No Darkness, Not One Trace
(4 minutes)
This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it's still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him. (1 John 1:5)
This year at The Wilderness Place we're letting this verse go deep in us. Like Pastor Tim said this past Sunday: "Every decision you make, every thought you have, everything you decide to do, and everything you decide not to do hinges on this verse."
At first, it sounds like you're hearing something obvious. It strikes you like someone is simply telling you that "water is wet." Of course, God is light. Yes, I know that He is good!
I know that it's easy to believe when everything is going well. But do we believe it when life gets hard? Do we believe it when we have to walk through something difficult? Do we believe it when we run into an inconvenience?
It's when we walk through the difficult things that this truth gets tested in us. When hard things arise in life, do we still believe that Abba is pure, radiant light or do we begin blaming Him and questioning His goodness?
When something negative happens in your life, do you secretly believe that it's judgment from God concerning your bad behavior? Do you anxiously begin to trace the bad things that happen back to a past failure?
Listen... Abba doesn't treat His beloved sons and daughters this way.
Do you know of any parent who would give his hungry child, who asked for food, a plate of rocks instead? Or when asked for a piece of fish, what parent would offer his child a snake instead? If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what's best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask him? (Matthew 7:9-11)
It's like Jesus is asking us, "When will you stop making Abba out to be some cruel, vindictive parent who is always ready and waiting to punish His children?" It's quite the opposite. John the Beloved tells us that Abba is trying to dispel every ounce of fear you have of punishment. He's trying to drive far from your heart, so you can fully enjoy His presence and perfect love.
Our blaming and questioning of Abba is simply a lack of trust in His goodness. This is why we are staying with the words of 1 John 1:5. We need this truth to go deep, so even when negative things happen in our life, we are still sure and fully convinced of Abba's goodness. We need to sit with it until there's no more blaming, no more questioning, and no more suspicion left in us concerning His nature. Until our heart can say in the face of every circumstance, "Abba is pure light. And there is not even one trace of darkness to be found in Him."
As we take the walk with Abba today, let's allow Him to come and convince us of this truth. He wants the transformation to happen in the light of His presence. He wants to convince us of His nature in a face-to-face encounter. Spending time with Him in intimacy will change how we see Him. And as we begin seeing Him rightly, it will change how we see everything else.
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Worship: "When I Lock Eyes With You" by Harvest & John Thurlow
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
