The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn which shines brighter and brighter until full day - Proverbs 4:18
The Bible is a book full of imagery.
Images of the physical world are often used to communicate spiritual realities to us.
We all know what it is like to watch the sun rise in the horizon: the dark sky slowly gives way to the light of the sun, and the brightness grows and grows until the sun reaches its apex in the sky.
Proverbs 4:18 uses this familiar image of the rising sun to describe a deep spiritual truth regarding the life of one in pursuit of God.
The deeper one leans into God, the deeper he or she will experience God. The more one pours themselves out in service to the Lord, the more the Lord will pour His Holy Spirit into that person (in reality, the Lord wants to fill us with His Spirit always, but He simply cannot dwell where we have not yet made room for Him).
As we continue down this path of righteousness - a path followed and exemplified perfectly by Jesus - we draw nearer to the Source of Righteousness which is Christ Himself.
The depth of our experience with God will be in direct proportion to our proximity to Him.
And just as the sun begins each morning as a dim shimmer in the sky, but whose light grows rapidly in intensity as the day progresses, the intensity of our experience with God will deepen dramatically to the extent that we move closer to Him.
The sky continues to increase in brightness until the sun has reached its climax. The path of the righteous man or woman becomes more awe-some and wonder-ful (sometimes we forget what these words mean) as the seeker continues further down the path.
True men and women of God will not be satisfied until "full day." That is, until they see the Lord Jesus face to face - whether that be in this life or in the next.
As that day will be of infinite significance, there is an infinite distance between here and there. In other words, there is infinite awe and wonder waiting to be discovered and experienced as we journey down this path to eternity. No man who walks this path can fail to be transformed.
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me,
and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,
clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow.
His eyes were like a flame of fire,
his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace,
and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
In his right hand he held seven stars,
from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword,
and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1:12-16
On that path is an accumulation of revelations and experiences with the Lord, but there is not a satisfaction, but instead a hunger for more of Him. Maybe that is why there is a banquet at the end of the road! In reading John 6, I can see this path which is full of revelation of the plan of our redemption. John sets the stage with feeding five thousand and ends with the spiritual truth of Jesus the true bread of Life. You can do a lot of digging in the Book of John as it is packed with symbolism and revelation. I really love John and look forward to having dinner with him some time. :)