Daily Devotional for January 3, 2017

1 John 2:7-11
My dear friends, I’m not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you’ve known it from day one. It’s always been implicit in the Message you’ve heard. On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!

Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

Timothy, Zola, and Nathan came to stay with us for a couple of days this week.  Their mother dropped them off yesterday morning as she went to work…and picked them up this evening as she headed home for the day.  So they were here two days and a night.

When we got in bed last night, the children begged me to leave some lights on.  They did not want to be in the dark.  Timmy said, “I wish the night wasn’t so creepy.”  Even during the daytime, if one of them would enter a dark hallway or room, they would ask for someone to come turn on a light.  Nathan would say, “That dark scares me!”  The dark was NOT a good place to be!  So I made lots of trips with the kids to retrieve a toy or something in a dark room…and last night, I left some lights on until all three kiddos were sound asleep.

Can I tell you something?  The darkness of hatred, judgment, bigotry, discrimination, unkindness, gossip, and other sinful behaviors – especially from those who claim to belong to Jesus – is pretty creepy and scary, too.  In fact, scripture tells us that this darkness indicates that we have not fully committed to Jesus…that essentially, our faith is pretty well a farce.

If you look up this word (farce) in a thesaurus, you will see the words shambles, travesty, circus, sham, mockery, charade, embarrassment, and disgrace, to name a few. Now think about your relationship with Jesus in these terms.  Doesn’t it make you just a little bit sick?  Is this really how you want Him to see you?

Now is the time to turn this around…to drop conditions and limitations, and go all in with Jesus.  Love your brothers and sisters and accept them where they are, as they are - and embrace them as Jesus does. Quit trying to play God and make decisions and judgments that are not yours to make.  Let go…and let Jesus have full control in your life…and operate in His brilliant light.
“Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark.”  Where do you live these days?  

©2017 Debbie Robus

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