embracing the Light {Day 2}

July 10, 2014  - By Gretchen Saffles

If this is your first day joining our 1 John study, grab your 1 John Reading Guide here and catch up on Day 1!


Reading: 1 John 1:5-10

As a child, I had a great fear of darkness. At nighttime my mom would leave a light on in the hall and crack my door to let just enough light in to comfort my scared heart. I would even run, leap into my bed and get under the covers quickly to safety, afraid of what might be under my bed! (Did anyone else do crazy things as a child to avoid the darkness?) My fear paralyzed me and went into my teen years. I feared driving home from babysitting through the pitch blackness of night.

Why was I so fearful of the darkness? Because in the dark, things that were once seen are hidden. We literally cannot thrive in the darkness because we stumble and fall. We move more slowly to avoid crashing into something. We become helpless people in the dark if we have no light to transform the shadows into things and give us direction on where to step. The greater the darkness, the more powerful a small light will illuminate the shadows. Light and darkness are more than just physical phenomenas we embrace each day, they are symbols of good and evil, God and our enemy, Satan.

1 John 1:5 tells us that “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.” Already we see a stark contrast between light and dark. God not only represents light, but He IS light and is the Creator of light (Genesis 1:3). As a matter of fact, the very first thing God created was light and he “saw that the light was good.” Sisters, this is greatly significant in our walk with Him! If we want to truly know God and live in Him and for Him, we must embrace the Light. John 1:1-5 reveals to us that Jesus is the light of the world that came to shine in the darkness. Since the fall of mankind in Genesis 3, the world has dwelled in the darkness of sin. God originally created light for the good of the world and would eventually send His own Son, Jesus, to be the light of salvation and overcome the darkness of sin. God never intended the world to be filled with utter darkness. Yet He is so good that He would give up His only Son just so that we could now walk as His children in the light of life. (Take a moment to soak that in!)

God equals light and Light equals good. Therefore, our “good” comes from embracing the Light of Jesus and loving the Lord our God. 

Light

Embracing the Light of Christ and living in the light where God dwells radically changes us. Dwell on these truths about the power of the light of Jesus in us: 

Light exposes.

When I was in college, I lived with a seven other girls in a small duplex apartment. We crammed a lot of people into a small space, including a tiny kitchen that was only meant for a few people. Needless to say, the apartment had an assortment of things scattered throughout it at all times. After a few months of living in this small space, we noticed a smell coming from the storage area. After searching and finding nothing, we sprayed some Febreeze and walked away. Day after day the smell became worse. We eventually took a flashlight to search for this disgusting odor and found rotten potatoes behind the washing machine. The light exposed the rotten vegetables that were hiding in the dark. We didn’t even realize they were there until the stench made us do something about it!

Light exposes our sin that is hidden deep in the crevices of our hearts. In Isaiah 1:16, God commanded the Israelites to “wash themselves, make themselves clean and in Isaiah 2:5 to “walk in the light.” If we truly want to be free from the shackles and bondage of sin, we must love the light of God’s Word more than the darkness of our sin. John 1:1 reveals to us that Jesus is the Word and Jesus is God, therefore we must love Jesus and know the Word to live in the light. 1 John 1:4-10 contrasts a life that fellowships with the darkness and with the light. As your continue to study God’s Word and cherish it in your heart, it will reveal to you the “rotten potatoes” that have been hiding. Embrace the Light. Let God in to the dark recesses of your heart. In His light is your freedom and your life.

Light directs.

Psalm 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” God’s Word and His Holy Spirit guides us through the paths of life. In our life we will experience times of great light and great darkness. As believers, we will still “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”, but we have the hope of Christ so that we fear no evil (Psalm 23:5). There are shadows in life that pass by us, but we have the Word of life to guide us when we can’t see our feet in front of us. Sometimes in life, we literally have to go step by step, clinging to the hand of God. 

My husband and I recently saw the synchronized fireflies at the Smokies. Literally, millions of fireflies would light up the darkness with their tiny beams of light causing waves of sparkles to illuminate the forest. It was beyond breathtaking. Any outside light (like a phone or flashlight) would through off their pattern, so each spectator had to use a flashlight with red cellophane over it. The darkness in the forest was piercing and made the beauty of the fireflies even greater! However, in order for us to leave, we had to use the tiny red light to show us where to step. Once the light was on, we couldn’t look to the right or to the left or else we might trip or wander off in the wrong direction. The light guided us to safety. 

God has never left His people without light. Read Exodus 13:21. God guided the Israelites by fire in the night. Just as He guided the Israelites by fire in the night, so does He light up the shadows and darkness of our life with His truth. If you are going through a difficult time (or have gone through) where everything seems dark around you, hold fast to the Light. He will light up the darkness in due time.

quiet time

Light reveals color.

Without light, there is no color. Have you ever seen light refracted in a prism? When it is refracted, it creates a rainbow! Light reveals color and light is composed of color. Ephesians 5:8-9 commands us to “walk as children of light” just as 1 John 1:7 commands. To walk means to “conduct one’s life, make one’s way,” dwell, and abide. We are literally to live in the light where we can see the colors of God’s presence and works all around. In Christ we have beauty, hope and joy. These are the rainbows of the Christian’s life. We are the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) because the love of God lives in us. Our life should not only embrace the beauty of life in Christ, but shine onto those around us.

That brings me to this: What does abiding in light truly look like?

  1. Regular confession of our sins (verse 9).
  2. Fellowship with other believers (verse 7).
  3. Knowing and cherishing Scripture (verse 7)
  4. Living in the freedom and joy of Christ!

May we “walk in the light” today and have fellowship with God, our Father, and Jesus Christ. In His light, we see beauty, we know where to go and we are free from the “rotten potatoes” of sin. His light is good. Embrace it. 

  • How is your life shining into the darkness around you? Read Romans 13:12. How can you live in the Light of Christ?
  • What unconfessed sin do you need to bring before the Lord into the Light?
  • In what ways does your life exhibit fellowship with other believers? Encourage someone today!
walking in the Light,

Gretchen

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  1. aimee.c.spencer@gmail.com says:

    Kept thinking about the story of Moses for some reason and eventually got so curious I just had to read it for myself. Check out Exodus 13: 21-22 & Exodus 14:20. It completely relates to the section on Light Directs. God also brings darkness over Egypt and goes so far to even describe it as “thick enough to be felt,” (Exodus 10:21). And of course, it is through the burning bush that God reveals himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The theme of Light and darkness is very apparent in this story of Moses, and definitely helps me to view light in different ways now!!

    • gretchen.saffles@gmail.com says:

      Aimee,
      That is so beautiful! The verse in Exodus 14:20 gives me chills. It makes me wonder how many ways God is leading us that we might not even notice. I love that He was in the cloud and in the fire. He is in it all. Thank you for encouraging me through this today!

  2. Aimee Spencer says:

    Kept thinking about the story of Moses for some reason and eventually got so curious I just had to read it for myself. Check out Exodus 13: 21-22 & Exodus 14:20. It completely relates to the section on Light Directs. God also brings darkness over Egypt and goes so far to even describe it as “thick enough to be felt,” (Exodus 10:21). And of course, it is through the burning bush that God reveals himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The theme of Light and darkness is very apparent in this story of Moses, and definitely helps me to view light in different ways now!!

    • gretchensaffles says:

      Aimee,
      That is so beautiful! The verse in Exodus 14:20 gives me chills. It makes me wonder how many ways God is leading us that we might not even notice. I love that He was in the cloud and in the fire. He is in it all. Thank you for encouraging me through this today!

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