"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven." (Matt 5:14-16 NIV)
Rebirth, a word that means little to those who have not personally experienced
it; but a word that means so much to those of us who have! Rebirth is when that
True Light shines in our hearts, and when we claim it, it begins its work of
gradual transformation, slowly turning us into beings of pure love! When we have
been reborn, we can't help but shine! Jesus shines directly on us and His rays
reflect in our lives!
One day a colleague approached me and said, "May I ask you something personal?"
"Sure," I said, with some hesitation.
"Why are you always cheerful? I've never seen you anything but cheerful, even on
really bad days!"
My eyes bugged out and my mouth dropped open. Me? The grump? Was she talking to
the right person??? I realized then and there that this overt cheerfulness
didn't come from me. I understood for the first time that a follower of the
Nazarene can't help but be cheerful, even when he doesn't even realize that he
is! You see, Jesus reached out to me, lifted me out of my clingy dung, cleaned
me off, and transformed me in such a way that dung looked disgusting to me. He
clothed me with royal robes and welcomed me into His royal family. I became a
son of the King of kings. Looking at it this way, how could I be anything BUT
cheerful???
"In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds." (2 Cor 7:4 NIV)
Jesus is alive in me and He is my closest friend, because: "I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal 2:20
NIV)
Yes, Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. He died and was resurrected on
the third day, and has now risen to the heavenly realms. But He also takes up
His residence through His Holy Spirit in our hearts, giving us a new life, a
real life, a life energized by His resurrection power! Always remember:
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he
does not belong to Christ." (Rom 8:9 NIV)
"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he
who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
through his Spirit, who lives in you." (Rom 8:11 NIV)
How do we know that Jesus lives in us?
Because His joy fills us up with an unbelievable Godly love towards others! "And
this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."
(1 John 3:24 NIV); and "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another,
God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:12 NIV)
This Season is a season of great rejoicing. Not only to commemorate Jesus' birth
2000 years ago, but also to thank Him for living in us!
The King has taken up residence in us, and from now on, we are His temple:
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives
in you?" (1 Cor 3:16 NIV) Isn't that exciting, awesome and out-of-this-world?
Jesus is still part of this world! He still performs His miracles, in our lives
and through our hands! Believe and enjoy His fellowship!
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been
doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the
Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring
glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
(John 14:12-14 NIV)
If someone asks you why you are so cheerful all of the time, what will YOUR
answer be? What about this one? "Hmmm…. Do you have at least an hour? I know
someone who will turn you head over heels!"
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.