Burning and shining - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

He was the burning and shining lamp.
John 5:35

Burning and shining
The Lord Jesus compares John the Baptist to a lamp burning and shining. In his testimony about the Son of God, he spread warmth and light. Because his heart burned for the Lord, John was a bright light. He pointed people in an appealing way to the Lamb of God who had come to solve the problem of sin.

In the past, there was only light when a fire was burning. Later, electric light bulbs were used, which gave more light than a fire but at the same time produced a lot of heat. Today there are LED lights. They are more energy-saving than the conventional light bulbs because they spread bright light without much heat loss.

According to Philippians 2:15, we as Christians have the task of shining “as lights in the world”. This raises the question for us: Are we like an LED lamp in our witness for the Lord, which spreads a lot of light but remains cold? Are we those who say much about Jesus Christ but have no power of persuasion because we lack love for the Lord and for our fellow human beings?

Let us remember: our hearts must first burn for the Saviour so that we can shine for Him. When His glorious person impresses and fills us, we are also able to spread a warming and shining light in testimony to Him. The more the Lord means to us, the better witnesses we are for Him.

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 19:1-17 · Psalms 105:23-45