Mensa Otabil - Remain In the Light
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1 John chapter 2, verses 9 and 10: He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. John is very persistent, and he is not leaving us alone; he’s not making it easy for us to just go and live our lives the way we want and make our own rules. He’s drilling it down, and then he says you cannot be a Christian and hate other Christians. You cannot be in church and hate the people you are in church with; it doesn’t work that way. John says if you do that, you are living in darkness.
Now, the Christian body is a very large one; it is both visible and invisible. It is universal and local, and that includes Christians everywhere in the world, but particularly the Christians you associate with in your local church and your local community. There are Christians who belong to the same group as us, maybe the same church or same denomination, and then there are other Christians who don’t belong to the same group as us. They may be from a different ethnic group or a different race, but the commandment is the same: we have to love. John is saying that if we don’t love, we have no excuse; then we’ve moved out of light into darkness. That’s a very important statement because Jesus Christ is our light, and when He comes to live inside us, He makes us also light. He said we become the light of the world.
So, John says, although we are light, when we hate somebody-when a Christian hates another Christian-although the Christian is light, he is now living in darkness. So, he is light living in darkness. The sum of it is that he is a believer living like an unbeliever, a Christian living like a non-Christian. There’s no difference between you and the person who is living in darkness if you are light living in darkness.
So, the Christian must endeavor not only to be light but also to live in the light. When we walk in love, we are living in the light-that’s what he’s saying. Living in love or walking in love does not mean that you’re going to feel good about everybody. It’s not a feeling; it’s an act. You may not feel nice towards everybody because that may not be the way it is, but you have to act right. That means we have to act with mercy, we have to act with kindness, we have to act with compassion, and we have to act with generosity. This is love in action, although we don’t feel the best vibe towards somebody. Someone may be making you feel very uncomfortable, but you still have to be kind to them. You still have to be generous. You have to be gracious; you have to say nice things about them. You don’t gossip about them, even if they are not treating you well. So, this is not a feeling; it’s an action. It is putting God’s principles to work. John says if we do that, then we are walking in the light.
We are light walking in the light. Jesus spoke the parable about the people who are light, and their light is under a bushel. It means they’re light, but the light is covered; the light is in darkness, and it’s not shining, and it’s not permeating the world. Then, he goes on to say that when we are light and we walk in the light, we will not stumble. That’s a great promise. It means that when you are the light of God, you are walking in light; you will not fall into the enemy’s traps. You will not stumble; you will not fall. Satan may plan all kinds of things against you, but you will not fall into any one of them. Why? Because you walk in love.
The best way to protect yourself as a Christian, the best way to ensure that you don’t fall into any trap of the enemy, is to walk in love. You may not like them, but be kind to them; be generous, be gracious, and be well -intentioned towards people. That is the way we walk in the light.
Let us pray. Say with me, Heavenly Father, you are the Father of light. Help me to walk in your light as I walk in your love. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.