THE BRIGHTNESS OF JESUS

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 26 May 2012

Hi all,

And God said, “Light be” and there was light. It sounds very simple. In a way, it’s meant to be. It is simple enough for young children and sufficiently complex to try the minds of the world’s greatest scientists. We look at “light” in today’s meditation.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Time with Jesus – Saturday, 26 May 2012
INTRODUCTION	DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE BRIGHTNESS OF JESUS
How old is our planet? Some say it’s hundreds of billions of years old. Mostly they are those who believe in the hypothesis of Darwinian evolution. I’ve deliberately used the word “hypothesis” because 150 years later, it still has not been proved scientifically. Others believe in a young earth. One created by God. How long ago was that? I once asked that question and was told, “as long as a piece of string”. “How long is that” I asked. The reply was, “How long do you want it to be? I was then told that such various opinions were possible because many of the basic, underlying assumptions, could not be verified.  The comment was that if you wanted to believe it was hundreds of billions of years old no one could gainsay you. Likewise if you wanted to believe the young earth theory, your opinion could not be contradicted. So it seems that the planet is as old as you want it to be. There are two questions we should ask about our planet, as it follows its course around the sun. The first is, “Why is it rotating” We know that it is. But what caused it? Random chance or design? Rotation gives us night and day. No rotation and we couldn’t be here in our present life form. Which brings us to the next question? Why is the angle of rotation such that we have four seasons per year? Did it occur purely on the basis of random actions? No? Then there must have been a designer somewhere. The designer is God. A great number of people today don’t believe in God. They are perfectly entitled to do so. May I say that it is a God given right with which I don’t want to try and meddle. They prefer to believe in the slow process of evolution.  If this took billions of years, to go from a big bang of some sort, to the complexity of the life forms we see all around, so be it. This is what they sincerely believe. They have a lot more faith than I do. To think that all this developed from nothing of its own accord is much harder to believe than to put it all down to intelligent design. I’ve heard it described in simple terms. Let’s assume that you have a big stack of logs outside in the back yard. Now put a big stick of explosives – your choice – under the logs. Then as they used to say, “Light the blue touch paper and stand well back”. What are the chances that the logs will all come down and fall into place like a log cabin complete with doors and windows? Do you think this could happen? I think the log cabin is more likely than everything coming from nothing. You have a start with logs and explosive! They don’t even have that! What did “kick off” creation? God spoke and it happened. Interestingly, He commenced with the creation of a time/space continuum. This happened when He said, “Light be!” Since He is light, it was not difficult. God’s light still shines on our planet. A living testimony to His greatness. Jim & Phyllida Strickland	23 The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it. God's glory is its light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by the light of the city. The kings of the world will bring their glory into it. Revelation 21:23-24 NIrV 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15 And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Acts 26:13-15 ESV 1 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. Matthew 17:1-2 NLT 19 "No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the LORD will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. 21 All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with My own hands in order to bring Myself glory. Isaiah 60:19-21 NLT 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10 TNIV	Our planet is rotating. They say it’s slowing down. So far it’s just a little bit, so this won’t make us frown. But someday in the future, perhaps ten billion years, It’s going to stop its turning, unless the Lord appears. I do not know the science, so cannot really say, How this will change the period of night-time and of day. I guess that on the “light side”, things shrivel up and fry; And where it’s all in darkness, life forms will freeze and die. I think this brief prognosis, the scientists agree, Consists our little planet’s final destiny! I cannot argue with them. I’m told they know the best. But when I think of Jesus Christ, I think they merely jest! It seems a bit unlikely, that things will last that long. And when He takes things over, they’ll see they have things wrong. You won’t hear me complaining that day and night are done. Neither will be needed in the brightness of God’s Son! I hear that Jesus’ brightness, will make the sun seem pale. So bright the New Jerusalem’s electric lights can fail. Instead there will be brightness without the need for shade. All that really matters is that Christ has been obeyed. I know that John has seen it, with Peter, James and Paul. Moses at the burning bush; He was the first of all. They saw a transformation a place of burning light. When Paul got just a sample, it burned away his sight. I cannot speak of others. I cannot say for sure, If someone else has seen Him? Can any man endure, A light that is so radiant it turns the night to day? I’m told that the atomic bomb explodes and looks that way. But Jesus and His brilliance will never wax nor wane. His light will fill that city. We will not need again, The sunlight in the morning or moonlight in the night. They’ll fade to insignificance when Jesus shines His light. That great big massive city that could fit into the moon, Is what we are expecting; for He is coming soon. The God of grace has called us and we will always be, Rejoicing in the “Son-light” of His Divinity. Though we will face some problems before that special day. We know He is victorious; We’ll be with Him to stay. Jim Strickland  Written 26th May 2012