Proverbs 4:18 – The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. (NIV)

In our apartment, we have a balcony where we can look out towards the mountains. We love the view. One day, a friend brought up a heavy pot containing a plant and deposited it on our balcony. It was a Canna lily. I had never seen one before, so I didn’t know anything about it. Where were the flowers? We looked for a flower every day, but weeks went by and none appeared. The leaves were stately and tall, though, but no stem, no flowers. What kind of a plant was this? Finally a stem appeared with a blossom, and then, flower after flower grew out from the same stem. Coming from Bermuda, I had never seen anything like it — the flowers were beautiful. We watched every day as more and more appeared, and the sun shone through them, making each one glow in a spectacular way.

I wondered if there was a message for us in the glowing of the Canna lily from the sun’s rays. It reminded me of today’s verse: “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” We may not think of ourselves as righteous, as someone who spends time in the presence of God and does His will. But now as followers of Jesus, He comes into our lives, and we glow and glow. Yes, we do. Not that we see it in ourselves, but others can see it on our faces, as the Israelites did with Moses.

Exodus 34:29-30a,33 – When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. (NIV)

So, beside the time we spend reading these devotionals, when else do we spend time in the presence of the Lord? We need to meditate on God’s Word and pray to Him whenever we need to know what to do next. What is God’s will for us? Life can be very confusing and hectic, but as believers in the Lord’s glory, we have faith that Jesus is with each of us. He has promised always to be with us, so let us expect His presence to comfort and sustain us. Others will see the light of the Lord through us, and yes, we will glow.

Prayer: Lord, please fill us with Your Spirit that we may show in our lives the joy of knowing You and of having You near us as we go through this day. Remove from our presence that which brings darkness into our lives, O God. May we ever be filled with the light of Christ and reflect His glory. Amen.

Iris Ford iris_ford@telus.net
Parksville, British Columbia, Canada

Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca