Living In The Light

But tomorrow is uncertain, tomorrow is not promised, and tomorrow will, one day, be too late, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night (1Thessalonians 5:2, NASB).... But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1John 1:5-7, NIV).”

Embracing the Will to Stand for Jesus

It costs nothing to live in the world; it costs everything to live in the light. The darkness shelters the sinner and the shamed, while the light is a haven for the righteous and the upright. The darkness covers the truth; the light is the truth. Come; live in the light.

1John 1:1 (NIV) proclaims the realness of Jesus; “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” John proclaims that Jesus was “that which was from the beginning.”

It is important to understand who Jesus really is. It is important to understand that Jesus, as God in human form, defeated Satan; that Jesus, as God in human form, was without sin; that Jesus, as God in human form, came as a king to rule in the hearts of men. He came as the sacrifice for the sin of all. It is important to understand that Jesus faced everything that we face and that His response was righteous and that our response can be righteous as well.

Our goal is to become that light for the glory of the One Who Made Us, to become that light in service and ministry to our families. We are to become a light to the world, a light not shinning in judgment, but one that shines in proof of Jesus’ love and the redemption of the cross.

We need to stop holding on to sin, the past, and our pride and grab Jesus. We need to depend fully upon Him, to fully trust Him to guide and provide for us.

Many Christians live out their faith with a “do it tomorrow” attitude. That failure today is acceptable in light of a new and repentant tomorrow. But tomorrow is uncertain, tomorrow is not promised, and tomorrow will, one day, be too late, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night (1Thessalonians 5:2, NASB).

There is danger in the belief that what is not possible today will be possible tomorrow. There is danger in the belief that forgiveness somehow pardons us, insulates us, from the consequences of our sin. Be assured, judgment is real and awaiting us all.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1John 1:5-7, NIV).”

Today is all we have. This moment is what counts. We can either choose the light or continue in the dark, but we cannot continue in the dark and lay claim to the light.