In the first month or two at our current church I was passing through the Sanctuary on the way to my office. It was in the evening and the church was dark. I thought I knew where things were in the room and thought I could easily maneuver to where I needed to be until my knee discovered where the piano was.
Things are so much better and easier when it is light. I learned my lesson that evening. I turn on the lights whenever I have to go anywhere in the church. It is important for me to be able to see where I am going.
The same is true of our lives. It is important that we go through life in the light. We need the light of wisdom, the light of hope, the light of love. We need the light that God gives us, the light of His care and insight. If we do not walk in the light of God’s guidance and love then we are in the dark of confusion, doubt, and sin.
John encourages us to walk in the light. What are the benefits of walking in the light of God?
1 John 1:5 tells us that “God is light; in him there is no darkness.” God is love and wisdom. God is the source of hope. Being all these things means that God is that light that we need so badly.
If we can walk in the light of God – that is, if we can try to live out love the way God loves, if we can try to keep God as part of who we are – we can avoid stumbling in life. We can avoid wrong decisions, wrong attitudes, and wrong actions.
If we make God’s love part of who we are we are also freed from sin. The sacrifice and presence of Jesus purifies us, washes away the sinfulness. But we also have fellowship. That fellowship is with God because we are in His presence and we have made Him part of who we are.
But, just as light shines on more than one person, when we are in the light of God that light spills over onto others. We are then in fellowship with others. In that fellowship we can share the love of God.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you walk in the light of God?
