I can never forget one particular interaction with a member from my home church. We were chatting over some issues of the church and suddenly his face turned ‘red’. It was not the negative manifestation of some kind of shyness or embarrassment. In fact, what I saw was something positive, something beautiful — I had witnessed it a few times when he was leading worship in church. There was some shining glow on his face or if I may call it — radiance.
Radiance?
When we think of the term radiance, it calls to mind rays of shining light. In Exodus 34, we read about how Moses came down from Mount Sinai and his face was radiant. Where did this radiance come from? As a result of speaking with the Lord, Moses’ face was lit up with God’s radiance.
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord” (Exo 34:29).
In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul also talked about this radiance that Moses had, coming from the mountain, and the veil that he had to use to cover himself.
Jesus Is the Radiance Of the Glory Of God
Disciples of Christ have access to God’s radiance through His son, Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews tells us:
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” (Heb 1:3).
This radiance shines through our lives as we yield our lives to Him and avail ourselves to share our gracious, loving God with others.
The radiance of God’s glory is Jesus’ light on earth. Jesus says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5, ESV). That light is shining all over the earth, bringing illumination for man to know God.
The radiance of God’s glory is still here today — that’s you and me. Jesus is no longer physically on earth. He says to us, his radiant disciples: “You are the light of the world” (Matt 5:14).
Shine With the Radiance from God
Just as ”the Son is the radiance of God’s glory,” we too are transformed and given this radiance. We are meant to shine with the radiance of God and proclaim the hope which we have to the lost peoples of the world. Paul says that we have a hope which we can be bold about:
“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold” (2 Cor 3:12).
God’s glory shines through us as we continually draw closer to Him. Isaiah 60:1 (ESV) calls us to rise and see the glory of what God has given us.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.”
This is a call to action. It is also an intentional act of recognition.
A recognition of who God is, and who we are in His glorious light shining personally on us. The light of salvation and redemption, a light that changes us and makes us radiant. A radiance that transforms us as true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, a radiance that marks us as belonging to the Lord.
The month of May is a month of celebration and thanksgiving. We rejoice for mothers who nurture us whether physically or spiritually. We remember the good work of our ladies all these years through the ministry of the Women’s Society of Christian Service. We recall John Wesley’s strangely-warmed experience and recollect our own personal encounter with the Lord.
Whether it is Mother’s Day, WSCS Sunday or Aldersgate Day, you can let someone see an expression of the divine nature in you today and every day. Show God’s love to someone, and let them see God living through you!
Indeed, Christ’s light is for everyone, from every nation, in every time. Let the light of Christ shine in our world today through the radiance He gives you.
Read also: Rejoicing In The Lord
