Shine Like the Sun

Matthew 13:43  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Have you ever thought about the differences between the sunlight and the moonlight?  The sun is a source of light, while the moon only reflects the sun's rays.

In the verse above it says, the righteous will shine like the sun.  I've always thought we were reflectors of Jesus' light, but here I see it differently.  Jesus is supposed to be living so fully in us that he will shine out of us as the source of light.

Each morning, I drive my children to school.  On the way there, we crest a hilltop and drive down into a valley.  We all look with anticipation because most mornings there will be a cloud in the valley and it is breathtaking to see.  Sometimes, the cloud will be so big that the sun's rays are actually cutting through it and you can see 1,000 sun beams shining through the thick cloud.  What an amazing sight.  We usually take a moment to reflect on God's glory.

If we were merely reflecting God's light, we would not be strong enough to cut through the darkness.  But God in His amazing wisdom, knew that if we could be so full of His word that we were the source of light - then we could be effective at cutting through the darkness of sin and death.