Philippians 2:14-16
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.
What of Today’s Verse…
Stars. They have always been a source of constant hope for God’s people. “Your descendants will be like the stars,” God told Abraham. “When I see the stars, what is man that you are mindful of him?” the Psalms ask. The Wise men from the East followed a star to Jesus. Luke reminds us that Jesus was a star of morning light come to us from heaven to shine on those in darkness. And now, we are stars. God’s points of light in the dark sky of the universe. So let us make today a day where our light shines God’s glory to a dark world around us.
Let us Pray:
Almighty God, the incredible expanse of your universe, with its billions of stars, exceeds my limited comprehension. But I thank you for calling me to be a place of light in the dark world around me and I pledge to shine your light today in the lives of all those I might. Through the name of the Bright and Morning Star, I pray. Amen.
Words of Wisdom
Celebrate
I am renewed in body and soul.
Whether or not today is my birthday, it can be my rebirth day. This is true because 98 per cent of the atoms of my body are replaced yearly. I am a new person from the one I was last year. I may celebrate the renewing of my body by saying, “Happy Birthday!”
There is also a renewing of my soul that is constantly taking place. Just as my body is growing stronger, so, too, is my faith. I am being renewed in body and soul.
As I express the Christ Spirit within, I become a new person. Christ in me is wisdom, life, and love. This can be my birthday or my rebirth day. Either way, I name and claim the joy that is mine.
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new!” –2 Corinthians 5:17
