LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Saturday 26th February 2022
ABIDING IN THE LIGHT
Scripture Reading: 1 John 2
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 1 John 2:9–10
We cannot be Christians and hate other Christians. The Christian body is a large one. It is both visible and invisible; universal and local. There are Christians who belong to the same group with us and others who are not in our group. Whether we belong to the same group with them or not, we are required to love them. Christian love goes beyond race, nationality, or family. We are commanded to love all the brethren.
Christ is our light. When He comes to live in us, we become light as well. In Christ, we have changed from darkness to light. However, a believer who has been made light by Christ, could still live in darkness.
• Living in darkness.* When a Christian hates another Christian, he lives in darkness. Such a Christian is light, living in darkness. That means he is a believer living as an unbeliever; or a child of God, living like a child of the devil.
• Living in the light. A Christian who loves the brethren, walks in light. Loving other Christians does not mean we need to be fond of every other Christian or be emotionally bonded to all believers. God’s love can be understood as committing ourselves to the good of another. Even when we don’t “feel” love toward others, we can “act” in love toward them.
When we walk in love toward other Christians, we do not stumble. That means we would not miss our steps in our relationship with God, neither would we walk into the enemy’s traps. One of the most assured ways to stay in God’s will and under His covering is to walk in love towards your fellow Christians and the world.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the Father of Light. Help me to walk in your light as I walk in your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
