I John 2: 9-11 ERV, “Someone might say, “I am in the light,” but if they hate any of their brothers or sisters in God’s family, they are still in the darkness.  Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong. But whoever hates their brother or sister is in darkness. They live in darkness. They don’t know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind.”

As I was getting my coffee this morning, I heard Shannon rummaging through stuff on the table in the dark. “Why don’t you turn the light on?” I asked. She laughed and said, “Because that would be too easy!” As I read my morning verses, he conversation came back to me and I heard the Lord say, “My people walk in darkness all the time. They stumble around with no light because they refuse to forgive and love. They would rather hang out in the dark then walk in the light of my love and grace.”

Then John goes on in verses 15-17 saying, “Don’t love this evil world or the things in it. If you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  This is all there is in the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. But none of these comes from the Father. They come from the world.  The world is passing away, and all the things that people want in the world are passing away. But whoever does what God wants will live forever.”

So, what is it we need to do in order to live right in the bright love of Gods light? What do we need to flip the switch? Let’s go back to verses 5 and 6; “But when we obey God’s teaching, his love is truly working in us. This is how we know that we are living in him.  If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived.” How did Jesus live? Loving, giving and serving. I John 1:7 says, “We should live in the light, where God is. If we live in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood sacrifice of Jesus, God’s Son, washes away every sin and makes us clean.”

Turn on the light so you can see better! We were meant to be light to a lost and dying world. We were sent to be Love and Light. It really shouldn’t be that difficult, it simply takes your hand flipping the switch, turning on the light. Stop focusing on the darkness in the world and focus on the light. It’s light that chases away darkness. Focus on Jesus. Glance at the darkness. Do what God instructs you to do because that’s the only way light can affect darkness.

When God speaks to you to pray for those in the Middle East, pray as if it’s your children there being threatened. Stop making excuses of being too busy with your own agenda and remember that you live by the grace of God to help others, not yourself. His is not a selfish Kingdom, it’s a selfless one. Your life is not your own so get used to it. Live like Jesus. He only did what he saw the Father do and he only said what he heard the Father say. Reach your hand up and flip the switch today.