Tag: darkness

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1 John Devotionals

Truths we hold

1 John

We live in a world that holds on to a lot of partial truths.

But as Christians we can’t do that. We need to hold to the whole truth.

And so as we read 1 John, it’s important to hold all truth together.

What are these truths.

  1. You can’t walk in darkness and claim to be a Christian. Put another way, you can’t live in unrepentant sin and say you are a Christian. To do so, John says, makes you a liar (1 John 1:6). Rather a true Christian is marked by a love for God and a love for others.
  2. That said, all Christians sin (1:8, 10). No Christian is perfect. And no Christian loves God or people perfectly.
  3. When we sin, Jesus intercedes for us before the Father. On the cross, Jesus took all of the Father’s wrath for our sins upon himself (2:1-2). And because of that, we have peace with God.

What happens when we fail to hold these truths together? We either fall into a life of licentiousness, or we fall into depression that we don’t measure up as Christians.

Let’s run from both extremes. Rather, let us do these two things:

  1. Live in the light. Make loving God and loving others your top priorities. And when you fall, don’t hide your sin. Bring it before God with a heart of repentance.
  2. Walk in grace. When you fall, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t run in shame from God. Instead, run to him, knowing Jesus himself is interceding for you.
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1 John

To have fellowship with God (part 2)

1 John

We saw yesterday that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. So if we are going to claim to have fellowship with him, then we need to be walking in that light with him.

If we try to explain away his commands or blatantly ignore them and still claim fellowship with him, we are liars.

John then gives one specific example which he will get back to again and again in this letter. He says,

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you had since the beginning. This old  command is the message you have heard.

Yet I am writing you a new command; it’s truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. (1 John 2:7-8)

What is this old/new command?

I think John is specifically referring to loving your neighbor, although as we will see in later passages, loving your neighbor goes a long way to proving your love for God too.

In Moses’ law, God said to love your neighbor as yourself. That was the old command.

But the new command as seen in Jesus is this: to love one another, not merely as we love ourselves, but as Jesus himself loved us. (John 13:34-35)

In short, it is to know the love of God so much in our lives, that his love can’t help but flow out of our lives to others.

And so John says that this truth is not just seen in Jesus, but in us who truly believe in him. For his true light of love is already shining in our hearts, while the darkness which formerly marked our hearts is departing.

Therefore, John says,

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.

Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded him. (2:9-11)

All this links right back to chapter 1 verses 5-7. There is no way we can claim to have fellowship with God if we hate our brother. A person who hates is still walking in darkness, not light.

This hatred can manifest itself in bigotry or racism of course. It can also manifest itself in jealousy or envy.

But one place it most often manifests itself is in unforgiveness. And many people stumble around in darkness, bound in bitterness and hatred because they can’t forgive.

And like I said before, for such people, it can be very easy to either try to explain away scripture or blatantly ignore it, all the while holding on to their hatred toward the person that hurt them.

But if we truly understand the love God has for us and the forgiveness he has extended toward us, can we truly hold on to that hatred?

A true child of God can’t.

Now I’m not saying that Christians should never struggle with unforgiveness. They do. And it’s not easy to forgive, especially when the pain is deep.

But if you are truly born of God, you cannot simply stay in the darkness. You cannot make excuses for your hatred, saying things like, “What he did was unforgiveable. I can’t forgive. I won’t forgive!”

To say such things is to step out of light into utter darkness. And to claim to still have fellowship with God in that state is to make yourself a liar.

A true child of light will step out into the light and receive the healing touch of Jesus. And by his grace and power, they will forgive.

How about you? Is there someone you hate? That you can’t forgive? You can’t hold on to those things and have fellowship with God.

Healing will require time. It will require prayer. It will require emotional support from your brothers and sisters in Christ. It may require counseling. And it will definitely require the love and power of God’s Spirit working in your life.

But stop making excuses, and step out into the light.

Until you do, you will find your relationship with God stunted, if not impossible.

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2 TImothy

Though things go from bad to worse

riots and world getting worse

If anyone thinks that this world will get any better, they’re not reading the same Bible I am.

Until the day Christ comes back, things will get progressively worse. And that shows most starkly in the ungodliness of the people in this world, even those claiming to be Christians.

And Paul’s words seem more real to me now than they did even ten or twenty years ago. Paul says,

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

Paul doesn’t say that people who want to live a godly life may be persecuted, or could possibly be persecuted. He said they will be persecuted.

Why? Because evil men and false Christians will go from bad to worse. Those who are teachers deceive, teaching things contrary to the Word of God, and those who listen are falling for everything they say.

The result is a more and more corrupt morality and a more and more corrupt world. And with that corruption comes a hatred for anyone that will dare shine the light of God’s word into that darkness. Jesus himself said,

Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

We see this clearly in the world today. Everything is tolerated…except the Word of God.

Paul in his day experienced that hatred. He reminds Timothy of all that he went through for the sake of the light, and he warns him, “This is not an aberration. It will not only continue, but get worse as people fall further and further into darkness.”

How are we to respond in the face of this darkness? Paul tells us.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

In short, hold on to the truth. Though people may turn from the truth, though people may try to extinguish it by persecuting you, hold on to the truth and keep proclaiming it. Why is it so important to hold on to God’s word?

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

God’s word is our life. And it equips us for every good work that we do in the face of this darkness. It’s the sword that can pierce the heart and banish the darkness in the souls of people.

More, it teaches us what is right, rebukes us when we are wrong, picks us up when we fall, and trains us to be godly.

And finally, it gives us the strength to endure anything we go through in this dark world as God himself through his Spirit whispers his words of life into our souls.

Jesus never promised an easy life if we follow him. He said,

In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33)

If you stand up for the truth, if you shine the light into this dark world, you will find trouble. But continue to hold to the light. Don’t let the darkness extinguish it from your soul. And as Jesus said,

Take heart! I have overcome the world. (John  16:33b)

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John John 12

When we see and hear Jesus

John

So many people say, “I believe in God,” but refuse to put their faith in Jesus.

But if you truly believe in God, that is exactly what you cannot do. Jesus says here,

Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.

The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (John 12:44-46)

Jesus is saying here that to believe in him is to believe in God. To see him is to see God.

He then said,

For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.

I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say. (John 12:49-50)

So to hear Jesus also means to hear God, because he speaks the very words of God. And to reject Jesus’ words is to reject God’s words. More, to reject Jesus means to reject God himself.

And Jesus says,

There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. (John 12:48)

All of us will be held accountable for what we have heard Jesus say.

If you believe him, you will find light and life. But if you reject him, you will find only judgment and darkness.

What will you choose?

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John John 11

Walking by the light

John

When Jesus made the decision to go back to Judea to see Lazarus, his disciples objected, saying,

But Rabbi… a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there? (John 11:8)

Jesus’ answer is very striking.

Are there not twelve hours of daylight?

A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light. (John 11:9-10)

What is Jesus saying here? As long as he followed his Father’s will, he would be fine. As long as he trusted his Father’s leading, he would not stumble. It’s the person who fails to do either that falls into trouble.

It’s the same with us. We talked yesterday about how Jesus wants more than anything is for us to trust him.

When we choose to believe him and follow him, we’ll see things as they really are. We’ll see his love for us clearly despite our circumstances. We’ll see our trials for the temporary things that they are.

But when we walk apart from him who is the Light of the world, we find ourselves stumbling around in discouragement and despair because of all the trials and hurts that we go through.

How about you? How clearly are you seeing?

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John John 3

Stepping out into the light

John

I mentioned in my last blog that we are not in danger of being condemned if we reject Christ. We are already condemned. Judgment has already been passed.

And in this passage, we see the verdict that was passed against us. John writes,

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

In other words, Light came into the world through Christ. He showed us who God is. He showed us God’s will for our lives.

But men loved the evil they were doing, even though they knew it was wrong; even though deep in their hearts, they knew their actions bring about shame.

As a result, they remained in darkness and would not embrace the Light. Instead, they rejected him. And for that they stand condemned.

How about you? Are you willing to step out into the Light of Christ? To no longer walk in actions that you know deep down are wrong and are shameful, but to walk with Christ in the Light? To live by his truth?

When we do so, we no longer need to fear God, but can stand boldly before him. John writes,

Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (John 3:21)

I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of relationship I want before God. No shame. No guilt. But walking freely and confidently before him, bathed in his love and grace.

Some people fear to come into the light because they’re afraid of what they might lose if what they’re doing is exposed.

So they stay away from church. They stay away from the Word of God. Or if they read it, they stay away from the passages that they know will expose them.

But God loves you. He wants your best. And while you may think you’re losing something that you love or need by surrendering it to God, you actually gain something so much greater.

The question comes down to this: Will you trust him? Will you trust that he is looking out for your best? Will you trust that he actually knows what is best?

Because until you believe that, you will never step out into the light.

God proved his love for you by sending his Son.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

If he did that for you, can’t you trust him with everything else in your life?

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Proverbs

Watching our step

“Watch your step.”

Whenever we’re in a precarious situation, people always warn us to be careful.  And in this world there are numerous pitfalls that can bring us down.

So David warned his son Solomon about the pitfalls in life, and Solomon in turn passed on those lessons to his own sons.

He said,

Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. 

I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. 

When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. 

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.  (Proverbs 4:10-13)

Just as David and Solomon talked to their sons, so I think God speaks to us here as his sons and daughters. 

He guides us and leads us in the ways that are right, and if we’ll just follow him, we won’t stumble as we’ve seen so many people have. 

If we guard His words in our heart, holding fast to them, we’ll find the path to life.

How many times have we seen Christian leaders fall because they didn’t guard these things in our hearts? 

It’s easy to criticize them, but it can just as easily happen to us if we don’t watch ourselves.  So often we criticize others, but we fail to watch ourselves and fall into the same kinds of sins.

So Solomon tells us to watch our step.  To stay away from the path of sinners who would encourage us to follow them.  To swiftly turn from the path that they walk on, and instead to stay on the lighted path that leads to life.

He said,

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 

But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.  (18-19)

In other words, as we follow Christ and do things his way, he reveals to us even more, and the way we should go becomes even clearer. 

But when we reject the light of his Word, we end up stumbling around and falling into every pitfall on the road, simply because we are completely blind to them.

Solomon concludes this chapter by saying,

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  (23)

Put another way, “Watch what you let into your heart.  And watch the places where you let your heart go.  Don’t let it wander off into places where it can destroy you.”

Rather,

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.  

Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. 

Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.  (25-27)