Devotional by Cyndal Uhlig

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

John 1:5-10

Can I share something with you? I personally find it easier to talk about the mistakes I made in the past, the ones that I know God has forgiven me for and redeemed, than it is to talk about the ways that I messed up today. This could be my lack of patience with my kids, or the belittling words I use in arguments against my husband to prove my own point, or the selfish motives behind a seemingly good act…the list could continue. Those things often make me cringe in shame and embarrassment, leading me to not want to confront them at all. I know this isn’t true for everyone. For some, the hardest thing might be disclosing something that has been hidden for years that they have never shared with anyone. Regardless, having our sins/mistakes brought into the light is generally not the most comfortable.

But, here’s what is so beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes as I type: my Savior and my Creator tells me “if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”. That “one another” is not referring to our friends, that “one another” is God Himself. Jesus says that if we choose to walk in the light, we get to be in a very real relationship with Him. No shaming from Him. No rejection from Him. What do we get when we confess our biggest mistakes of the past and of today to God Himself? We get covered in grace. We get ushered into a beautiful, unshakable relationship with the God of the universe. And God is asking us not to just do this once, but continuously. That’s what walking in the light is. It’s daily repentance - a daily confession of the places where sin has crept in.

The person who allows their mistakes of both the past and TODAY to be exposed by God and are led to a humble place of confession with full confidence. They are not loved any less, but covered all the more by the grace of Jesus. This is the person who is walking in true and abundant freedom.

So, let me ask you: are you walking in the light today? Are you allowing God’s light to shine into ALL the places of your life? Are you allowing Him to humble you and mold you daily? If not, today can be the day you start. Talk to Jesus and tell him your deepest struggles, your daily struggles and everything in between. Ask Him to expose the areas of your life that you are not reflecting Him. He is kind. He is loving and, most of all, He is our Savior. There is nothing that can separate us from His love and grace, so let’s live in the light, friends. We have everything to gain.