From Darkness to Light
God's Promises
God Promises Light in the Darkness
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 1 John 3:14-24 The Message 14-15 The way we know we've been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn't love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don't go together. 16-17 This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. When We Practice Real Love18-20 My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. 21-24 And friends, once that's taken care of, and we're no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we're bold and free before God! We're able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we're doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God's command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.
For Reflection
A personal resurrection each day, perhaps even each moment of that day when we experience a Kingdom Moment. A Kingdom moment occurs when one does something for another or sacrifices one's ego to help another without expecting a return "favor."
When we love, we live deeply in God, and God is in us. PrayPray that you will be aware of the needs of not only yourself but also of others. Pray and be prepared for the opportunity to share God's love. Pray and let the Holy Spirit move you from the darkness of bleak relationships into the light and warmth of eternal love.
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