“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).
TEXT — Daniel 12:1-3
Message
In a piece contributed by Sermon Central on the Tale of the Star, it is stated that Eusebius, a scholarly church historian of the early fourth century, evidently made a considerable study of the literature available to him and came to this conclusion about the star: “The star was new and a stranger among the usual lights of heaven, a strange star, not one of the many known stars, but being new and fresh.” Although the tale refers to the star that announced the birth of our Saviour, it also illustrates God’s glory that will be bestowed on faithful believers at the end of life.
Just as stars shine brightest in the darkest of nights, so are the beauties and the qualities of the Christian life best revealed in their darkest moments. Human history is full of many such scenes. During the Holocaust, there were many kind-hearted Christians who at the risk of their lives, helped to rescue and hide scores of Jews until they were brought to safety. Some even paid the ultimate price while trying to help others.
Our passage projects into the coming glory for believers after labouring here and standing faithfully to the end. While we await this glorious culmination, hard times and intense opposition will come but we must remain resolute and resilient in our faith as we continue to demonstrate the love of God to people around us.
We must not allow present-day hardships and difficulties to shut our mouths from preaching the gospel or weaken our hands from doing good to others. We need also to support gospel campaign efforts through prayer and financial contributions. This is the secret of the wisdom and shining as stars that our passage teaches today. Are you ready to pay the price to shine as stars?
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
We thank God no for the man of God, glory be to Jesus for this blessings to the body of Christ, Amen
We thank God no for the man of God, glory be to Jesus for this blessings to the body of Christ, Amen