Check out all the previous Walk in the Light Readings here.
Walk in the Light Reading Day 3
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. Pray that God would open your eyes to wonderful things from His word today.
Bible Reading: 1 John 2:3-11
Read these verses three times slowly.
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
Reflection & Questions
We’re continuing to explore what it means to walk in the light in our readings. We have seen that God Himself is light and so if we want to be with Him, we have to come into the light. Yesterday, we read that while we might fear coming into the light because of our sin and shame, it is actually a place of forgiveness and freedom. We should rather fear staying in the dark.
Today, we continue reading in 1 John and we see that living in the light had a direct impact on our relationships. John gives us a very clear way to assess whether we are walking in the light or not. “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”
The brothers and sisters that John writes of here are our brothers and sisters in Christ. The family of God. If we are treating the family of God poorly, if we recoil from, shun or shame fellow believers, we are not walking in the light. When we hold grudges and gossip, we are not walking in the light. This kind of behavior leads to blindness and darkness – we lose our compass and our freedom.
Rather, John says, those who are in the light, “live as Jesus did.” How did Jesus live? He was full of grace and truth. He brought things into the light, but he did so with a grace and mercy that was rarely seen. He truly loved people. Those who’ve come into the light and experienced that love, that grace and truth, know what it feels like. It is that same love, that same grace and truth, that we are to pass on to others. If we don’t, the question is, have we truly come into the light?
- Is there anyone that you are harboring hate towards? Talk to God about that and listen to Him.
- Are you showing love to your brothers and sisters in Christ? How could you increase more and more in your love?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
