God set Christ as a light to all the nations, so that all the nations may receive God’s salvation (Isa. 49:6). When the Lord Jesus came, a great light came to shine in the land of Israel. This light issues in life to regenerate man.
On the one hand, John 1:4 says, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. On the other hand, we see clearly in Genesis 1 that light came in first and our of light issued all the forms of life. So, what comes first? Is it life that comes first, or is it light that is first?
Especially in our first touch with the Lord, when we were sinners, what comes first is the light – God shines upon us, and we are exposed in His light. When the gospel is preached to us, the Lord shined on us (2 Cor. 4:4-6). Then, when we received the light, this light issued in life, and we were regenerated.
This is the light of life, or the life-giving light, that came to us and generated life into us! Just like the sun in the heavens, once it shines, it generates life on the earth and it nourishes life, so the divine light germinates the divine life in us and nurtures the growth of the divine life in us!
First we receive light, and then light issues in life. The more we enjoy the divine life, grow in life, and live by the divine life, the more this life issues in light.
The life that issues from the divine light becomes God’s salvation to us in His righteousness (Isa. 49:6) – God’s salvation consummates in His life, and the foundation of God’s salvation is His righteousness. The foundation of God’s throne and the foundation of His salvation is God’s righteousness. Therefore, the life of this light which shines in us becomes God’s salvation to us – in His righteousness.
The life that comes from the divine light makes us the heirs of God in His life (Acts 26:18) – the divine light brings in the divine life, and this divine life ensures us, guarantees us, that we are heirs of God (John 1:12-13)! By having the divine life in us we are children of God and we have the right to inherit God with all His riches as our inheritance! If we don’t have the divine life brought in by the divine light, we have no right to inherit God’s riches. But when light brings in life into us, we receive the right to inherit God in life!
The life of this light grows in us all the time, issuing in our church life today and consummating in the New Jerusalem in eternity (Rev. 21:2-3). Praise the Lord, when the light shines, life comes in! And this life, the divine life, grows in us every day! We exercise our spirit to touch the Lord, we listen to His speaking within, we follow the sense of life and peace – and the divine life in us grows and develops!
The divine life in us issues in the church life today – a place full of the growth of the divine life! And the consummation of this divine life is the New Jerusalem, the city of life, where the light shines (God the Father as the Light shines through the Son as the Lamp) and the life grows (the tree of life, the water of life, the dark-green jasper wall, etc – it’s all life!)!
Praise the Lord for Christ as a light given to all the nations that He might be our salvation! All we need to do is cooperate with the Lord to receive this light, and the divine life in us is germinated, grows, develops, and eventually is consummated in the New Jerusalem! This divine life is the indestructible life(Heb. 7:16), the incorruptible life(2 Tim. 1:10), and the real and eternal life that we should lay hold on (1 Tim. 6:19)! More life, more light! More light, more life!
[sharing inspired by the life-study of Isaiah as quoted in the Holy Word for the Morning Revival on the Crystallization-Study of Isaiah(2)]
Continue to shine on us, Lord Jesus! Bring in more life and more growth in life by Your continual shining! Thank You for being the light of life, the life-bringing light! Keep us under Your shining, and keep us growing in life! We praise You Lord for the right to enjoy and inherit God! God is our inheritance – and this right is given to us by the divine life in us! Lord, grow in us more!
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