The Bright and Morning Star

I apologize right up front for another sky-view blog. I can’t seem to help myself. I think I've officially become an earth-moon-sun- star-gazer! I blame it on God Who keeps awing me every morning. I’m grateful I have His attention, because it would be misery to face blogging every day and wondering “What is there to blog about today?" Today, is my 2,334th blog and my "unlimited" God sure hasn’t let me run out of content.

Yesterday at 6:01 am, I captured this photo of the moon still high in the sky. What drew me in, was the bright star that was slightly above it. When I got home, I googled what that star was all about. I found that it wasn't a star at all. It is Venus, the planet. It can appear larger and closer to the sun than any other planet because it reflects 60% of the sun's light. From the Google site, I saw these words: "Venus, the Morning Star and Evening Star", but if Venus isn’t a star, why the nicknames? When Venus is on the other side of the Sun, it leads the Sun as it travels across the sky and will rise in the morning a few hours before the Sun. As the Sun rises, the sky brightens and Venus fades away in the day-sky. This is Venus the Morning Star. In the evening, when the sun sets, Venus is brightest when the sun goes down.

My analogy: in Revelations 22:16, Jesus referred to Himself as “the Bright Morning Star.” The Morning Star in Biblical times was the brightest star anyone saw in the sky, just before daylight. The famous Bethlehem star led the Wise Men to Jesus. That star "led", and Jesus as our Bright Morning Star is leading us, too -- right here at this time and place, and in the midst of all this chaos and confusion, Jesus, our Bright and Morning Star is wanting us to understand that He is with us and guiding us too. And, like Venus really isn’t a star, but a planet, Jesus isn’t just a star among many stars; He the ONE and ONLY Star. He IS the Way - the Truth - the Life. (John 14:6)

Venus, as the bright morning star, represents the promise of a new day! But let’s stop with this “Venus” talk. Let’s finish this blog by pointing us all to the promise of new days ahead for us. Many people around us are in darkness. They are hopeless, lost, confused and wonder “Could there ever be a better day?” Oh, yes, there is. It is this new day!

I know Jesus, the Bright Morning Star, personally. We talk and walk together daily. I once was lost in darkness, but now I'm found. I used to be hopeless and confused and wondered if I could make it another day, but since I met Jesus, it’s a new day every day. I used to have low self-esteem, but since I met Jesus, it’s a new day now. I used to feel sorry for myself, but it’s a new day now. I used to be afraid, but it’s a new day now. I wake up to each new day with great expectation that something good is going to happen to me today.

Oh, my precious friends, on the horizon is our Bright Morning Star Who tells us that not only will we rise and shine as a reflection of Him on this earth, but best-news-ever: we will forever be with Him "in the city that has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light."
(Revelations 21:23)

In the Light of Eternity

One of my favorite sayings is “In the light of eternity….it just won’t matter”! And, I usually say it when discussions go controversial, or when I'm making a trivial decision. Bottom line, like the “God quote” here, this life is just so short, why should we sweat the small stuff? We’re going to spend much more time in heaven, than we are on earth. In his book, "Purpose Driven Life", Rick Warren said “Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity. It is the practice workout before the actual game; the warm-up lap before the race begins. This life is preparation for the next”.

When we really understand that there is so much more to life than just the here and now, and we understand that this life is just preparation for eternity, we’ll begin to live differently. And, my saying “in the light of eternity” will make much more sense. We’ll be able to handle every task, every circumstance, every relationship “in the light of eternity”. Those things that once seemed so important to us—the activities, the problems, the conquests will seem quite unimportant on the radar. Maybe on this earth’s radar, a BIG DEAL. On heaven’s radar, not even a blip on the radar screen.

That’s why, on the day of my Sweetheart’s graduation to heaven, I became his Mid-Wife. I coached him to “Push, Baby, Push!” to the other side….for there he would be living where the wonder and splendor of heaven is beyond explanation. What I knew, is that I loved him too much to keep him from one more minute of the bliss that awaited him. It was time for his BIRTH-day in heaven -- where "in the light of eternity", he was home sweet home.