"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" 1John 1:7
Initially, it seems simple, I'd read it something like this: if we read the Word, do our best to live by it, we will have happy relations with God and with others in Him.
But then, why are there areas of broken fellowship - even among Christian brothers and sisters? And what does it look like to "walk in the light"?
John Piper helps to dig deeper here (ooop, i cheated!)
Here's roughly what I gathered:
- Light - truth and God = Light, therefore God is the source of all that is true and walking in the light is the same as walking in truth and, ultimately, walking in God.
- In God, there is no darkness: he knows all things and all is exposed; no hidden agenda, no small print
- To walk in the light is to have desires that align with those of God: It is the darkness that causes us to desire things that are not good for us.
- note "WALK" - it is a process, a way of life rather than a moment
- in order to have fellowship, both parties must walk in the light
John 3:10 says "the light has come in to the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." ..there is a willfulness to remaining in darkness. So if there is any brokenness in fellowship, there must be some area where I am CHOOSING to remain in darkness, where I am controlled by the desires of the world rahter than desires for God...
Maybe, If we turn from the darkness and walk in the light, "selling [our] possessions and goods, [and giving] to anyone as he had need." would not be such a 'disturbing' idea.
4 comments:
Thanks for posting Julie! You asked, "why are there areas of broken fellowship among brothers and sisters in Christ?" Great question. I think you're on to something when you've said, "it's because we're choosing to remain in the darkness." If both were walking in the light (ie. living in fellowship with God and with his truth) there would fellowship, but if both are walking in the darkness or one is walking in the darkness and the other walking in the light, then there can't be true fellowship but discord and dissension.
So how do we promote fellowship at ODM? We must help and encourage our brothers and sisters to first live in fellowship with God (to live in the light). The daily meditation and this blog is just one attempt to helping people to connect with God everyday. This must be the first priorty.
After that, you've suggested that we "share our possessions and help each other in need." When we get together, let all look to see who might need some encouragement and then do it!
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Posted by Pastor James
welcome on board, Julie. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
thanks for sharing julie!
one part of your post that resonated with me was your reflection on the what it means to "walk" in God's light- in that it is a process as well as an indication of the way we live.
as for what that means in my life...i can testify that i'm at a slow slow crawl! but i'm reminded that it's never what i do that makes the cut...instead, it's what's already been accomplished for me that makes this grace story so compelling
thanks, julie, for an excellent post. choosing to live in darkness rather than walk in the light is the eternal, age-old problem.
it reminds me of Jesus's comment in john chapter 3 where He says, "men loved darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil".
how true. in darkness, everything we see and think and feel is distorted, twisted and otherwise divorced from its real condition--
essential, spiritual things seem inconsequential and un-urgent;
while worldly, temporal issues seem enormously urgent and important.
the Lord help us all to do the painful and humiliating work of coming to the light.
only in the light of the truth can we see essentials and non-essentials in their true and proper light.
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