LIGHT OF GOD

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

IF YOU LIKE THIS POST PLEASE FOLLOW US, SHARE WITH OTHERS AND PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS AND GIVE US A LIKE.

Translate this site into your preferred language, look for our Google translator in our home page: diningwithjesus.net

Traduce este sitio en tu idioma preferido, busca nuestro traductor de Google en nuestra página de inicio ve a: diningwithjesus.net

If you were to walk through a strange room at night, with no lights on at all, would you feel like having to carry a flashlight through the room would be too much a burden on you?

If you have ever needed light and had to stumble and crash around to find your way, then you know that having the right light, at the right time, is a blessing and not a curse. 

And so it is with God’s light. 

•   We have been given the light of God through the person of Jesus Christ. 
•   We have been given the light of God through the gift of the Word of God, the Christian Bible. 
•   And we have been given the light of God in and through our participation in the Body of Christ, the people of faith, the church. 

Burden?

None of these gifts were meant to become burdens too heavy for us to carry. Instead the opposite is true, as we submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, as we let his word into our hearts and minds, and as we fully love and embrace the family of faith, we find that the light of Christ brings us exactly what we need.

Without God’s truth in our lives, without God’s Spirit and leadership, we are destined to walk off a cliff, to stumble and fall, to hurt ourselves and others.

So as we turn to the next passage from the letter of 1 John for today, let us embrace the gift of God’s life-giving light and not become fools who curse the darkness while possessing the brilliance of the Son. 

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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 NIV11)

Question

This passage leads me to ask a question, “Am I walking in the light of Christ?” 

To answer the question, I need to make sure I understand what this means. If we do a sweep of the Bible and collect all the different references to the light of God we will find that the Lord shares his light with us in the following ways:

1.   In the words of the Christian Bible.
2.   In the life, example, and teaching of Jesus Christ. 
3.   In the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
4.   And in the ongoing encouragement and help we receive from the Body of Christ… his church. 

Evaluate

So, if I want to evaluate whether or not I am in the light of Christ or not, I need to ask myself:

•   Am I a passionate and faithful participant with the truth of God’s written word?
•   Do I return to Jesus Christ as my teacher, my master, and Lord?
•   Am I purposefully listening for and obeying the leadership of the Holy Spirit?
•   Am I a part of an actual family of faith? Not the universal church, but real life human beings that live and work in my town?

Fellowship

So far in the letter of 1 John, we have been called into fellowship with God, his people, his word, and his Spirit. And how can we actively participate in this fellowship? We can seek to united with God’s truth, God’s Son, God’s Spirit, and God’s people. As we engage with all four, we will find ourselves surrounded by and included in his fellowship. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I want to be counted as one who is a part of your fellowship. I want to know you more as I read your word, bless your people, and submit to your Spirit. Help me be about this great work today. I love you Lord and I cannot thank you enough for who you are and what you have already done for me!

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

Copyright © 2024 Ryan Laden – All Rights Reserved.