Shine

Have you seen it? Sure you have. It happens every spring. Life from lifelessness. In our yard it's the tulips and hydrangeas. I mean, there was nothing there when the snow melted. Then somehow, seemingly overnight, green shoots rose up from the ground.

And it's not just plants. It's trees. It's the spring peepers in the local swamp. It's the birds singing in the tops of the trees. It's a time of renewal and refreshing.

How does all of this happen? Does the dandelion "know" when it is time to burst forth from the ground? Do geese "know" when it is time to fly north? Do we "know" when it is time to put the snowblower in the shed?

Jesus spoke about this cyclical pattern when referencing his own death.

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." - Matthew 12:24

And this . . .

"He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”" - Matthew 13:31-32

This pattern of birth, growth, reproduction, and death is prevalent in every living thing. It can be seen in the changing seasons as we go through each year. It is truly a miracle. A cyclical miracle of God's creation.

This same pattern is also visible in our faith, or so it seems. When we become born again, our faith is new. There is tremendous growth. It is abundant and flourishes. Then, we begin to fade. We've lost that 'fire' for Jesus. Our faith grows dormant and sadly, for some, it dies. But God . . .

Oh yes! But God, indeed!! God provided a way to break this endless cycle by eliminating death and replacing it with eternal life. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

As we go through this earthly life, let us shine brightly for all to see. To make visible just what God has done on our hearts.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:26

Here's a few of the lyrics from a song by the Newsboys:

Shine

Let it shine before all men

Let 'em see good works and then

Let 'em glorify the Lord

A 10-minute message from Peter Furler of the Newsboys . . .

Shine Sermon - Newsboys