Thought for Thursday
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. 1 John 1:6
Did you ever wonder where the light came from in Genesis 1:3: ‘And God said Let there be light, and there was light’? After all, this declaration and manifestation of light occurred on the very first day of creation, but the sun, moon, and stars were not created until the fourth day of creation. All that existed on that first day was a great ball of slurry hanging in an otherwise empty space. But there was something else. Verse 2 tells us that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. It was the presence of the Spirit that allowed light to appear. Because, as John 1:5 declares, God is light. Wherever God is, light must be. Wherever God is not, darkness must be. That is why hell is outer and utter darkness. That is why there is no need for the sun in Heaven. And that is why our text today can declare that if we claim to have fellowship with God but walk in darkness, we are lying.
The devil loves the darkness because it suits his godless and evil nature. So do the devil’s children, as we read, ‘And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil’ (John 3:19). Walking in darkness is walking in the devil’s realm, minding the things of this world, deceived by the tempter’s lies and hiding from the presence of God. Darkness is no place for a Christian. Darkness is a trap that the enemy uses to keep us from enjoying fellowship with God. Conversely, fellowship with God keeps us in His light and out of the darkness. So, how do we enjoy this fellowship with God?
Note our text says ‘if we say we have fellowship with God’. Saying we have fellowship with God is not the same as actually having fellowship with God. People involved in all sorts of religious distortions and cults claim such fellowship, and their works show they do not have any fellowship with God. They lie, deceive, extort, and even kill in the name of their religion while claiming fellowship with God. If we want to have fellowship with God, we must obey Him. Adam lost his fellowship with God because of his disobedience. Obedience means studying the Scriptures to learn what God desires of us. Obedience means allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. Obedience means enjoying time spent in prayer and in the Word, and in the company of the Lord’s people.
May we truthfully be able to say we have fellowship with God instead of walking in darkness. – Jim MacIntosh