Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today we’ll look at the darkness that exists, and must be addressed, within children of the Light

Today’s scripture, 1 John 1:5‭-‬9 (AMP) says…
This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.] If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].

Consider…
Yesterday total eclipse was amazing. It was a wonderful reminder of the power and presence of God. At it’s maximum, there was total darkness, which is the inspiration for today’s observation.

Science tells us the earth revolves around the sun, and the moon revolves around the earth. It also tells us that a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the Earth and the sun.

Genesis 1:14‭-‬18 (AMP) instructed science about the sun and the moon. It says…
Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years; and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded]. God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens]. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth, to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.

Two key observations stand out in this passage…

• The sun, moon and stars are light-bearers that are tokens of God’s providential care.
• In addition to providing light upon the earth, they’re purpose is to separate the light from the darkness.

Today’s scripture gives us hindsight appreciation of how the sun and moon separate light (day) from darkness (night). Notice, they don’t coexist, we know that because a total eclipse is when the moon blocks visibility of the sun. To further appreciate this significance, let me remind you that the earth (our spirit man) revolves around the greater Light (God), and the lesser light (our heart) revolves around the earth (our spirit man). When our heart’s desires obstruct our spirit’s vision of the Son there is total darkness.

The basis of my observation comes from Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT), which says…
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

The Apostle James told believers…
You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you. Your desire grows inside you until it results in sin. Then the sin grows bigger and bigger and finally ends in death. – James 1:14‭-‬15 ERV

And the Apostle Paul exhorts believers…
So I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you. Then you will not do the evil things your sinful self wants. The sinful self wants what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the sinful self. They are always fighting against each other, so that you don’t do what you really want to do. – Galatians 5:16‭-‬17 ERV

I believe all of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord really want to live for Him, but we like Paul must confess…
I don’t understand why I act the way I do. I don’t do the good I want to do, and I do the evil I hate. I don’t do the good that I want to do. I do the evil that I don’t want to do. So if I do what I don’t want to do, then I am not really the one doing it. It is the sin living in me that does it. – Romans 7:15‭, ‬19‭-‬20 ERV

The Holy Spirit is reminding us, just as darkness still existed after it was separated from light, sin still exists though we’ve been saved from it’s penalty and power.

You see we’ll only be saved from the presence of sin in Revelation 22:3‭-‬5 (AMP)…
There will no longer exist anything that is cursed [because sin and illness and death are gone]; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve and worship Him [with great awe and joy and loving devotion]; they will [be privileged to] see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be night; they have no need for lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign [as kings] forever and ever.

We look forward to that glorious day when we see the Light!

In the mean time, our benevolent God illuminates our hearts with His light. 2 Corinthians 4:6‭-‬7 (NLT) explains it this way…
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

That means, the Light has replaced light-bearers in our lives to help separate us from the darkness.

From now on when you see God’s sun, moon and stars, remember they’re just light-bearers to remind us that the Light Himself has separated us from darkness (1 Peter 2:9)

Today’s scripture also reminds us that we have to walk in the Light, meaning live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God. That looks like applying Ephesians 5:8‭-‬11 (ERV) to our daily lives…
In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. This light produces every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. Try to learn what pleases the Lord. Have no part in the things that people in darkness do, which produce nothing good. Instead, tell everyone how wrong those things are.

The key to living full of light is learning what pleases the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:2‭-‬5 (ERV) helps us see who pleases the Lord by pointing out who doesn’t…
People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. They will abuse others with insults. They will not obey their parents. They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God. They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone. They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that “devotion” change the way they live. Stay away from these people!

Here’s the bottom line, darkness/sin exists, and always will, while we walk on this earth. The question is, whether we’re walking toward the Son, the life-giving Light, or away from Him into deadly darkness?

The Holy Spirit is emphasizing, the Son is always in the same place, we revolve around Him.

So today, are you allowing God’s light that He placed in your heart to separate you from sin and revolve around Him? If not, you’re blinded by darkness and can’t see the destruction in front of you. But if it is, then praise God you will see the abundant life ahead of you, found in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Lastly, the Holy Spirit is reminded me the importance of 1 John 1:9, which is that just as God separated the light from darkness, darkness separate us from God! Thus why we need to confess our sin, and allow God to once again remove the obstruction of sin that blocks our visibility of God. I say ‘once again’, because the scripture says, “He will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness”. That means the darkness in our lives must be addressed continuously.

The Holy Spirit left me with this bonus exhortation, which is to live eternal, not nocturnal.

Today’s Song…
Brought Me Out Of Darkness

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)