A merchant once came to a village selling small stones he claimed would glow at night. Each stone came in a fancy wooden box. By the time the merchant left the village, he had sold quite a few of the precious stones.
People who could afford a stone gathered family and neighbors at their homes at sunset in excited anticipation to see the stone glow. But what a disappointment when darkness came, and the stone did not glow!
That night, the village inhabitants went to sleep disappointed and feeling deceived by the merchant.
The next morning, one buyer was looking at the stone’s box with despondency when he flipped the small box and saw a note of instruction: “For this stone to glow at night, expose it first to the sun’s great light.”
The news quickly spread throughout the village, and everyone who exposed their stone to the sun during the day happily enjoyed the glowing of their stone at night.
The Word of God tells us that God is our sun and shield (Psalm 84:11) and Christ is the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2) who brings healing to our souls.
How Can We Shine?
God calls us to shine in this dark world (Matthew 5:16). But we do not have light of ourselves with which to shine; for us to shine, we need to first receive the light of the Sun of Righteousness in our lives.
“As the flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven’s light may shine upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ.” {SC 68.2}
We must shine by living up to the Bible principles, thus showing to those around us that our kingdom is not from this world. But we can only do this if we are connected to Jesus: “… for without me, ye can do nothing,” John 15:5.
The inhabitants of the village learned that the more they exposed the stone to the sun, the more it would shine at night. The same is true for us. The more we expose ourselves to the Sun of Righteousness, the more we will shine for the glory of God.
“Shall the Sun of Righteousness shine in vain? In view of what God has done, could his claims be less upon you?” {CE 96}
May we allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with the light of the gracious love of Christ so we will manifest His light in our actions every day of this New Year.
Your brother in The Blessed Hope,
Eli Tenorio