Light and Darkness

Written by Suzanne Benner

Take the next step and do our free study Jesus, Light of the World.

“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..” (1 John 1:5-7)

Light represents righteousness, truth, love, fellowship and purity – descriptors of God.

Darkness stands for wickedness, lies, confusion and hate –the opposite of God.

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” (1 John 2:9-11)

Reread these short passages from 1 John and count the times the words “light” and “darkness” appear.

With intentional repetition, John tells us there are only two ways to live. When people live in the light, nothing trips or traps them, because in the light, people see things as they really are. On the other hand, darkness blinds. John paints a picture of someone stumbling around, groping for truth, but unable to find it.

Notice the unequivocal conclusion he draws: Love determines whether you live in light or darkness. Loving your brother equals living in the light. Hating your sister means walking in the darkness. Hate blinds us to the truth and separates us from God. Love opens our eyes, clears our path and makes fellowship with God and one another possible.

God, I want to walk in the light, as You are in the light. Amen.

Questions: Why is loving your brother essential to your relationship with God? How have you seen the connection between living in the light and knowing the truth?

Tags: darkness, Devotional, fellowship, Jesus, light, righteousness, Suzanne Benner, Women

4 Responses to “Light and Darkness”

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Sharon says:

October 22, 2011 at 8:39 pm

thank you for your article– i have also lived in both worlds the dark and the light, i live there now, years ago i was living in the dark for quite a few years, its great to live in the light with JESUS as my source of light
Molly says:

October 19, 2011 at 12:14 pm

This is so timely and that makes it so much easier to understand . For me loving, has also meant I have forgiven those who have hurt me ,so God will forgive me and hear my prayers. This is loving others as Jesus in obedience to His Word. Every day I need forgiveness ,so with help from the Holy Spirit I ask ,search me ,O God,and know my heart ; try me and know my anxieties. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you who walk in the light of your presence,O LORD. Ps 89:15 one of my favorite verses.:)
Blessings,
Molly
Amanda Clarke says:

October 19, 2011 at 10:49 am

I have lived both sides – light and dark. I grew up in the dark, but was exposed to light frequently. Jesus is rooted in me but MY parents were not the main ones to follow as an example. I live now to break a cycle, I have no main path to follow in the footsteps of another mother, just bits and pieces to take with me from people around me. I am the faith leader in my small family of four as well. It is so hard to break a cycle to create a new path. It’s like ignoring your true self, what comes naturally…I failed and gave up for awhile, but when I had no where to turn, I had to turn to God, or kill myself. My father killed himself, and that weighs heavily on my heart at times so I know how it feels. I don’t want that for my daughters. When my life had no meaning anymore, when I really lost myself, I turned to men, eating, pills, caffeine, anything to pull me along and tell me who I was. I made every mistake I said I would not do, but that was the dark leading in that direction because that is what was most familiar in my heart, that was all I knew! The light is so foreign to me at times that I question if I am “doing” this life thing wrong. I have really started to see the distinct difference between people who are positive and people who are negative. Through alot of prayer, and self reflection, and learning that I am God’s child I have come to realize that I genuinely want to life the best life for him because this is a gift. It really is – REVELATION – the gifts are here we just have to truly know where to look to find them – God will always lead us to them if we let him guide. I live now in a small cottage in the middle of the bush with an elderly couple beside us in a bigger home. When we moved here I thought what is God doing? This place isn’t impressive, it’s kind of run down, and I have NO neighbors! But I’ve come to realize that there are all kinds of God’s gifts here. The elderly couple and my family take care of each other in many different ways. There is extreme PEACE here, with a ton of nature to explore. Nature = God. We have lived without a phone, t.v., and internet. The lessons and what I will take away from here is invaluable. It will never leave me. I know we won’t be here much longer than three or four years, but in the meantime I’m comitting myself to fixing this place up. Leave my essence on this place so that the next people God brings here can reap what I have sewn. It’s all what you make of things. I see the truth. I see the light. The truth(God) is simplicity in it’s finest form. You know you see the truth when you stop wanting more, when you find contentment with what you have and have what you need.
Barbara says:

October 19, 2011 at 6:04 am

Suzanne,

Great devotional! It “hits” straight to the point of the matter at hand! Wonderful message and scripture to live by…living in the “light and knowing the truth” sets us free from darkness…Thanks for such a great reminder…