Good morning, rise and shine,

The phrase " rise and shine " is not only used by parents; it was also employed in military boot camps, accompanied by the sound of a metal trash can rattling with a billy club. In Isaiah 60:1, we read: " Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. " 

This week, many believers will remember the Lord's death, but more importantly, His resurrection from the tomb. Isaiah exclaims, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

When I was growing up in Nebraska, I joined the Boy Scouts, and we would often go camping in the woods. I can almost smell those deep-wood scents as the dew grasped all of nature. Then, the fire would be stoked, and the aroma of bacon, sausage, and especially coffee seemed to permeate the fresh, crisp air of the morning.

Our leader was a former Army man who would ever so gently wake up all the stragglers who stayed up too late. I'm sure it was a wake-up call few have not forgotten.

My point this glorious day is to remind you, since you are reading this, that the Lord has awakened us once again this Monday to “Arise and shine” in the cold, dark world we live in. With the light we have been given- the glorious gospel- may we let it shine not just in our actions but may we express its truths with our voices.

The apostle Paul reminded the church in Rome of our responsibility in chapter 10, verse 14: "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching (proclaiming)?”

Arise and Shine,

Gene