February 18, 2020 WALKING IN THE LIGHT
1 John 1:5-7, 2:5-6 “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” “but whoever keeps His word in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked.”
The good news for believers is that even though we live in a dark world where there is strife, brokenness, corruption, deviant behavior, lawlessness on every hand, we can nonetheless walk in the light. Walking in darkness has dire consequences-so it is extremely good news to know that we do not have to walk in darkness. Jesus came to announce and demonstrate that God IS light and there is no darkness in Him at all. Being in Christ is our hope and the provision for our walking in the light; Colossians 1:13 tells us: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” God gives each believer the Holy Spirit for a reason: the Spirit empowers us, equips us, leads us into truth, convicts us when we are wrong, and guides us in the ways of the Lord. It is only by the Spirit that we can walk in the light in the midst of darkness. The above verse has a strong admonition, or warning for us; if we claim to be rightly related to God and say we are having fellowship with Him, and yet walk in darkness, we lie. We walk in the light only when we walk according to the Spirt-according to the ways of God-because He is in us and we are in Him. When we walk in the light, we are reflecting the light of God; our actions point to our Father who is light. It’s very simple; we can make the choice to obey the Spirit of God, choose to do the things that please our Father-that’s walking in the light. For example, if I have a neighbor who needs my help in some way, and I help that neighbor, I’m walking in the light; if I do not help, I’m walking in darkness. There are countless examples of walking in the light verses walking in darkness-you get the point. There is no better way for us to start each day by acknowledging to God and to ourselves that today we will walk in the light and will actively look for ways to ‘let our light shine.’ Walking in the darkness also has a detrimental effect on our relationship with others, while walking in the light enhances our relationship with others. We can walk in the light “because the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The forgiveness of sins open the door to walking in the light, enjoying fellowship with other believers and with God-thank God for that. Keeping the words of Jesus (because we love Him) is proof-positive that His love has been perfected in us-that is the acid test. Finally, because we have been forgiven of sin, have been transferred to His kingdom, and have the Spirit of God living in us, we can now “walk in the same manner as He walked.” That is an awesome reality for us! Yes! We can live life-we can walk as Jesus walked! Saying that ‘I’m not Jesus’ is used as an excuse to walk in the darkness. Reject any lie or argument that says ‘we are just saved sinners who still sin, unable to live as Jesus lived.’ Explore the wonderful truths in the above verses and starting now, let us walk in the light as He is in the light!
Philippians 4:9 “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Psalm 56:13 “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
Matthew 5:14a, 16 “You are the light of the world.” “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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