“⁹Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” – 1 John 2:9-11 (ESV)

I read these words as written by John and oh how eye opening they are. I have been blinded by “hatred” in the past. I have been so determined that the other person had wronged me that it consumed my moments. I can only imagine what I missed out on as a result of my only focusing on that one person.

Like a person that has wronged me, when I am focused on the thing that is my adversity, I am only able to see that which is that adversity and not able to see anything else. I am so determined to solve the thing, that I miss out on all that is good around me for that one small thing.

I have and will continue to meet with people and things that cause me grief and that is where I have to turn back to the words of John in verse 11. I have to remember not to be blinded by the darkness that comes from the hatred that consumes me from the one or one thing.

There is no room for hatred and love. God is the bigger and greater of all and as He is love therefore love will overcome when we allow Him to do so. We cannot have both hatred and love inside, we can only give our attention to one.

As written in the commentary of my NIV Bible for verses 9-11: “There will always be people we will not like as well as others…Christian love is not a feeling but a choice. We can choose to be concerned with people’s well-being and treat them with respect, whether or not we fell affection toward them.” I do not have to “like” everyone I come in contact with, but love, that is something that all deserve and as a child of God, I am to love all regardless of who they are or the actions they take, even if they are directly against me. When I do, I will experience the love and glory that God intends for me.

When you think about those around you, how many are you displaying or internalizing hatred for? What have you missed out on as a result of that hatred? Are you allowing the darkness that is the hatred consume and blind you?

Confusion is what comes when I read my passage of study this morning. I have been studying the word “darkness” and have been reminded that God is light and He will be with me in the darkness and therefore I should look to Him when in darkness and not allow the darkness to overcome me. But if God is with me in the darkness, how is it that I am not to fellowship with Him there. This is where the confusion set in.

“⁶If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” – 1 John 1:6 (ESV)

When reading this verse, I find difficulty in understanding that God is there in the darkness with me, until I look at more than just this one verse. I am to stay away from darkness, and fellowship that are in the light.

“⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” – 1 John 1:5 (ESV)

God may be in the darkness with me, but only as light in the darkness for me. I have to remember that all of my time here in this world will not be perfectly seasoned for my pleasure. I will have times where the darkness with surround me. It is in those times that I should be looking to God for the light I need in order to escape that darkness and continue in the light with God.

I am not to consciously walk in darkness and look for fellowship with God. He is not there for us to find and fellowship with. If I am walking in the darkness by choice, God will not be there for me to commune with and lean on. I have chosen the sinful way and for that I am on my own.

However, if I find myself suffering adversity for Christ, then God will be there with me and when I call on Him, he will provide the light needed for me to escape. I will have a beacon to guide me through the darkness and back into the light where we will find fellowship.

“⁷But 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 cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:7 (ESV)

And therefore the confusion I experienced is cleared up. There will be times when we will find ourselves in the darkness suffering for Christ and when we call out to God, He will be there to deliver us from that suffering so that we can once again join Him in the light. We will fellowship with others in the light and being that God is light, we will fellowship with Him also.

When you are in the darkness, was that something you chose or is it a result of your dedication to God’s plan for your life? If as a result of your dedication to God’s plan, did you know that when you call on His name, He will provide the light to guide you out of the darkness into fellowship with Him? If you chose, were you aware that you were not able to fellowship with God there in the darkness?

I am light. I am no longer darkness. Why then is it that I continue to allow myself to be taken back into the darkness? Paul reminds the Ephesians and me that I am to stay away from the darkness by being an imitator of God.

“¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” – Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV)

As an imitator of God, I have the responsibility to walk in the light. I will be tempted by the darkness to return. I am human and will always encounter the worldly values, whether monetary, social, physical, or emotional. These will be enticing for the short term pleasure, but the glory that comes with being and being of the light are so much more sustaining.

“⁷Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” – Ephesians 5:7-10 (ESV)

I have a duty to be pleasing to the Lord. That duty has to be the importance in my life. I have to stay true to bringing glory to God and as I do, I will continue to experience the fruit of my labor for Him. I choose to stay out of the darkness and lean on Christ for His guidance in doing so.

Are you finding yourself tempted by the darkness around you? Are you able to lean on the light provided by Christ that you have become? Where are you looking that will keep you out of the darkness?

“¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (ESV)

Notice the contrasts in the verses above. When I only look at them, I should not be engaged with those that are opposite of me. I am to fellowship with those that are like me and avoid others.

But that is not what Paul refers to in these verses. What he is referring to is that we should not be best of friends with those that are outside of our beliefs. I should continue to engage with others, but my engagement should be in the interest of service, love, care, and bringing the gospel to them. Even Jesus Himself interacted and engaged with the tax collectors and Pharisees, however His best friends were the disciples and those of like beliefs.

“¹⁶as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, ¹⁸and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.’” – 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (ESV)

I see in the second half of verse 16 and through verse 18 above that as a member of the temple of the living God, I will be walking with Him each day. I will have the opportunity to fellowship and build my relationship with Him. I am however to commune with others in the temple and as such will have a relationship with others like me and my beliefs.

Just as oil is to water, light is to darkness, good is to evil, I am to be to those that are not like me. I can be in their presence, but until one of us becomes like the other, we are not able to commune fully. I can be friendly with them, but I should not be in continuous fellowship with them. I choose to be of the temple of the living God and fellowship with others that are there with me.

Thinking of the relationships you have around you, are they like you? Are you seeking fellowship and a relationship with those that are outside of your beliefs? Will you choose to be of the temple of the living God and fellowship with others in the light?

“¹²Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12 (ESV)

I was brought to the above verse again this morning for the 3^rd time in my study. First was when studying the word “walk” and then the word “follow” and this time as I study the word “darkness”. Each time I have been able to more deeply understand the verse and how I am to apply it to my life and walk with Christ.

First as I “walk” I am going with Christ through the darkness and not on my own. In October of 2018 I wrote: “But, God will shine through the darkness. In the New International Version (NIV) the 2^nd half of verse 5 above says “but the darkness has not understood it”. So, God confuses the darkness allowing for us to walk right through.”

There I was referring to verse 5 of John 1 to go along with John 8:12.

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

I will be walking through the darkness with Christ and not in the darkness alone.

Secondly the verse indicates to me that first I am to go with Christ every step of the way. As I wrote in January of this year: “Following is more that just the physical action of going. We are to learn and apply based on that learning as well. Below is the commentary from my NIV Bible that helped me with my understanding of what it means to follow Christ.

‘As a soldier follows his captain, so we should follow Christ, our commander. As a slave follows his master, so we should follow Christ, our Lord. As we follow the advice of a trusted counselor, so we should follow Jesus’ commands to us in Scripture. As we follow the laws of our nation, so we should follow the laws of the kingdom of heaven.’”

And today, I see that the I have light wherever I go and that light is Christ. I no longer have to be in the darkness, but only temporarily pass through it with Christ as my light to navigate the difficult turns along the way. The darkness is all around me, but does not consume me as I have light coming from me that is provided by Christ who is my savior and deliverer.

When you encounter darkness, what is your attitude toward that state? Are you able to walk with Christ and follow Him through the darkness? Are you able to rely on Christ as your light in that darkness?

I know that God is my light in the darkness and I should look to Him when things are not going as planned and seem to be in a negative state. What I have to remember is that God is in control of the darkness just as He is in control of the light.

“⁹He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. ¹⁰He rode on ta cherub and flew; he cam swiftly on the wings of the wind. ¹¹He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.” – Psalm 18:9-11 (ESV)

As God is the light, I can see in the verses above that He also is in full control of the darkness. When needed, God will use darkness and reside there for me to call on when I need Him.

“²¹The people stood far off, while Moses drew near tot he thick darkness where God was.” – Exodus 20:21 (ESV)

God is where we need Him and controls all. I find myself sometimes in that area of adversity and needing guidance as to where and how to proceed. I need to be looking up and seeking the light that is God. He will be there in the darkness with me, by my side, as a guide through the difficulty.

Too often I am complacent with God’s presence in the light, as I am not “in need” of Him at that moment. And nothing could be further from the truth. I may not “need” His guidance at that time, but I have to remember that with His guidance I will prosper. My path is smoother with the light that God is providing even in the light.

And whereas that light provided by God in the light is great, the light He provides when I seek Him out in the darkness will be even greater. God wants and desires to be there and light my path, and when times are the darkest for me, I must seek Him out all the more, because He is there in the darkness with me as well.

When things are going great, how often are you seeking for the light that is God? Are you looking to Him to bring greater light to your path? What about when things are darkest, are you seeking Him out to allow Him to light the path for you?

“²⁹For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.” – 2 Samuel 22:29 (ESV)

Such a simple verse that ring so true for me. As I move through my days and nights, I have the opportunity to work in the light of day and rest in the darkness of night. I get the chance to recharge over the nighttime and prepare for the day ahead of doing the work of the LORD.

There are times, when I will be tasked with working for God in the darkness before me. I will be presented adversity that seems to strong for me to see where the good lies in what I am set to accomplish. I will have darkness all around me in the form of persecution and despair. It will feel as though there is nowhere to go and I am set on a path of failure. But just when all of that darkness is surrounding me, all I need is to look to God and my path will be lightened.

I have to remember that even in the darkest of rooms, a simple candle burning will light things up. The LORD is my candle. I need to make sure that He is lit in my life at all times. When I do, I will not be walking or working in darkness, but in the light provided by God.

When I am presented with the darkest of times, I will remember that God is with me always. As He is with me, I will never need to walk in darkness as He is the light unto my path.

“¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

At some point you will be walking in the dark, what do you have to light your way? Are you aware of the light that is provided by God? Will you allow the LORD to lighten the darkness for you?

“²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. ³And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” – Genesis 1:2-5 (ESV)

In the beginning of creation, there was darkness. That darkness was not the vision of God and therefor He created the light. And, “the light was good” so God separated the light from the darkness.

As a Christian, I know that the light is good and that I should let that light shine for all the world to see. What I find interesting is that God did not do away with the darkness, as he has the full power to do. What I do see is that separation that is clearly defined for me.

I remember the saying from parents, and have likely said the same, “nothing good comes after midnight” or something to that effect. I see now that God intended the “Day” to be for our work and the “Night” for our rest. Light is good and therefor good comes during that time. Darkness is not good and therefor holds the less than good events.

I want to be careful here and iterate here that I am aware that some of us work and do God’s work during the night time hours, and for that we are to continue. The concern is that when I work during the “Day” and put in my time for God during that time, I should be taking the “Night” to rest and recharge so that I am able to get back after it tomorrow with everything I have to offer.

I go to events that take place after the work day is done, and on the ride home from the events, there is in effect no one out on the road. Although as the months and years progress, there are more and more out “after midnight” and that is not what was intended by God.

It is in the “Day” where I am to do the work of God. I am to devote my waking hours to the spread of the gospel and to serve those around me. And at “Night” I am to rest and recharge to be sure and have all of my energy to continue working for God the next “Day”.

How much time are you spending in the darkness? Are you able to devote your “Day” to the work of God? Will you use the darkness as the opportunity to rest and recharge for God?

How does it work when we have shared in the glory of God and then turn away?

“⁴For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” – Hebrews 6:4-6 (ESV)

Well as the writer of Hebrews tells us that “it is impossible…to restore them again”.

It is hard to believe that I would fall away from Christ now that I have accepted His glory and salvation. I may have taken a lazy approach to my faith as in missing church for the fellowship with others. I may have not actively served. I may have allowed life to get in the way. But walking away from God that I find would be difficult for me to do.

God has provided for my needs when I strictly look at what I am in NEED. I have not missed out on His glory, even when I was not actively seeking Him daily. I still had a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, a wife and family to love and experience their love, and friends that I could reach out to at any time. I did not, and at this point, don’t see myself turning away from God and abandoning all that He gives.

I will say that I am not sure if I have met someone that has actively and purposefully turned away from God and fallen from His grace. I may know those that have not accepted Christ or may not be active as I have been in the past, but those that have turned away from Him I do not know. But if I have, I should be praying for them, for as noted in verses 4-6 above, it is impossible for them to be restored.

Once I was accepted as a child of God I “shared in the Holy Spirit” and “tasted the heavenly gift” that came with my salvation. I do not see a reason to turn away from those amazing things. I desire to continue sharing in those and only wish that each of you will have the opportunity to share in them and once you do, will continue to do so for all of eternity.

What does it look like for you to accept the gift provided by Christ? Will you take the opportunity to taste “the heavenly gift”? Will you continue to share in the gift that came/comes with salvation?

“¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” – 1 Peter 4:12-13 (ESV)

It is so easy for me to be glad when things are going great and God is being glorified and positive impact is being made in the lives of others. But the other times, how am I to rejoice when things are at their darkest and I feel as though I am being beat down at every turn I take?

First, there is no guarantee from God that everything will be great and easy. I am going to suffer as I have studied and completely understand. I will have difficult times as I continue in this world, and that will not change.

Second, I have to look for what is to come and not spend too much time in a state of worry. Concern with the past or worry about the future are not in my best interest. I should simply take things as they come daily and work to make each situation the best it can through the glorification of God.

Peter reminds us to “rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings”. That suffering Christ endured was all for the glory of God as noted in the verse below.

“⁴¹And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, ⁴²saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.’” – Luke 22:41-42 (ESV)

Even as He was headed to the cross, Jesus was willing to suffer for the sake of the glory of God. I should be willing to rejoice in my suffering for the glory of God as well.

I would be remiss if I did not also express our rejoicing in the glory that is to come. When I am finished in this world and have shared in all of the sufferings, I will find my way to heaven and share in the joy that I will find there. My suffering here will be rewarded with the shared experiences of love and joy in heaven.

When you look out at your sufferings each day, what do you make of them? Are you seeing them as the difficulty they are? Are you willing to rejoice in your shared experience of suffering as well as the joy that is to come?