Resources > Bible Studies A Sliver of Daylight Posted by Rev. Jeff Dixon, Senior Equipping Minister, CCC Ministries on Aug 21, 2008, 16:17

A Sliver of Daylight

In a CORE study at CCC we began a 4 week series entitled A Sliver of Daylight. This Bible study is based upon the introduction of that series. You are encouraged to use it as a devotional resource, a resource for your quiet time, or a resource that will assist you in your transformational adventure of faith.

Lets begin with a question...it is important so take a few moments and think of your answer before you keep reading...

What is the most important thing you have done in the last 24 hours?

Your answer could be anything of course. For example : Going to a Laundromat could be important if you need clean clothes for the day. Going to a child's soccer game is important to stay connected to their lives.

But when you stop and think about the most important thing you did over the last 24 hours ask yourself...Did you learn something, did you meet someone, decide something, take a step toward something else? (How do you really know?)

At any given time...
It is hard to know which moments are important in the long run...

That is why we have to approach each moment with an unleashed and untamed passion!

Look...if you are going to live the life you were created to live you have to understand and accept a few things. They are simple yet life changing...they are :  

God is calling us to something extraordinary

Every moment is rich with opportunity

Too many of us are sleeping through our dreams!

Right behind the mundane is the miraculous. Most of us don't realize that but it is.

 You don't have to hunt for greatness in great places. It is all around us in the mundane moments of life (maybe in the mundane of today) God is always doing something, usually we only get a small glimpse.

Look up and read John 9:4

To place the passage in context: The blind man calls their bluff (v.1-12) This passage is one where  Jesus heals a blind man and it prompts a discussion on how he ended up blind in the first place and later how he got healed...Yet tucked away early in the passage is an attitude or imperative that Jesus brings about how He works and what He came to do...

As we strive to be like Him, we need to pause, catch our breath, and listen...and then apply this to our own lives

(NIV) As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

(MSG) Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."

(CEV) As long as it is day, we must do what the one who sent me wants me to do. When night comes, no one can work.

We have such a short sliver of daylight in which to make a difference.

We need to embrace it and make the most of it

The Bible is loaded with characters who had moments...crucial moments that changed their lives

You are going to do some research
Look at some or all of the characters mentioned below. Read their stories. Try to take an extra moment and get a feel for what is happening in the passage. For each character we read about on the list below you are looking for one answer...so if you need one answer then it probably is important to know the question...here it is:

What was the character's crucial moment? (And what happened because of that moment)

Choose some or all of the following characters and their stories

The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13)

Hosea (Hosea 1:2-3, 3:1-3)

Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

Andrew (John 1:35-42)

Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41, 15:46)

Any surprises? These are second tier Bible characters, not the big stars...

You wrote down what you think their "moment" was, lets think about that a little bit deeper.

What lessons do we learn from them?

What kind of crucial moments do we find in their stories?

            There are a number of different moments....
            Moments of courage, loyalty, curiosity, and faith
            Some choose to tell others about Jesus, some choose to stick up for others
            Some choose to do the right thing, some choose to do something that others don't understand...some choose the GOD thing!

I want to invite you...challenge you...encourage you....to take a journey ...

I believe that we miss a lot of moments...
I want you to start looking at the sliver of daylight that God has given you...

I want you to begin to see the miracle of the moment

Believe it or not, one of the basic parts of the Christian life are the choices we make in the moment....

You come face to face with the choice to follow Jesus...what do you choose?