Shining Stars in God's Kingdom

UV 517/10,000 Daniel 12 v 3 Shining Stars of God’s Kingdom Dan 12:3 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. This morning at the crack of dawn as I walked, prayed and meditated in our garden, the stars, the moon and some planets shone brightly in the sky. The Lord reminded me of this uni-verse where the wise, those who fear God, repent of their sin and accept the remission of sins through Christ , will shine as the brightness of the heavens. They have no light of their own- the planets and satellites that do not shine as bright as the stars that have light of their own. They merely reflect the light of other heavenly bodies. Having repented and received salvation, they will further turn many to fear God and do likewise. When we lead others to God through Christ, we shine even more brightly as stars. We will have light of our own, our own spheres of influence and leadership. The stars in the ancient world were the only signposts that helped sailors and travellors navigate and find their way around. Similarly, believers are the lodestars that guide people into truth and a relationship with God. The powerful emperors under whom Daniel, a former slave who rose in rank by dint of God’ s grace and his integrity , worked were soon forgotten. Their mighty and extensive empires too vanished into thin air as if they never existed. Daniel was wise while they were otherwise. Daniel’s name continues to inspire faith and righteous living to this day. His fear of God and his willingness to risk all for the sake of his faith in God made him shine brightly as the heavens. His encouraging his companions to remain steadfast in their faith, his testimony of how he interpreted the dreams of kings and his writing down the awesome prophecies he received in visions further made him shine as a star. He remains a shining star of God’s Kingdom that lasts forever. He could have chosen the path of least resistance as many do in government service. But, he chose the more risky and more difficult option. Just as a star has gravitational pull, we will attract many people to the light that is in us. We need to be a shepherd to many lost souls, to impart to them that which we have learnt from God’s Word and that which we have experienced in accordance with God’s Word to convince, persuade,warn, teach, explain,train and mentor others in the dynamics of the Kingdom of God. According to this uni-verse, there are only two kinds of people, the wise and the otherwise. We need to make the choice. Prateep V Philip