Arise
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon
you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1,
2)
Thick darkness covers the whole earth. The world disintegrates rapidly and
its inhabitants live in total uncertainty. In the midst of such chaos and
confusion, a distinct message resounds through the skies, a clear word
echoes from Heaven: "Arise"! God is calling His people to arise and shine
as bright lights and offer hope to a lost and perishing humanity (Matthew
5:14 to 16; Philippians 2:15).
This is not the time for sleep and slumber. Look at how the Lord Jesus
responded to His sleeping disciples in Gethsemane: "Are you STILL sleeping
and resting?" (Matthew 26:45). Notice the surprise in His question! He
expected them to have acted differently because He thought that they would
have grasped the seriousness of the situation and understood the time that
they were in.
