Moonlit Nights

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth” Genesis 1:14-17

Here in Michigan, we are getting ready to enter our famous Michigan wintertime. There is lots of cold wind, ice and snow. My kids are looking forward to sledding and making snowmen. Ah, the joys of childhood. I’m looking forward to de-icing the van and shoveling the sidewalk. As if!

One thing that I do love, especially in the winter, are clear nights with bright moonlight. I’m talking about the kind of moonlight that seems bright enough to read a newspaper. When we had a dog, it was during the winter. And my job as the man of the house was to get up at all hours of the night, bundle up, and take the puppy out. As much as I hated the task (I love to sleep!), I looked forward to those clear, moonlit nights. Ah, the memories I had with Scooter. Good riddance, boy.

The thing about the moon is, as every first grader knows, it has no light source in itself. It is completely dependent on the sun to get its light. When we enjoy the moonlight, we are actually enjoying reflected sunlight. It got me thinking about the above scripture. You see, as we look through the Old Testament, we see pictures of truths that are revealed in the New Testament. From the animal sacrifices to the feasts, and even the tabernacle and temple, we see pictures of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. I believe this is a type of Christ and His church. Let me explain.

As the moon has no light of its own, but is totally dependent upon the sun, so we reflect the light of Christ to this dark world. 2 Corinthians 4:6 tells us that, “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The light we reflect is not our own, it is the light of Jesus Christ. And yes, we know that the Devil blinds the minds of unbelievers, so that the light of the Gospel can’t shine to them. But shine the light nonetheless!

Remember, Jesus said that we are the light of the world. He said that men would see our good deeds, and glorify our Father in heaven. That is why it is so important to live lives worthy of the Gospel. We need to make sure that the deeds others see us do are righteous. We must guard our testimony. Remember, one thing unbelievers look for are hypocritical Christians. Those who say one thing, but live out something different. Don’t block out the light with the clouds of sin. Let’s be honest, and walk in integrity. So shine that light, and let the Lord use you to to reflect His light! God Bless.