Radiation Therapy

Have you ever seen a bride or groom on their wedding day who were so completely in love that their faces glowed with happiness and they looked completely radiant? There is no lovelier sight in the world! Yet, sadly if their focus is not right, that radiance rarely lasts beyond a year or two...

Isn't that similar to how we are when we first accept Christ into our lives as our Saviour? We start out excited, joyful, enthusiastic, thankful and absolutely radiant. But as time goes by we tend to get used to the idea of having a personal relationship with God. We get used to our guaranteed eternal life and knowing that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us. Once we get used to it, we forget to be thankful, we no longer talk to Him or think about Him as often throughout the day and reading His Word has lost it's novelty. Although we still pray (when we remember) and we convince ourselves we're okay with just reading a few random verses in the Bible each day, but what happened to the passion... the joy? It is dangerous when our time with Him comes to be simply a ritual, rather than a genuine desire for His companionship.

Is it possible for a person to remain so completely in love with God that they are joyful and radiant every day of their lives... even through the hard times? Also, what is the definition of "radiant"?

Radiant:

adj.

1. Emitting heat or light.

a. Filled with light; bright.

b. Glowing; beaming.

adj

1. sending out rays of light; bright; shining

2. characterized by health, intense joy, happiness, etc

What does the bible say about radiance?

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD." -Exodus 34:29 NIV

"The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes." -Psalm 19:8 NIV

"Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." -Psalm 34:5 NIV

"My lover is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand." -Song of Solomon 5:10 NIV

"God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding." -Psalm 19:5 NLT

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

-Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV

"Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy..." -Isaiah 60:5 NIV

". . . and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory." -Ezekiel 43:2 NIV [Wow! He even makes the land radiant!]

"If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” -Luke 11:36

I have been thinking about this a lot lately... how we sometimes experience moments of sheer joy. Moments when we are so completely in love with our God that we literally look radiant just from being with Him. Just as you can always tell when a girl has been with the man she loves... her face glows, she can't help but smile and the only emotion she shows is complete joy. The same goes for those who have been with God, it's written all over them... you can't hide that kind of joy!

So, lets not get so busy with our lives that we forget (or just simply neglect) to spend quality time with our True Love. The only One who can satisfy us with complete joy... He really is awesome! When we make Him our first priority in life and realize how much He truly loves us, I believe we could live a fully satisfied and radiant life... forever!

"... just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."

-Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV

“ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is the LORD.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7-8

[Fear]Less is More...

Fear has been affecting people's lives since the fall of man. After Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and shared it with Adam, their eyes were opened to see things that God did not intend nor design for them to see. They lost their innocence and became aware of their nakedness. They were filled with shame, regret and loss. When they heard God walking through the garden, they hid themselves. When He called out "Where are you?" Adam replied with the lame answer of, "I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself." As if God didn't know that! He created him to be naked. That's right, God intended for us to go free bird. Life was good! We were never intended to know evil. We were meant to take care of the earth, have a solid relationship with God and love our ribs.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed, they opened the door for shame, fear, destructive behavior and all other anxieties to enter their lives. Their sin separated them from God and kept them from enjoying a perfect relationship with Him. The curse that they put themselves under has been passed on through every generation to this very day. However, God has given man hope once again by sending His Son to redeem us and save us from our sins. By His grace we are forgiven and are restored once again to the new creation He intended for us to be. All we must do is believe.

So if God created us to be fearless and to completely enjoy our life in Him... why not fulfill our destiny?

"Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies, and who seek, inquire for and of Him and crave him with the whole heart." -Psalm 119:2

Tonight as I was preparing to for bed, I was trying to decide between two boring novels to lull myself to sleep with when a question suddenly flew through my mind. It was not my own question and I totally was not expecting it, but there it was: "What would you do if you found out that your Bible would be taken away within the next two months and that you would never again have another chance to read it or any others in your lifetime?"

Ouch! Have I been taking my shelf full of Bibles for granted? I always forget that there are many places in the world where Bibles are rare, and many others where they are prohibited. There are people who are searching for answers, but find none because Bibles are not allowed entry into their countries. There are others who are being tortured, jailed or killed for their faith. So what is my excuse to not read my Bible? I should be reading it as though I will never have another chance to read it again. As a girl reads a letter she has received from her true love; memorizing, taking to heart and believing every word. That is how we ought to read God's letter to us.

"Your word have I laid up in my heart that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes. With my lips have I declared and recounted all the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways [the paths of life marked out by Your law]. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live; and I will observe Your word [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]. -Psalm 119:11-17

Fact: Sometimes it is fun to mess with the font.

For instance, if I had written this post with the same font that I have used so habitually in my previous posts, then I would not have been able to write something this random without boring the reader. To think that my new 'Courier' font was once the standard font for all ancient typewriters... yet here I am finding it exciting and fun. Ha!

Another randomness is this: There is no such thing as too much color. Despite that wonderful truth, color is so often boycotted, undervalued and misunderstood. But why? ColoR iS WONDERFUL! Life would be sooo boring without COLOR!