Taste and see that the Lord is good.
….Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 NLT
John 1:6-9 (<<click here to read the passage)
Many, many years ago when I was but a little tike, my dad remembers me exclaiming, “Dad, I’m your moon.” I quickly back peddled and said, “I mean, I’m your son!”
That’s probably one of the shortest stories I’ve ever shared about myself, but it drives home a point for today’s passage.
There came a man commissioned and sent from God, whose name was John [that is, John the Baptist – not the Apostle John]. This man came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe [in Christ, the Light] through him. John was not the Light, but came to testify about the Light.
There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. John 1:6-9 AMP
Most of us learned in grade school that though the moon shines brightly in our night sky, that it does not radiate its own light but reflects the light of the sun. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that it sometimes seems to shine very brightly, the moon reflects only between 3 and 12 percent of the sunlight that hits it. (livescience.com)
Also, with a bit more research, I discovered that the moon is one of the dimmest objects in our solar system. Planets (Earth included) and other planet’s moons reflect light much more efficiently, mainly because of what is on the surface of those celestial bodies. Our moon consists mostly of rock dust and dark rocks that are similar in composition to rocks on earth. Because of this, it’s not as bright as other things in the heavens. (Science Questions with Surprising Answers)
In essence, we all are moons that reflect the Son. And as John the Baptist did, we are not the Light but our responsibility as followers of Christ is to testify about the Light.
And one thing that needs stressing, is the fact that we don’t have to be the shiniest light around to point others to Christ. I’ve never heard anyone complain about the moon not being the best “reflector” in the night sky. Many times, I have stood in awe of its beauty, doing what it does the way it does it.
From our perspective, there are lots of nights, when the moon is not obstructed by the earth, that its brilliance literally overwhelms our ability to see other lights shining in the night sky. All we see clearly is the moon!
As followers of Christ, we must give ourselves over to the sheer power of the Son and in so doing we can – and will be – used by Him to bring others into a closer relationship with Him…all that while doing what we do the way we do it.
And one more thing that the Lord is showing us. The moon is at its best when not obstructed by the world. We can learn from that, too. The less influence the world has on us, the more we can shine for Him! Lord, may it be so!
Feb 8th, 2021, Mon, 7:24 pm
