A New Devotion - The Dark Side

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

1 John 2:7-14

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says, "I am in the light," while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have conquered the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

The Dark Side

As a society, we’re in a dangerous place, and I’ll tell you, this has nothing to do with the coronovirus or COVID-19. There sure seems to be a lot of hatred in our country now-a-days. And if you have any doubt about this, just check out Facebook some time. It’s full of all kinds of hate-filled comments. And this isn’t the monopoly of any one political perspective. From where I sit, I read as many false, vile and disgusting things written about Representative Pelosi and the Democrats as I do about President Trump and the Republicans. And the content found within these posts aren’t governed by what was once considered decent and fair. Instead, they’re shaped only by the hatred felt toward all those who disagree. Of course, I have no doubt that each would place sole blame on the other side. But be-that-as-it-may, pure hate seems to be driving most political discourse, while things like compassion, understanding and even rational thought has gotten lost in the shuffle.

But as Christians, I think we should avoid contributing to this problem. You see, I believe it’s crucial that we recognize that hatred and animus are signs of darkness, in other words, the absence of light. And since Jesus Christ is the light of the world, anyone who hates his brother or sister really is in darkness, separated from the one who commanded his followers to love. And for that reason, I think we need to set an example. You see, through our discussion and demeanor, we can demonstrate that we can disagree without having to denigrate those who disagree with us. And we can debate with respect and focus. You see, for those of us who claim to walk in the light, we can decide to love those who may not share our political values, because when we choose to hate, we actually giving into the dark side.