FRIDAY 6TH JULY 2018 FUNCTIONING AS LIGHT

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY 6TH JULY 2018
THEME: FUNCTIONING AS LIGHT
MEMORISE:
Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
READ: Matthew 5:14-16
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is
set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it
under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven.
MESSAGE
Light is the manifestation of God's creative
word. Having been spoken into existence on
the first day of creation, light came into
being even before the sun and the moon,
which were created on the fourth day. Light
was separated from darkness and declared
by God to be good (Genesis 1:4 & 18). Light
and darkness are contrasted in several
verses of the Bible, and in all cases, light is
affirmed as superseding darkness.
Ecclesiastes 2:13 equates wisdom with light
and foolishness with darkness. Light is
declared to be the path of righteousness,
while darkness is the path of those who
rebel against God (Proverbs 4:18, Job 18:5).
I pray that the light of God will disperse
every form of darkness in your life today in
the mighty Name of Jesus.
At the beginning of creation, the world was
filled with gross darkness. This prompted to
create light as a solution to the problem of
darkness, which is why He is referred to as
the Father of lights (James 1:17). Jesus also
declared Himself as the light of the world
(John 8:12). As light, Christ's role throughout
His earthly ministry was to destroy the
darkness of this world and enable humanity
become children of light through faith (John
12:46, John 12:36). He succeeded in His
assignment and raised for Himself a people
who are the light of the world (Matthew
5:14). As His chosen people, our light must
shine before all men to provide guidance
and leadership in a world full of sin,
confusion, hatred, danger and all kinds of
wickedness. Jesus lived an exemplary life as
the light of the world, and we also must
follow in His footsteps. Jesus illuminated the
world by preaching the good news of the
gospel with love and compassion. Through
His own life, He showed us how to live in
holiness and righteousness in a world full of
sin. He brought joy to the hearts of men by
healing the sick, delivering the oppressed
and raising the dead. He was a father to the
fatherless, husband to the widow and hope
to the hopeless. Functioning as light
therefore signifies replicating everything
that He did while He was here on earth (1
John 2:6). We are to preach the good news
of the gospel to all nations and ensure that
lost souls are saved and properly made
disciples of Christ. Holiness and
righteousness should be our watchword,
and truth should be found in us always. We
must be agents of peace and progress in
our communities as we show good
neighbourliness. Through us, the sick
should receive healing and the captives
should be set free. We must provide succour
to the fatherless, widows and the helpless in
our society. We must speak out against sin,
violence and wickedness in order to turn
sinners to saints. The world must become a
better place because of our presence and
activities as light.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to function as light in
a world full of darkness in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 5-6, Acts 22:30-23:11
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 16: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS
1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Ye soldiers of the Cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed.
2. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict
In this His glorious day!
Ye that are men, now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.
3. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone:
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armour,
And watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor's song
To him that overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
He, with the King of Glory
Shall reign eternally.