Rise and Shine!

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)

My mother used to come into the bedroom I shared with my sister and announce, "Rise and shine!" I knew what rise meant, but I never quite understood the shine part. What does it mean to shine? Does it mean to let the inner spirit of your being project a light? Does it mean to light up your face with a smile? Does it mean to pledge that day to do good works that will show that you are walking in the light of Christ? What does it mean?

Jesus told us to let our lights shine before others so that they might see our good works and glorify God. Well, maybe now we are on to something. Our good works create the shine. Perhaps Mama was telling us to get up and do some good works. Get up and help somebody today. Get up and make a difference in the world.

I wonder how many of us rise without any intention of letting our lights shine. I really wonder how many of us have no light. How many of us know the source of light? When there is no light, we walk in darkness, but we cannot benefit from the light, if we do not know where it comes from. The light comes from Christ. He is the source of our light. Every day we should rise seeking His light and letting it shine in our lives.

So, tell me, what will you do today that will let your light shine? Will you study the word and learn more about the light? Will you pray for others that they will see the light? Will you reach out and touch someone who is lonely or sick or homeless? How will you shine today?

Arise, let your light shine!

Lord, we cannot rise and shine without you. Be in us in every way today. Amen.

Rising Early

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. (John 20:1)

I have often heard the saying, "The early bird gets the worm." I suppose that means that you have to be one of the first ones up and out to get the blessing. It was certainly true for Mary Magdalene. She was up early; she arrived at the tomb before anyone else, and she got the blessing. She saw the Lord!

What is it that we miss when we stay in bed too long? What is too long? Do we waste away our time for serving God? Do we miss opportunities to see him in others? Just what do we accomplish when we fail to rise early?

Mary Magdalene rose early to accomplish a task. She wanted to anoint the body of the Lord. She had to wait until after the Sabbath, so she waited as long as she could. When she got to the tomb, the Lord had risen. Mary ran to tell Peter and John, but she returned to the tomb to find out what had happened to the body. Her rising early had given her time to find the answer to the mystery. Remember that she had arrived while it was still dark, so she had the whole day ahead of her. She could investigate once the sun had risen. She was in position to discover that the Son had risen!

What wonderful blessing awaits you today? You have time to greet God's people at their many points of need. I am so glad that you decided to rise early.

Lord, thank you for the blessing of this day. Help me use it in such a way that others will see you at work in my life. Amen.

What Shall I Render?

What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me? (Psalm 116:12)

How many times have we asked what we can do for God? Or do we ever ask that? If we were really serious about asking the question, what would be our answer? The psalmist asks what he can return to the Lord for all his bounty, and a songwriter asked, "What shall I render unto God for all his blessings?"

That is an awesome question. What is it that we can do for God? After all, he has everything. All God wants from us is praise and devotion in the presence of his people. This is important. We may praise God and offer our thanksgiving for all he has done for us, but do we offer this praise in isolation so that no one knows how grateful we are? We need to witness. We need to proclaim our love and devotion in such a way that everyone knows what God has done for us. We need to support God's church with our tithes and offerings so that others can be blessed. We need to let others know how much we love the Lord.

God has been so good to us. Do you wonder why I have said that? Well, let us return to the old church warriors. They would stand up in church and thank God for waking them up that morning; for starting them on their way; for clothing them in their right mind; and for giving them a brand-new day. They would not stop there. They would thank God for food on the table and clothes on their backs. They understood how to return to God the praise and thanksgiving he was due in the presence of the people.

What can we render? Ask yourself that question, and when you have an answer, do it!

Holy Father, thank you for all your blessings. Help me be a blessing to others. Amen.

What's in a Name?

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

My grandson was born on the day that Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. My son and daughter-in-law had been supporters of Obama since he had declared his candidacy, so they named their son Benjamin Barack Kimbrough.

My husband likes to say that his grandson was named for three presidents—Benjamin Elijah Mays (former president of Morehouse College in Atlanta), Barack Obama (44th president of the United States), and his father, Walter M. Kimbrough (president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock). Although this is true, I know that my daughter-in-law loves biblical names and was thinking of Benjamin, the beloved son of Jacob and Rachel, when she chose that first name.

But what is in a name? Does the name we are given at birth affect the lives we live? The writer of Proverbs says that we need a good name, and we can only have a good name by living a good life. We need to accumulate lots of good deeds rather than riches. What if we tried to see how many good deeds we could do rather than how much money we could make? Martin Luther said that good works don't make you good, but good people do good works. Let's try today to do good works. A good name will surely follow.

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to do good today. Amen.

The Rocks Won't Cry

I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out. (Luke 19:40)

When Jesus was making his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the disciples were praising God for all of the powerful things they had seen. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd asked Jesus to tell his disciples to stop praising God, but Jesus told them that if they stopped, the rocks would cry out. I wonder how many of us let the rocks praise God for us.

Are we like the disciples who were not ashamed to praise God for all of the wonderful and powerful things they had seen, or do we let the rocks cry out for us? How many opportunities to witness have we missed? What wonderful and powerful things have we experienced?

I suppose the Pharisees did not want the others who had gathered to hear what God had done, and we may be like them. We receive blessings and...