Walking in the Light (1 John 2:3-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06-27-04

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Walking in the light

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  1John 2:3-4

 

            Message of the verse: “3 Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments.  4 If someone claims, "I know him well!" but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words.”  (Message)  “3 ¶ And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.  4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;”  (NAS)

            John is telling his readers that there is one way to make sure that a person knows the Lord, and that is to do what the Lord has told us to do, in other words to keep His commandments.  There can be three motives as to why a person keeps the commandments:  1) Because we have too; 2) because we have to, and 3) because want to.  A person who obeys the Lord because he wants to is doing it because He loves the Lord, and wants to please Him in everything he does.

            John goes one to write about people who have no desire to follow God’s commandments, and says that they are liars, because that person’s life does not match up with his words.  There is a saying that if you talk the talk you have to walk the walk.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I am studying this section of 1John, I cannot help but think about the differences between king Saul, and king David.  I have always been interested in knowing the difference between these two men, because there are many sins that they both have committed recorded in the Scriptures, and in fact there are more of the sins of David mentioned in the Scriptures than that of Saul, yet God makes the statement that David is a man after God’s Own heart.  As I study this passage I am beginning to realize that the reason that David was a man after God’s own heart is because he walked in the light, when ever he sinned he was willing to confess his sins to the Lord, and whenever he did this David realized that his sin was something that was not only wrong, but was something that broke God’s heart.  David also knew that God forgave his sins because of His great love for David.

 

The Word of God was very refreshing to me as I read it this morning, and it was also a very big challenge too. 

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I believe that God is giving me a message to share with others, and I trust the Lord to prepare me to give this message and to also provide an audience of those He wants to hear it.

Memory verses for the week:  1Cor. 13:4-6

 

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth;