by God's Little Boy
© MakeshiftDarkroom.com 2012
Posted 5/19/12
Waxing Crescent
Waxing Crescent… This phase of the moon is like the Christian in his earthly experience; he is merely a crescent sliver in terms of progressive sanctification, but he is waxing; he is on the increase toward experiencing and manifesting the fullness that he has in Christ. In his experience, it is painfully evident that his dark side is still greater than his glorious side. He still has far to go and is in great need of both the pardoning and enabling sides of grace; of the pardoning side for mercy, life, and peace and the enabling side for power and transformation.
“And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God’s provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years, And let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light upon the earth. And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. He also made the stars.” (Genesis 1:14-16 Amplified)
In the creation of the sun and the moon we see a picture of God and his elect or Christ and his church. God is the greater light and like the sun he shines forth his glory. God’s elect are like the moon (the lesser light) who have no light or glory of their own but simply reflect his glory. Without his glory there remains nothing to be seen. The elect are content with this; it is their glory. Lucifer (light bringer) was not content with his original purpose of reflecting God’s glory; This fallen angel wanted a glory of his own. False religion and devilish fables misuse the signs of the heavens and make the moon and the stars to lie. They pervert the true meaning that God has set forth in them from the beginning - the message that he has made them to declare continually. But we who are in God’s family know that creation is ours. God’s people do well to remember the line of that familiar hymn, “This is my father’s world.”
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (Psalms 19:1-4a)
God is uncreated life. God is the eternally preexistent one. He was, and is, and always will be - having no beginning and no ending. Contrarily, ours is a created life. We are just getting started. We have only very recently had our beginning and even more recently our spiritual beginning. Our knowledge is pitifully finite. It is foolish when we think of ourselves more highly than we ought to. In 1 John 2:1 the Apostle John addressed believers as “little children” and, even though he was advanced in years, I am sure that he would have included himself in that description as well. What is eighty, ninety, or one hundred years to eternal preexistence? We are very small, having only begun, but we are on the increase. We are increasing in sanctification and in glory, and we are moving toward the full manifestation of who we really are and what we will be forever. We are crescent and waxing. We are surely and steadily waxing brighter and brighter toward our certain fullness, and all by the grace of God.
IT DOES NOT YET APPEAR WHAT WE SHALL BE
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
Before honor is humility. (Proverbs 15:33b) In his first advent, Jesus was veiled in humility. His glory was hidden. The world could not see that God was standing in their midst. The servant is not greater than his master; we each must have a certain share in his humiliation. Just as he humbled himself, we allow ourselves to be humbled under his mighty hand and in his perfect plan. He (the Son of God) was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew (recognized) him not. (John 1:10) In the same way, our true identity is hidden. The world sees us now in our lowly rags, as weak and foolish. They do not know who we are. They do not realize that they are standing close to royalty and the rightful rulers of the coming age. We are made to eat the cold gruel of humiliation in their presence. But just as Christ was highly exalted and given a name above every other name, we too will come into our fullness of glory as joint heirs with him. The glory we have received within will one day be fully and plainly manifested.
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
(Proverbs 4:18)
WAXING OR WANING
To the pessimistic observer, the lunar cycle may seem to move in two directions. Waxing one way and then waning the other, but this is not necessarily so. Perhaps we could say that the lunar cycle moves in only one direction - from new moon to full moon. When it wanes it wanes to newness so that it may repeat, for us, its proclamation of “new to full” once again, in a continuous circuit . This is true in the same way as an easterly course remains easterly though it may pass over western territories. The two most significant moon phases in the lunar calendar are New and Full. Both of these have the most profound influence upon the earth as well as the most profound meaning for those on earth who are also seated in heavenly places. These two phases declare an optimistic and encouraging message to those who are tuned to the frequency of grace. Based on the Biblical narrative we could say that “New” speaks of the new beginning and position we have in Christ and “Full” may refer to not only our completeness in Christ now, but also the fullness of glory we shall ultimately reflect when we shall come into his presence as perfected saints.
It is tragic when a Christian loses sight of who he is and, in his experience, wanes in sin. But shall his unbelief make the promises of God of none effect? There is a higher grace at work in his life. The believer has but one destiny: fullness in Christ. We see this in the life of Samson. At the lowest point in his life the shorn Nazirite had waned to captivity and ruin. He waned in sin but that did not change who he was, he was still a Nazirite unto God. When his waning was complete God brought him to newness again by grace. Even after his shameful, costly, and painful losses he died in victory and went home to fullness.
In spite of our darkened phases, like the moon, we have still been made to rule over the night. Lord, may we not wane in unbelief, but through faith, wax in confident victory toward our certain fullness in Christ.
Keep in the light of the Son. 
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)
This is my Father's world
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