Stars Forever

UV 1338/10,000 Stars Forever
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 v 3

There is a divine calling for every human being to be wise. To be wise is far more important than being knowledgeable. The personal knowledge of God is what gives us the edge over normal leaders and managers. We know Him as Friend, Master, King, Saviour, Lord, Lover, Fortress,Shepherd, Shield and Song. He is the bright morning star- the Sun of Righteousness. When we point others to Him both verbally and non verbally, we ourselves shine brightly like stars. We become the direction finders of humanity. The stars are enormous sources of almost infinite light. Mere intellectual power or physical charisma or our natural strength and talents can never make any mere mortal like a star. But our life in union with God through Christ will distinguish us as stars.
In ancient times, people found their way around by observing the position of the stars. Similarly, by the beacon of light from a lighthouse, ships would avoid shipwreck on rocky shores. Similarly, our life’s chief purpose is to be a lighthouse unto others, to be a star to point people the way to heaven. Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus is the way to God and to heaven, the truth of eternity and the source of living fully and abundantly. When we become signboards pointing to Jesus, we are the signposts on the way, the truth-liver and the ones who will live forever. We will shine brighter and brighter in the darkness of the contemporary world. When we intercede and plead for the salvation of people, we are pointing them to God. Even a star will die or fall as a comet but a believer is a star forever.

Gandhiji said, “ My life is my message.” But none of us can say that our message is greater than the message of love that we received in Jesus. Instead, our messages about Jesus is our life. Our goal is to turn as many as possible to righteousness. Our power comes from leading faithful and testimonial lives. Our words and actions should align with and corroborate our beliefs in order for us to shine like stars. God is the creator of the infinite number of stars in the universe. When He dwells in us and with us, each of us is actually more powerful than any star or galaxy of stars. When we believe God and trust Him, there is no limitation in time and space that can constrain us. When we teach and share the Word of God, we are stars radiating the light of God in this dark world. Daniel was a slave in Babylon. Yet God raised him up to hold a worldly position as a chief civil servant for the Emperor and he found favour with successive emperors. He had considerable knowledge by the standards of the age. He had the spirit of excellence in him. His foremost quality was he gave first place in his life to God. He had no immediate family and in all probability was made an eunuch in order to serve the king as was the practice in that time. But spiritually as a man of God and as a prophet who received rare visions and messages from the Lord, he outshone all the emperors and prominent people of the age. Spiritually, he is marked out as a star forever, a person esteemed by God.

Prateep V Philip