January 28, 2004

THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

"But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings" (Malachi 4:2, NKJV).

As the center of the solar system, the sun governs the planets in their orbits. Every living thing on planet Earth owes its existence to the sun as the source of energy. Every minute of the day, the sun transforms sixty billion tons of hydrogen into light, heat, and energy. What awesome power! No one can escape the enormous influence of the sun.

Throughout the Bible, the sun is referred to 162 times. In prose and poetry, reference is made to the sun's power, majesty, warmth, invariability, reliability, and even its fidelity. The sun is therefore a most appropriate figure of Christ the "light of the world" (John 8:12). The figure, "Sun of Righteousness," vividly illustrates the sovereignty, centrality, and all-pervading power of Christ. As the Sun of Righteousness, He is the source of righteousness (see Jeremiah 23:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21), spiritual light (see John 8:12), truth (see 1 Timothy 2:4), and all power (see Matthew 28:18).

As the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus dispels the darkness of sin and fills us with the warmth of His grace, the vitality of His divine energy, and the beauty of His presence. "As the sunflower is constantly turning its open blossom to the sun, so let your heart, your thoughts, ever turn to Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness."--Sons and Daughters of God, p. 151.

In sublime prose, Ellen G. White observes: "If we gaze even [for] a moment upon the sun in its meridian glory, when we turn away our eyes, the image of the sun will appear in everything upon which we look. Thus it is when we behold Jesus; everything we look upon reflects His image, the Sun of Righteousness."--The Faith I Live By, p. 150.

My Prayer Today: Lord, thank You for giving me the Sun of Righteousness. May His glory descend on me today. Amen!