Long before Rihanna’s hit song, Diamonds, women all over the world were being encouraged to shine like a star. No, I’m not talking about those dazzling ‘shine like a star’ t-shirts or sparkly wall decals – though I think those are super cute.
The inspiration to shine like a star started long, long ago. Not thirty years ago, or a hundred years ago. More like thousands of years ago. Long before creative ads and catchy songs.
Tucked right inside the pages of the Bible, you’ll find verse after verse encouraging you to shine like the star that you are.
To remove all doubt, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of Scriptures that will inspire you to shine for God. And read on until the end, because I have something else I think will inspire you as well. But first, the Scriptures.
Why Shine Like a Star
You might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Why should you want to shine like a star any way?
Well, to begin with, it all starts with God, the One true light.
You see, the Bible tells us that God is the source of all light and the creator of the universe. He himself is light and in him there’s no darkness at all.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:3
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
In His graciousness, God shines His light on us. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
Psalm 50:2
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Psalm 97:11
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
The Lord bless you
Numbers 6:24-26
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:7
May God be gracious to us and bless us
Psalm 67:1-3
and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
More Bible Verses to Help You to Shine Like a Star
Not only does God shine His light on you, He also calls you to shine like a star to point others to Him.
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
Isaiah 60:1-3
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:3
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.
Philippians 2:14-15
I pray these Scriptures inspired you to shine like a star for God.
If you’re a practical kinda girl like me, I know you might be wondering what shining like a star looks like on a day to day basis. I guess you can say, I read your mind.
Well, I’m so excited to share that over the next few weeks, I’ll be hosting a series called Shining Like Stars. I’ve invited some writing friends to share their stories, inspiration and tips here on the blog. Look out for the first post this week and every week throughout July and August.
Bookmark this page where the Shining Like Stars posts will be updated weekly.
And I invite you to share the image below to invite others to follow along.
My prayer is that you will be inspired and encouraged to be the light that shines in your corner of the world. Wherever you are, wherever God places you, whatever the situation, you can be a shining star.
Let us encourage one another to be the light shining in the dark place.
Go ahead, sister, shine like a star!
How about you?
What do you think about when you hear the phrase, ‘shine like stars’?
Which of the Bible verses inspire you to shine for Christ? I’d love to know, so leave me a comment below.
Wishing you blessings,
Share the love, spread the shine!
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Hi Marva! I’m super excited about the “Shining Like Stars” series. I look forward to reading the posts (and contributing a post) in this series. Continue to shine brightly in Christ my friend!
Thank you, Joy. I’m so glad you’ll be sharing your inspiring words in this series. Let’s continue to lift each other up and shine like the bright stars God called us to be!
Blessings to you.
I love this reminder! So much of what we think is “new” really started with God.
So true, Rebecca. Even the Bible tells us, there’s nothing new under the sun. 🙂
When I hear “shine like a star”, I think of the importance of reflecting the Lord’s light in this dark world. I look forward to the upcoming posts on this! Thanks for sharing!
That’s exactly what I think too, Cheryl. I hope you’ve been able to follow along with the series and that you’ve been blessed by the posts shared by these inspiring women.
You can find them all here: https://sunsparkleshine.com/shining-like-stars-series/
Blessings to you!
This looks like it’s going to be a great series, Marva. I’ll be reading along. Love this: “Be the light that shines in your corner of the world. Wherever you are, wherever God places you, whatever the situation, you can be a shining star.”
Thank you, Lisa. I’d love for you to follow along and share as well.
Blessings always.
I love the verse in Daniel, I am a big fan of Proverbs so anything having to do with “wisdom” always catches my attention. I also like the verse in Philippians, although I must admit that one is a lot to live up to and I know I don’t do a very good job of it too often. Great post, looks like a great series too. Many Thanks 8)
Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts, Debra Jean. Thankfully even when we don’t live up to these verses, we can still be a shining light! I’m so thankful for God’s grace.
Blessings!
Thanks for the reminder, Marv! That last scripture I had to read twice. Definitely need some work in this area . . . so thankful for a loving, patient God.
You’re not alone, Carlie. That one stops me in my tracks every time I read it! 🙂
Thankful for grace and for sisters who love to encourage.
Blessings!
Love this Marva! God did indeed impress upon us to shine long before it was trendy. So many verses to illustrate that He shines and expects us to do the same.
That’s right, Britt. And funny enough, we often turn to all sorts of things to help us get our glam on, when all we really need is the Light that shines within!
Blessings to you as you shine brightly for Christ.