All nations will come to your Light!
Mighty kings will come to see the glory of the Lord upon you!
Isaiah 60:3 TLB
Jesus said to Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe!” Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” John 20:27-29.
Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord is! He fills us with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! (1 Timothy 1:14-15 NLT).
Yes, we proclaim to you the One Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is the Word of Life. This One Who is Life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him.
Now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the One Who is Eternal Life. He was with the Father, and then He was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so you may have fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so you may fully share our joy (1 John 1:1-4 NLT).
And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus Whom we declare to be God’s Messenger and High Priest. For He was faithful to God, Who appointed Him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.
But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the One who built everything is God (Hebrews 3:1-4).
This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. So, if we say we are His friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the Truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. [And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins]. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His Word has no place in our heart (1 John 1:5-10 TLB).
“Look at My Servant, Whom I strengthen. He is My chosen One, Who pleases Me. I have put My Spirit upon Him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart, through Him justice will prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for His instruction.”
God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is He who says, “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate My righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to My people, Israel, as a symbol of My covenant with them. And you will be a Light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.”
“I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not give My glory to anyone else, nor share My praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens,” Isaiah re:1-9 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).
So, let us sing a new song to the Lord! Sing His praises from the ends of the earth. Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing His praises. The Lord will march forth like a mighty Hero; He will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout His battle cry and crush all His enemies.
The Lord will lead the blind down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. He will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, He will do these things! He will forsake His people. But those who trust in idols, who say, “You are our gods,” will be turned away in shame.
God is righteous, He has exalted His glorious Word (Isaiah 42:1-20 NLT).
Let each generation exalt God’s glorious Word and tell their children of the Lord’s mighty acts. Let them proclaim His power. Let His people meditate on His majestic, glorious splendor and His wonderful miracles. His awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue! For the children of God will proclaim His greatness. Everyone will share the story of His wonderful goodness. We will sing with joy about His righteousness.
The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone! He showers compassion on all His creation. All of Your works will thank You Lord, yes, Your faithful followers will praise You. We will speak of the glory of Your power. We will tell of Your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of Your reign. For Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations.
Be confident, the Lord always keeps His promises. He is gracious in all He does. The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. The eyes of all God’s people look to Him in Hope! For the Lord is righteous in everything He does. He is filled with loving-kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in Truth.
For He grants the desires of those who fear Him. He hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love Him. In every circumstance we face, let us praise the Lord! May everyone on earth bless His holy name forever and ever (Psalm 145:4-21 NLT).
For the wind blows, and we are gone – as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to His covenant, of those who obey His instructions. Praise the Lord! For He has made the heavens His throne, and from there He rules over everything (Psalm 103:16-20 NLT).
This same God Who takes care of us will supply all our needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19 NLT), the sacrificial Lamb of God: “My life is poured out like water, and all My bone are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within Me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of My mouth.”
“You have laid Me in the dust and left Me for dead. My enemies surround Me like a pack of dogs. An evil gang closes in on Me. They have pierced My hands and feet. I can count all My bones. My enemies stare at Me and gloat. They divide My garments among themselves and throw dice for My clothing.”
Let all God’s people remember and praise the Lord! Yes, all who seek the Lord will praise Him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations.
Bow before Him all who are mortal, all whose lives will end in the dust. Our children will also serve Him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything He has done (Psalm 22:14-31 NLT).
You are always the same, O Lord!
You live forever!
The children of Your people will live securely.
Their children’s children will thrive in Your presence!
Psalm 102:27-28 NLT