“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.” (1 John 1:5–6, NLT)
When you take a path in life where you knowingly sin, God won’t walk with you. God won’t be close to you. You will not have God side-by-side with you. When you begin to live your life apart from God’s will, don’t be surprised that when you look around for God, you find yourself alone. God won’t walk with you, remain close to you, guard you, if you do not follow the path in life that is God-blessed.
When something went wrong or broke down, people would often call Jimmy. He was a good old boy who had a good head on his shoulders. He ran a car repair shop but was also known to fix everything from a leaky pipe to a combine that was acting up. He had a gift of fixing things. He had this innate ability to take something apart and figure out what was wrong with it. When something went wrong in town, people often stopped in to see Jimmy, to see if he could fix whatever was broken. From the mayor’s old MG to old Sally’s rocking chair, Jimmy had fixed thousands of things for people in his home town.
There was one thing, however, that Jimmy couldn’t fix. That was his relationship with his wife. He got her pregnant when he was only twenty. She was eighteen. They got married right after that. Jimmy was a good kid. His wife, Nadine, was not. She was crass and rude. She resented Jimmy helping people, because it didn’t make good money. She constantly fought against Jimmy’s choices. Nadine wanted Jimmy to charge people for every little thing. She kept the financial books at the shop. When Jimmy would go off to help a local, Nadine would fuss and fume, knowing he would never charge a dime for the help. This made Nadine angry for the rest of the day.
Jimmy would often hide from Nadine. He would work long hours in the repair shop just to get away. He often came home late at night and slipped into bed, hoping Nadine was asleep and not in a fighting mood. Then, he’d get up early before she could start an argument with him first thing in the morning. He started smoking. Then, he started drinking. Lately, he also began to visit a woman in the next county over. Jimmy was having an affair. Though married for years out of obligation, Jimmy would never divorce Nadine or straighten out his life. He thought marrying Nadine was the right thing to do. He thought hiding from Nadine kept the peace.
When Jimmy was young, he was at church almost every week. When he was in High School, he thought about being a preacher in the Baptist Church. He really liked helping people. He was a natural. However, all his plans in life changed when he got Nadine pregnant. Though he thought he was doing the right thing to marry her, he didn’t realize how Nadine’s ways would change his life. He didn’t realize how bad the marriage would be. The older he got, the worse the marriage got. The worse the marriage got, the more he would smoke and drink. The more drunk he got, the more he longed to find love in the next county over. Jimmy no longer went to church, even on Christmas and Easter. He is living so far from where God wanted him that he might never get back. The longer he lives on this path in life, the more it will destroy him.
I have met a good number of people like Jimmy. They are usually good people who have made some bad choices in life. They have found themselves on a path that has taken them far from the one God would have chosen. Sadly, they do not look for another path in life, one where God would walk alongside. They trudge on, knowing God isn’t near. Rather than making peace with God and trying to make things right, they choose to follow the path of least resistance or the path that feels good. This is their great mistake. There are some paths in life where God will not walk along side you. God will not be close to you while you live in sin or choose self-destruction. God walks on paths that bring life and healing and forgiveness and wholeness. Too many people choose to walk down paths that lead to temptation and sin and regret and loneliness and ruin.
In the scripture for today attributed to the apostle John, we are told that God is light (1 John 1:5). God not only created light, God blesses those who are willing to walk in the light. When you commit sin, you walk into darkness. Sinful thoughts and choices have a way of bringing that darkness alongside. God brings the light. If you are only willing to walk in spiritual darkness, where sin and regret and hatred and envy and jealousy are ever-present, you will not find God walking with you. God chooses to walk where people are willing to accept what is good and right. God walks where the light of justice and peace and forgiveness reign. If you walk in the darkness of sin, you may find yourself walking alone. There are places God will not walk.
In 1 John 1:6, John teaches that you can’t have fellowship with God if you “go on living in spiritual darkness” where lies and deception and sin are prevalent. God shows up where people are willing to “practice the truth” in love. If you walk down a path in life that leads to darkness and sin, God will not follow you. God will not walk beside you and protect you. You are on your own. If you are willing to lie, cheat, steal, and sin in order to keep going down the road you are on, God will not be there beside you.
It is a lie to say you have fellowship or closeness with God while you live in spiritual darkness. Of that, this scripture is most definitely clear. Is the path you are taking right now blessed by God? Are your choices of late those that bring spiritual darkness or light? Do you feel God walking with you or are you on the wrong path in life? I greatly desire that you remain close to God. You need God’s spiritual light in order to see clearly. Is there some spiritual darkness that is blinding your eyes as of late? Make things right by following God’s steps and voice. There is no other way to find your way back to the light.
When something went wrong or broke down, people would often call Jimmy. He was a good old boy who had a good head on his shoulders. He ran a car repair shop but was also known to fix everything from a leaky pipe to a combine that was acting up. He had a gift of fixing things. He had this innate ability to take something apart and figure out what was wrong with it. When something went wrong in town, people often stopped in to see Jimmy, to see if he could fix whatever was broken. From the mayor’s old MG to old Sally’s rocking chair, Jimmy had fixed thousands of things for people in his home town.
There was one thing, however, that Jimmy couldn’t fix. That was his relationship with his wife. He got her pregnant when he was only twenty. She was eighteen. They got married right after that. Jimmy was a good kid. His wife, Nadine, was not. She was crass and rude. She resented Jimmy helping people, because it didn’t make good money. She constantly fought against Jimmy’s choices. Nadine wanted Jimmy to charge people for every little thing. She kept the financial books at the shop. When Jimmy would go off to help a local, Nadine would fuss and fume, knowing he would never charge a dime for the help. This made Nadine angry for the rest of the day.
Jimmy would often hide from Nadine. He would work long hours in the repair shop just to get away. He often came home late at night and slipped into bed, hoping Nadine was asleep and not in a fighting mood. Then, he’d get up early before she could start an argument with him first thing in the morning. He started smoking. Then, he started drinking. Lately, he also began to visit a woman in the next county over. Jimmy was having an affair. Though married for years out of obligation, Jimmy would never divorce Nadine or straighten out his life. He thought marrying Nadine was the right thing to do. He thought hiding from Nadine kept the peace.
When Jimmy was young, he was at church almost every week. When he was in High School, he thought about being a preacher in the Baptist Church. He really liked helping people. He was a natural. However, all his plans in life changed when he got Nadine pregnant. Though he thought he was doing the right thing to marry her, he didn’t realize how Nadine’s ways would change his life. He didn’t realize how bad the marriage would be. The older he got, the worse the marriage got. The worse the marriage got, the more he would smoke and drink. The more drunk he got, the more he longed to find love in the next county over. Jimmy no longer went to church, even on Christmas and Easter. He is living so far from where God wanted him that he might never get back. The longer he lives on this path in life, the more it will destroy him.
I have met a good number of people like Jimmy. They are usually good people who have made some bad choices in life. They have found themselves on a path that has taken them far from the one God would have chosen. Sadly, they do not look for another path in life, one where God would walk alongside. They trudge on, knowing God isn’t near. Rather than making peace with God and trying to make things right, they choose to follow the path of least resistance or the path that feels good. This is their great mistake. There are some paths in life where God will not walk along side you. God will not be close to you while you live in sin or choose self-destruction. God walks on paths that bring life and healing and forgiveness and wholeness. Too many people choose to walk down paths that lead to temptation and sin and regret and loneliness and ruin.
In the scripture for today attributed to the apostle John, we are told that God is light (1 John 1:5). God not only created light, God blesses those who are willing to walk in the light. When you commit sin, you walk into darkness. Sinful thoughts and choices have a way of bringing that darkness alongside. God brings the light. If you are only willing to walk in spiritual darkness, where sin and regret and hatred and envy and jealousy are ever-present, you will not find God walking with you. God chooses to walk where people are willing to accept what is good and right. God walks where the light of justice and peace and forgiveness reign. If you walk in the darkness of sin, you may find yourself walking alone. There are places God will not walk.
In 1 John 1:6, John teaches that you can’t have fellowship with God if you “go on living in spiritual darkness” where lies and deception and sin are prevalent. God shows up where people are willing to “practice the truth” in love. If you walk down a path in life that leads to darkness and sin, God will not follow you. God will not walk beside you and protect you. You are on your own. If you are willing to lie, cheat, steal, and sin in order to keep going down the road you are on, God will not be there beside you.
It is a lie to say you have fellowship or closeness with God while you live in spiritual darkness. Of that, this scripture is most definitely clear. Is the path you are taking right now blessed by God? Are your choices of late those that bring spiritual darkness or light? Do you feel God walking with you or are you on the wrong path in life? I greatly desire that you remain close to God. You need God’s spiritual light in order to see clearly. Is there some spiritual darkness that is blinding your eyes as of late? Make things right by following God’s steps and voice. There is no other way to find your way back to the light.