Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

I find the New Testament book of 1 John both comforting and discomforting. 

It says “God is love”—a comforting thought. 

And it says “God is light”—a disturbing thought. I’m not sure I want this searchlight focused on me. 

Let’s start where John starts. 
   That which was from the beginning,
      which we have heard,
      which we have seen with our eyes.  . .
      and our hands have touched,
  this we proclaim about the word of life (1 John 1:1-2).

John’s religion was based on his experience. He heard and saw and touched Jesus. He wants to draw us into his experience with Christ. We can’t touch and hear and see Jesus, but we can share John’s experience of Christ who lives in us by his Spirit. 

In chapter 1, John describes this experience as truth, light, cleansing, fellowship, and joy. Quite a list. 

Here’s my summary of what John is saying.
    God is good, you are bad.
    God is light, you live in darkness.
    If you acknowledge your badness and darkness,
          God forgives and invites you into his goodness and light.

    So don’t be a poser, pretending you’re better than you are.
    Instead be a confesser.
        Shine the searchlight on yourself,
        tell the truth about your sins.
  Then you can step into a Christian community, a fellowship of truth and joy.  

It’s a wonderful vision of Christianity. 

As John says, 
    If we walk in the light
      as God is in the light,
    we have fellowship with one another,
      and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:9). 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, too often I find myself slogging through the spiritual life, wondering where I missed John’s glorious vision of light, truth, joy, and fellowship.

Shine your light on me, exchanging darkness for light. Help me trade my self-serving worldview for your truth. Help me abandon my isolation for the fellowship of your family. 

Make my way like the dawn that gets brighter and brighter, until the full light of day (Prov 4:18).  

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube