The spark

The spark

Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light. – Ephesians 5:14

Romans 13:11-14

 11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

 13 Because we belong to the day . . ..

 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Tom and Phoebe decided to have a date at the beach in the summer of 2021.  They recently met, and this was their first outing.  What happened that day had nothing to do with a beach outing or a first date. The two experienced a fascinating hobby called birding!.

Birding is the observation and identification of birds in their natural habitat. Birding is an inexpensive hobby that may lead one anywhere in the world. A birder is an individual who enjoys this pastime in all of its many forms.

Only three things are needed to get started: a bird guide, binoculars, and a positive attitude.

While Tom and Phoebe were in the marshy area of the beach, they spotted egrets, one glossy ibis, a pair of dunlins, and some other delightful, indigenous birds. After their little journey, Tom continued to think about the birds. He was more or less drawn in and mesmerized. He could not get them out of his mind. In birding lingo, this aha moment is called the “spark.”

Many children of the King are often in a mental, emotional, or spiritual stupor. Some are almost comatose. But the Father has a remarkable way of awakening them with a spark. The Father is motivated by His marvelous lovingkindness to provide the spark which changes the projectory of the lives of the children of the King. It occurs at the precise time predetermined by the Father. And His children are forever changed.

The Father teaches us how to receive this marvelous blessing. It is encapsulated in the following words:

Wake up, O sleeper, and rise from the dead; so Christ will shine upon you (Ephesians 5:14).

In the first century, these words rang out as a lovely poem and were probably sung by children of the King.

Each child of the King is the beneficiary of the light of the Lord Jesus Christ’s gracious, transforming illumination.

“Although the hymn celebrates Christ as the one who shines on the sleeping dead, Jewish readers will surely have heard echoes of the great blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 and, more specifically, of Isaiah 60:1-4. In that instance, the faithful are summoned to arise and shine, reflecting the glory of the Lord. Moreover, the peoples who sit in darkness shall be drawn to this great light emanating from the people of God” (Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld).

Isaiah 60:1-5

 1 Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you.

 2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you.

 3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

 4 Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.

 5 Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy . . ..

REFLECT & PRAY

Spiritual sleep resembles drunkenness and forgetfulness.  The darkness of this present age seeks to  compress children of the King

Father thank You for causing me to wake up and allow Your transforming power to light up my soul and become a nearly unquenchable fire within me.

INSIGHT

The story is told of dear sweet Pearl. Pearl was a remarkable Proverbs 31 woman. She was loving, kind, generous, wise, caring, and other-centric. She did not have a selfish or mean bone in her body. She was married to the love of her life for almost 40 years. They met when they were in their early 20s. Suddenly and unexpectedly, she lost her husband. She grieved almost beyond measure. She more or less died within. Pearl went into mourning for over six years. To make matters even worse, she lost one of her two wonderful and beloved daughters during her mourning period. She went from sorrowful heartache to numbness. Her emotions became frozen. Pearl was deadened within. The spark of life was almost gone from her soul.

The Father had an eternal plan which was now realized in the time-space continuum. Remarkably, at precisely the right moment, she began to thaw. Pearl had no idea why she was coming back to life. The reason was totally unknown to her.

Out of nowhere, she met a man, a godly man. Interacting with him for just a few hours transformed her life. The spark of life returned, and she became vibrant and almost giddy. Her heart was once again filled with love and happiness. It was a truly remarkable transformation. It occurred almost overnight. Only the Father, the omnipotent everlasting God, the King of the universe, can do this!

The Father desires that each child of the King allows Him to perform a similar work in their sullen hearts. He can hardly wait to see the spark of eternal life burn within them. He longs to see the reality of their spiritual connection to Him actualized through the Holy Spirit. The light and life they possess are to become their driving force on earth.

As we draw ever closer to the expected return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father has a glorious purpose in mind. Then He will suddenly burst into the time-space continuum. The Father desires that every child of the King aspires to be on fire and burn brightly until the end. It is past time for us to wake up from our slumber.

How is this possible?

This is a miracle that only the work of the Holy Spirit within can actualize in our lives. The Father eagerly awaits this to become a reality for all His children.

Romans 13:11-14

 11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

“Paul saw the non-Christian life as life in the dark, and the Christian life as life in the light. So vividly does he wish to express this, that he does not say that those who are not Christians are children of the dark and the Christians children of the light; he says the non-Christians are dark and the Christians are light” (Barclay).

The light of the children of the King is the light of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Light has a way of exposing the pain and sorrow of our lives, allowing them to boil to the top to be forever removed from our human spirits. The light reveals whatever is evil.

Psalms 139:24 Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Jeremiah shows us the way.

Jeremiah 20:9 His word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!

Alas, the choice is ours to make. It is incumbent upon each child of the King to allow the Spirit to actualize this miraculous reality within them.

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© Dr. H 2022