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Scripture for the day: 1 John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Thought for the day: What does it mean to walk in the light? I know, that’s much too simple a question to be asking, particularly of those who may have been walking with Jesus for years. Every now and then, though, I think we ought to stop to reflect, to take inventory if you will. How are we doing? Are we still headed in the right direction? Is our relationship all we would have wanted it to be? So, let’s answer the question.
First – L – Love the Lord. The greatest commandment is this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Matthew 22:37). Good enough, but what does that mean? What if I’m not prone to experiencing sudden or massive outbursts of emotional response? What if my culture, my background, my whole psychological make-up steers me toward a stoic acceptance of the good, the bad and the ugly as the simple realities of life, meant to be accepted and dealt with on a logical basis? What then?
Loving the Lord means simply this; He comes first. Period. He’s before my job, before my activities of the day, before my family and, most difficult of all, before my own desires, wants and needs. Loving the Lord means I spend time with Him in prayer, in daily conversation. It means I spend time learning all I can about Him, getting to know Him. Whether I like reading or not; whether I understand all I read, there is no substitute for spending time in the Bible. Sometimes I think the Bible should be called “The 66 Books of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.” He can be found on every page if we but look for Him.
Loving the Lord means we attend to the means of grace through attendance and participation with others of like persuasion. It means we go to church whenever we are able, for this is where we get the opportunity to share the love of God in tangible ways. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25). When we gather in His name, we are encouraged, challenged, admonished and corrected, even as we provide these same things to others. There are a lot of choices provided for us these days, but there’s really no substitute for in-person worship and fellowship.
Loving the Lord means we love those whom the Lord loves, whether we consider them loveable or not. John said, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death” (1 John 3:14). It also means we love those for whom He died, whether they are a part of our church or not. Paul reminds us: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Can we do any less than follow His example? Some unknown sage once said, “When we become followers of Jesus Christ, we surrender forever the right to choose who we will love.”
Now go take on your world. - Bill