“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” — Revelation 22:16
The Brightest Star
Starting pitchers in baseball and softball, quarterbacks in football, and shooting guards in basketball get lots of attention, and it’s not easy to keep the fame and fortune in perspective. The Lord doesn’t mind us being prominent, as long as we remember who is preeminent.
If we want to remember to worship God alone, the self-effacing humor of George Burns and Gracie Allen is helpful. They gave the gift of laughter to countless people for many years. They enjoyed a wonderful marriage for 38 years and entertained people at Vaudeville, on radio, in movies and on television. Burns started singing and dancing for pennies at a young age. He held crowds in the palm of his hand with humor even after Gracie died relatively young. As a 100-year-old man, Burns still had a twinkle in his eye. He outlived lots of friends and some enemies. He earned the respect of everyone.
Since work and other responsibilities are sometimes frustrating, we all need laughter to deal with the stresses of life. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine …” Though humor is healthy, it only settles our minds briefly, but God gives permanent peace. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
If we had the autograph of George Burns, Gracie Allen or some other famous person, we would treasure it, but God is the only One worthy of worship. If we are honest about our weaknesses and our sins, then we recognize how great God is in comparison to us. “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).
We sometimes do good and other times we do badly, but God is different from us. The Lord does good all the time. “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God is the brightest star and worthy of glory, honor and praise. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Ga.
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