Fellowship with God and others

Reading this morning from 1 John 1.

John writes this book, so that "our joy may be complete".
What is the reason for the joy?

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 2the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- 3that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

That people can worship and fellowship with each other about the things they know of Christ. Things that have been from the beginning, that have been heard, that have been seen, that have been looked upon and that have been touched.
These things which concern the WORD OF LIFE.

The word of life, which was made real (manifest).
Jesus was seen, and heard, and now is testified to. Jesus is proclaimed so that others might also know all these things. And that knowing brings fellowship with other believers. And that fellowship is really with God the Father and his son Jesus Christ.

Mmm... I have to think about that for a moment.
The fellowship that I have with other believers is a fellowship that is really with God and Christ. It's not just a human to human meeting and chatting and stuff. It's really a fellowship with God and Christ and the other person(s).

And John writes all these things down so that joy may be complete.

John moves on then to start talking more about just what his message is to us.

God is light. In God there is no darkness at all.

5This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Think about that for a moment.
Everyone that I know, regardless of how good they are, has some nastiness in there somewhere. They really do. Even in their goodness, there is nastiness. No person living now, or in the past, has been able to hide their darkness completely.
BUT GOD doesn't have any nastiness, any darkness inside of himself. he has nothing to hide. God is only LIGHT!

In some whats that seems hard for me to understand, to really comprehend as I have nothing physical here to base it on. But that doesn't change who God is... God is light. God has no darkness in him at all. I just find that amazing. :)

Of course this does have ramifications for us.
One who has no darkness in him, cannot have fellowship with one who does have darkness within. The two simply don't go together.

BUT! And here's the big BUT! IF we walk in the light GOD changes us!
His son, the blood of his son, washes that darkness away so that WE (the darkness bearers) can have relationship, can have fellowship with God the Father!

Isn't that just way cool?
Isn't that just so amazing? God allowed his son to take care of all the darkness we have within ourselves so that we can have a relationship with him.

6If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But 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. 8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

It just blows me away sometimes.

I have to ask this.... Have you chosen to walk in the light today? Have you accepted this amazing gift that the Lord God himself has given you? His very own Son?

If you haven't... do it! Fellowship with the God of Light is WAY better than anything else this world has to offer. Just so much more....