Friday 20 December 2013

Life In The Sun

Jet LagI was discussing with some frequent flyers about the joys of jetlag. I mentioned to them that it has taken me about three weeks to have body realise what time-zone it was. They asked me what I did normally to combat jetlag. Apart from toughing it out, I told them, I was strategy-free when it came to overcoming jet-lag. Both of these travellers had clocked up hundreds of thousands of more air-miles than me, so I was curious as to whether they had learned a way to deal with jet-lag. "The sun!" they both independently said in unison. "When you arrive in a different time-zone, get as much sun as you can! Walk in it! Soak it in! Don't wear a hat! Get yourself into the sun!"
¶ I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.
Eccl. 9:13
Circadian rhythm. All of us have it. It regulates our body's sleeping patterns - when we feel tired and when we feel it's time to get up. Our circadian rhythm is affected by the amount of vitamin D we have in our body and vitamin D is supplied from sunshine.
¶ Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
Eccl. 11:7
Vitamin D from soaking up the sunWithout direct sunlight, our bodies cannot perform as optimally as they were designed. God has placed the Sun at the perfect distance from our planet to provide the perfect amount of sunlight and heat to our planet. This balance of light and heat is parallelled by another of God's perfect gifts- His Word. Good preachers know how to offer the light of God's Word. Good evangelists know how to offer the heat of God's Word. Great preachers and great evangelists know how to offer both the light and heat of God's Word! Followers of Christ need both.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11
Without enough sunshine it is not possible to be as well as one could be. Health professionals tell us that the resultant lack of vitamin D and the associated constant tiredness contributes to depression and generall unwellness. Spiritually, without enough of the sunshine of God's Word, it is simply not possible to be as well as one could be. Of course, the sunshine which radiates from God's Word is in actuality only refracted from its Source. God Himself is the Sunshine for our soul! And a day will come when we bask in the His Sunshine without the need for a physical sun at all (Isa. 60:20; Rev. 21:23; 22:5).
¶ The sun shall be no more
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give you light;
but the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.

Isaiah 60:19
But the follower of God's Only Son need not wait until the Resurrection to begin their life in the Sun. The very first Christmas Day marks the point in the Universe's history when the sunlight of God's utter and perfect radiance was revealed to mankind for the first time. The Prophet Malachi prophesied of the birth of Eternal Son of God that it was like the "sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings" (Mal. 4:2). There is a healing for the human soul that can only be found in the sunshine of the presence of Jesus The Christ. Only by surrendering to Him, worshipping Him, serving Him, waiting on Him, are we living in the Sun-for-our-soul.
In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1:6
There are so many 'spiritual shutters' in our lives that block out the True Sun from enlightening and warming our souls. Amusements, entertainment, frivolity, alcohol, gadgets, can all be spiritual-shutters which throw our souls out of rhythm. This Summer, consider basking in the real Sun - or to say the same thing differently: consider basking in the Son.

¶ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

Ps. Andrew

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