The Light of Love part 1
Here's the gist of what I'm going to try to say in this Rant series: If you're hiding what you're doing... you probably shouldn't be doing it. And, listen, I'm not talking about good surprises for people. Obviously. I'm talking about doing things in a way that you feel you need to hide from everybody. Or rather, NOT doing things that you need to hide from everybody. I'm talking about living, or walking, in the light. On display. We are the visible face of the invisible God, right? We are epistles written to all men, right? God's love letter to the world. What I'm trying to say is, even if you THINK you're hiding what you're doing... you're not. People are watching you. Especially when they know you're a "Christian." Because people think "Christians" are judgmental hypocrites are just waiting for you to fall on your face. But before I get too far into this I want to drop my three main verses of Scripture in order to build my foundation. 1 John 1:17 (NLT), "But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin." Which might want to make us believe that in order to be cleansed from sin we have to "stop sinning." So let's look at Ephesians 5:8, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." There was a definite shift here, clearly. When God created the heavens and the earth it was dark and void and without form. But then He spoke. And when He spoke He said, "Let there be light." He injected Jesus, the light of the world, into the situation. See, living (or walking) in the light, is about sharing that light. It is about fellowship with each other. The bond or connection or relationship that can only come from love. Which is what my final memory verse shows us, "Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble" (1 John 2:10, NLT). The light of God... is the love of God. Period. Full stop. When we walk in the light we are walking in love. When you understand that sin is not "bad behavior" but unbelief... and that what we mean by "unbelief" is believing in anything other than God's love for us... that's when we can truly walk in the light. Walk by faith and not by sight. Let God's Word (which is Jesus, which is love) be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. So let's back up. Let's say, "But if we are living in the LOVE, as God is in the LOVE, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin." Let's say, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now ye are LOVE in the Lord: walk as children of LOVE." It's the light of love that leads us, guides us, directs us, and protects us. It is the light of love that lets us see each other (and ourselves) clearly. It is the light of love that shows us where to go and how to get there. So it doesn't matter if, like my dad always said about me, you spend some times wandering around in the wilderness. All that matters is moving forward. When you know better you can do better. When the light shines you can see clearly. And the light of God's love doesn't just shine ON us. It shines IN us, OUT of us, THROUGH us, and AS us. We are not just IN the light... we ARE the light. Jesus identified Himself as the light of the world and He identified US as the light of the world. It's the same light. The same love. It is what we were created to do, and what we were created to experience, and what we were created to share! So let your light shine among men. Don't hide it under a bushel. Know that you are loved by God, and love Him back by loving the people you come into contact with. Shine the light of love wherever you are and however you can!