Daily Treasure
Daily Treasure is a 365 day devotional read and written by Sharon Betters and the occasional guest author. Every entry in this 365 devotional embraces the power of God’s Word to encourage, equip and energize the reader to walk by faith in the pathway God has marked out for them, no matter how difficult. Each devotional includes a treasure from God’s Word, life giving applications, guided prayers and a challenge to reflect God’s love in a way that helps turn hearts toward Jesus.
Daily Treasure
The Bright Morning Star - Follow the Star - Week 2 Day 6
Today’s Treasure
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Revelation 22:16 - 21
The Bright Morning Star
Sharon W. Betters
Today’s Treasure
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Revelation 22:16 - 21
Like many of you, the fun of my little girl Christmases bubbled over into my teen years and then as a young wife and mother. But that all changed when our youngest child, Mark, and his friend Kelly died in a car accident in July, 1993.
Suddenly the glory and brilliance of Christmas magnified our pain. How could we celebrate with joy? God reminded me of Isaiah 45:2-3, the scripture I go to when I don’t know where to go:
I will give you treasures in the darkness, riches stored in secret places so that you will know I am the Lord your God, the One Who calls you by name.
This promise confronted me with a choice. There was only one treasure I wanted - our son, Mark. Since I knew Mark was not coming back, slowly, I began to see I needed to choose to open my clenched fists in order to receive the riches God planned to send my way, treasures and gifts stored in secret places, designed, not to change my circumstances, but to remind me: He is the Lord My God, so holy other, so big, and yet He calls me by name. I had to learn how to trust Him again, to believe He knew just what to send me to turn my heart toward Him.
In the middle of the darkness, Jesus, the real star of Christmas, kept inviting me to meet with Him, to tell Him how broken I was and how desperate for hope. And so along with meeting with Him every morning and journaling my pain and waiting for Him to rub the salve of His Word into my wounded heart, I also read every Christmas card, hungry for a love note from God, expecting Him to speak to me through the words on each page. One card especially gripped my soul and gave me hope, that one day I would know joy again. It was the traditional picture of a dark sky with a brilliant star, shining over the tiny manger. Under the star were the words:
The light entered the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it.
John 1:5
Those few words, God’s Words, broke the ache in my soul for a moment and gave me hope, turned my heart toward the Lord my God, and reminded me He calls me by name. He knows me in a way no one else does. He met me right where I was, promising me Jesus, the light of the world, would be victorious over the dark night of grief. The darkness of my soul could not win against the Light of the World, Jesus. Just as He used the stars to lead the wise men to Jesus, grief became a pathway to knowing Jesus in a way I had never experienced.
Jesus tells us about Himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. In the last few verses of the Bible, Jesus emphasizes his power over darkness when He declares, “I am the bright, morning star…” (Revelations 22:16)
Nine months out of the year, the Morning Star (actually the planet Venus) appears before sunrise in the western sky. It is like an alarm clock for the birds to begin singing, announcing new day is dawning. Something better is coming.
Even when it cannot be seen in the early morning, the Morning Star is still there. In fact, during one of the periods when it cannot be seen in the early morning, it appears as the Evening Star, depended upon by mariners as a frame of reference in the middle of the dark night. In other words, 24/7, the Morning Star is ever-present.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
The brightness of the Morning Star breaks through the darkness of midnight, with just a glimmer, carrying the promise of hope and help and a new day.
And what hope is He giving us with these last few words: even when it feels as though He is not there, we can trust He hasn’t moved. The midnight darkness may have taken over, but His light will break through the darkness as the Evening Star. He is the Evening Star, in the midnights of life. And in the end of life, He is the Bright Morning Star who leads us into heaven.
Think of this, friends. Jesus is the Bright Morning Star, always shining, even when we cannot see Him. He is keeping this promise… I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any way or degree leave you helpless nor forsake you nor let you down, nor relax my hold on you. Assuredly not!
Friends, don’t miss Christmas. Follow the star. Whether you are in an amazing, joyful season of life or a place of deep grief, ask the Lord to use your circumstances to drive you to Jesus, the Bright Morning Star, and discover eternal treasures in the darkness, stored in secret places. Revel in knowing our great omnipotent God calls you by name.
PRAYER
Father, open our eyes and heart to the presence of our Bright Morning Star – Jesus! May we follow Him through the mundane and majestic, the easy and hard, all the way to heaven.
