⁵ This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. ⁶ So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. ⁷ But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

The Light

Have you ever gone into the basement only to discover that the light is burnt out? If you’re like most people, experiences like that make you nervous. We don’t like the dark. Scary things lurk in darkness.

It’s amazing how even the tiniest of lights can bring comfort in the darkness. The small flicker of a candle can help a person breathe easier when dealing with darkness.

I guess that’s why I love thinking of God as the light of the world. Only he isn’t a small candle flickering in the darkness. He’s one of those 500 Watt mega flashlights that exposes everything in its path.

As his followers, we are also called to be a light in the darkness. As we shine forth with the message of God’s grace, our light also brings hope in dark places. Oh, it might not be as bright as God’s light, but it is as powerful. After all, it’s him shining through us.

So, let your light shine. Allow yourself to be used by God to shine in dark places, bring those in darkness a sense of hope and peace that can only come through Jesus Christ.

My prayer: Lord, help me to shine brightly. You are the source of the light within me, and so allow me to bring hope to those who are in darkness. At the same time, remove any darkness that might be within me. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹ We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. ² This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

Touched Him

John begins his letter by reminding his readers that he was there. He was there. He walked with Jesus. He heard the words come out of Christ’s mouth. He ate with him, laughed with him, cried with him. He touched Jesus’ skin.

Paul couldn’t say that. Billy Graham couldn’t make that claim. Mother Theresa never experienced Jesus in that way.

But John did.

I wonder if John got tired of some of typical questions people probably asked him. “What did Jesus look like?” “Did he have an accent?” “Was he funny?” “Did he smell different?” Let’s face it, I’m sure John was asked questions like that all the time. At the time of this writing, John was living in Ephesus. That entire church family was in the same boat as we are: they had never seen Jesus in real life. They would have had the same questions as we would have.

And yet, like Peter, or the other Gospel writers, John never bothers to answer these questions in writing. I have no idea if he took the time to answer them through spoken word, but he never wrote down the answers to those questions. It’s pretty clear that it wasn’t a priority for these early church writers, or for God himself.

Yet, I can’t help but be curious. Yes, some of you more spiritual types will be quick to point out to me that we see Jesus everyday. The poor, the mistreated, the prisoner, the widow. As Jesus pointed out, when we minister to these people, we are ministering to him. He looks back at us through their eyes. And yes, it’s true, that Jesus is with me everyday. The Spirit resides within me, and I live every moment with Christ in my life.

But, just back away from the spiritual talk for a minute and just consider what it must have been like for John. As he writes these words, the death and resurrection of Jesus is fifty years ago. John is around eighty years old. And yet, the memories of walking with Jesus are as sharp and as vivid as if they happened yesterday. Talk about “awe” moments.

There’s a confidence we can talk from that. The teachings of Jesus are not three or four or even five generations old. They are still fresh. When we listen to John, or Peter, or some of the other New Testament writers, we are hearing first hand accounts of what Jesus did and said. That’s fairly rare in historical accounts.

My prayer: Lord, thank you for people like John. As he begins this letter, he reminds us of his first hand experience with you. It must have been so incredible. And so, while we cannot experience that ourselves, we can know what it was like through the eyes of John. I find that incredible. It builds my faith knowing that I am hearing from someone who was there. Someone who walked with you. Speak to me through his words. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹¹ And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

1 John 5:11-12

Introduction to 1 John

We are about to begin the thirteenth book of the Bible in this Oil Change (and that’s not including the various passages from Psalms and Hebrews that we’ve looked at). It’s truly incredible when I look at the amount of writing that has gone in to doing these daily devotionals. According to my word count, I have written 249,221 words over the past few years. If you were to print all of these devotionals out, it would take 790 pages!

So, whether you have been following us for only a few days or a few years, thank you for being a part of this journey with me.

Today, we are going to begin looking at the first of John’s letters. John was one of the twelve disciples (he was actually one of the three closest to Jesus). He was the only one of the disciples who was brave enough to show his face at the crucifixion. Tradition tells us that he was also likely the only disciple who wasn’t martyred for his faith. Rather, John probably died of old age while exiled to the Island of Pathmos (where he wrote the book of Revelation).

Probably the most famous of John’s writings would be his account of the life of Jesus (the Gospel of John). A close second would be his vision of the end times (book of Revelation). These three letters, tucked away after Peter’s writings, are not as well known or quoted. And yet, that doesn’t make them any less important. Like all Scripture, they offer some great insight and direction to living out the spiritual life.

Most scholars believe that John wrote this letter around the same time that he wrote his Gospel (between 85-95 AD). He was likely living in Ephesus (shortly after Paul’s letter to that church), and his focus was to challenge the church to get back to the basics of their faith.

For those who have been following the Oil Change for awhile, you might remember me telling you that John wrote his Gospel in an attempt to respond to a group know as Gnostics. These people were emphasizing knowledge over everything else. John’s Gospel, often referred to as “the love Gospel” was an attempt to show that salvation came through faith in God – a God who loves us – and not through gaining knowledge or insight. This letter follows the same theme. Yes, John does emphasize the importance of sound doctrine, but remind his readers that doctrine without grace is meaningless.

Unlike Paul, John’s letters come across almost as sermon manuscripts. If you close your eyes and try, you can hear him standing and preaching these words. His passion and focus is clear.

As we go through this letter, think of yourself sitting at the feet of an old timer. As he shares his words, he isn’t speaking theoretically. He’s speaking as someone who has experienced it all. Paul didn’t walk with Jesus firsthand. John did. As he shares the message of Jesus, I’m sure he’s remembering actual encounters that he had with his Saviour. That’s an incredible thought.

This should be a great journey.

Oh, and as I point out every time we begin a new book, let me suggest that this is the perfect time to forward the Oil Change to a few friends. Invite them to sign up and begin following the devotional firsthand.

My prayer: Lord, thank you that we can still hear from those who walked with you. As we dive into John’s first letter, cause it to come alive for us. Help us discover fresh the challenge that he had for the early Church. Amen.

Until tomorrow.