Light Reflection inspires us to acclaim God and walk in the light of His presence in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Romans 14:17 and 18.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
This passage encourages us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ through disagreements on disputable matters-those gray areas where the guidelines are not so clear. In this chapter, Paul the Apostle was talking about dietary matters. Some believers had restrictions Others took more liberties. Those differences were not supposed to disrupt unity.
The Kingdom priorities of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit can help believers remain unified through disagreements.
This is possible as we look to Christ daily, Seek His wisdom, embrace grace, live with humility, and show respect for others.
This Light Reflection inspires us to serve Jesus with righteousness, peace and joy in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Matthew 6:33.
Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
The book of Matthew refers to the kingdom of heaven more than any other book in the Bible.
Jesus was giving us a focus point to replace worry with faith. That focus point is the kingdom of God and His righteousness. These are bright lights that cause the darkness of worry to retreat.
Jesus said, “Do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘what shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
This Light Reflection inspires us to place God’s kingdom and righteousness as top priority in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK -Today’s Light Reflection is from First Corinthians 1:30.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
When Jesus steps into our lives, He brings the influence of His grace and truth to redirect our path in a new direction.
His Light overcomes our darkness. His Clarity overcomes our confusion. His Wisdom overcomes our folly.
The wisdom of Jesus leads us into paths that are righteous, holy, and redemptive. James 3:17 tells us that the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
This Light Reflection inspires us to fully embrace Jesus and live out His wisdom in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Ephesians 5:8 to 10.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
In relationship with God, we come out of the darkness of our own sin and into the light of His grace and truth. In light of our identity as children of God, the writer is urging us to live that truth out in our attitude, speech, and conduct. The words we say and the things we do will please the Lord if they are motivated by our love for the Lord and in line with His goodness, righteousness, and truth.
This Light Reflection inspires us to find out what pleases the Lord and live it out in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Romans 4:25.
Speaking of Jesus, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
To be justified in God’s sight is to be declared “not guilty.” Yet, the Bible tells us we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. So, how then can those who are guilty be declared innocent in God’s eyes?
The answer is the Gospel, which is the light that reveals our hope by the death and resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the weight of our sins on Himself and paid the penalty for what we deserved. He went there in our place. Trusting in His provision of grace is what makes us righteous in God’s eyes.
Abraham was a man of faith and was given the credit of righteousness. That is what happens to us who believe in God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
This Light Reflection inspires us to believe in the good news about Jesus 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 produce a harvest of righteousness.
In Luke 8, Jesus told the parable of four different kinds of soils, which represent different ways that people respond to the seed of God’s Word.
One soil was resistant. Another soil was not well-rooted. Another soil was cluttered with thorns. None of those soils were able to grow a productive crop. But there was a good soil that did produce a crop.
Jesus said in Luke 8:15, “The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Let that be true of us to be receptive to God’s Word, nourished, and growing in faith. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Producing a Harvest of righteousness 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 Daniel 12:2 and 3.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
The stars in the universe have been created by God and declare His glory.
Those stars can be a source of motivation for us to be witnesses for Jesus to a world that is experiencing spiritual darkness. We were made to shine and reflect His goodness and glory. As we do, we become a voice of hope to point people to the light of God’s love through faith in Jesus Christ.
This Light Reflection inspires us to be an influence for righteousness 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 – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is Delighting in the LORD.
This is foundational to a sustainable, productive journey of faith.
When we delight in the Lord, we are moved by God’s love to do God’s will, and make a difference for God’s Kingdom.
When we delight in the Lord, we will be motivated to reach out to others with God’s love and share His good news.
After the shepherds visited Jesus at the manger, their hearts were moved to tell others about Jesus, and all who heard their words were amazed.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 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.”
Delighting in the Lord is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Genesis 15:6.
From the New Living Translation: Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.
Righteousness before God is the result of our faith in the LORD. Romans 4:23 points out something very exciting for us by Abraham’s faith.
“When God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”
This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to get right with God by trusting in Jesus to save us from our sins in the Year of Relationship.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
