Title: Rise, Shine
Contents
Arise, shine (Isaiah 60:1-9)
In the new 2011 year, I pray in the name of the Lord that the era of blessing that will open a bright tomorrow for our members will come as God restores it. Dear saints, who are facing the age of splendid blessings. Do you really want to be blessed by God? Looking at the secret of being blessed through the text of the text,
First of all, you must rise up to receive blessings.
God says, ‘Get up quickly’ from the place of darkness of sin, from the place of frustration, disappointment and discouragement, from the place of murmuring and murmuring. Many people keep resenting and complaining about their given situation. But the Lord tells you to pick up your bed and get up and walk. Brothers and sisters, it is not a problem that our surroundings are dark and stuffy. A more serious problem is that our hearts are dark. Don't be discouraged if reality is dark. Even if living right now is hard, you just have to jump out of the wrong place. God never works on those who do nothing. Please remember that God works on those who jump up and walk and remember the blessings.
Second, we can receive blessings only when we shine.
The first message of restoration for the people of Israel, who are weary from their Babylonian captivity and who do not see any hope, is to “get up.” Why should I wake up? It's to let the light shine. The light symbolizes hope.
Dear brothers and sisters, the world is longing for the light now. Please remember that you and I are eager to shine the light of Jesus Christ. I earnestly pray that it will become the Sungkwang Church that illuminates the darkness in this Yeongdo area and that they will shine the light of salvation. In order to radiate this light of salvation, the light of life, and the light of hope, the glory of the Lord must first come upon us. In other words, it is the fact that we must receive grace through the Word, prayer, and filling of the Holy Spirit. We too are sinful beings, no different from the rest of the world. However, it is saying that we can carry out the mission of light only when we have been saved through our Lord Jesus Christ and become a being that emits light through being filled with the Holy Spirit and whose personality and life have been changed. In the name of the Lord, I pray that the work of evangelism will arise by illuminating your transformed life.
Third, we can receive blessings only when we look in all directions with the eyes of faith.
Verse 4 says, “Lift up your eyes and look in all directions.” The reason why we need to lift our eyes and look to the east, west, north and south is explained in verse 4 and below. Verse 4 says that all the crowds are coming to you, and your sons and daughters are coming from far away. Verse 5 says that the abundance of the sea will come to you, and the riches of the nations will come to you. Verse 6 says that the Midianites and the Shebaites will all come with gold and frankincense. And in verse 8, it says that from east, west, north and south, like clouds, doves fly to their nests. That's right. It is a fact that when faith is restored and the soul is restored, blessings and grace will gather from all directions. When my faith is restored and my soul is blessed, those who have left will return, lost property will be restored, and unexpected blessings will come.
In verse 20, the grace given to people of faith who lift up their eyes to God and look in all directions is introduced. “Your sun will never set again, and your moon will never pass away, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.” Let's lift our eyes and look to God. Let us give thanks and glory to God who helps and blesses me. And let's rejoice as we look at the blessings and graces pouring in from the east, west, north and south.
In the new year, we wish you these fantasies. I hope you have a dream that your country will prosper. I hope you have a vision of revival of the church. And may each of our families be blessed, and my children have a vision of good health and prosperity. I hope you have a dream that your business will prosper. To make this dream come true, I pray in the name of the Lord that all of us will rise up from the present darkness, grudges, complaints and frustrations, and the seat of sin, radiating the light of the Lord, and become all people of blessed faith.