Daily Devotional

I went on a mission trip to at Christian camp called “Twin Rocks Bible Camp”. It was tucked away in the hills of southeastern Kentucky. There were beautiful trees, winding trails and flowing streams. But everywhere you went you were either walking down a trail or walking up a trail. And if you didn’t stay on the trails, the drop off was severe. You could really get hurt.

One of the items on the packing list for the trip was a flashlight. They told us that when the sun goes down it gets very dark very quickly. There are no cities nearby and very little ambient light. The cabins are about 100 yards away from the bathrooms and you have to walk the steep, windy, trails to get there. So I brought a flashlight.

On the first night I had to use the bathroom, so without thinking I started down the trail without my flashlight. About halfway there, I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. I was feeling my way, tree to tree, step to step, step making sure I was still on the trail. Just then I saw a flashlight shining way off in the distance and it was coming toward me. As they got closer, I recognized the person. It was one of my fellow leaders, a smart leader, who remembered his flashlight. He was startled when he saw me. He said, “Where’s your flashlight?” I said, “I left it back in the cabin.” He said, “That wasn’t very smart.” I said, “You’re right. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

I learned a valuable lesson that night. When you’re staying at a camp out in the middle of nowhere, set on hills, where you can get hurt if you don’t stay on the trail, make sure you always have your flashlight or you could get seriously hurt.

It also reminded me of a verse…

1 John 1:7 – "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."

When we think of light, we think of visibility. Darkness hides, distorts, and confuses. But the light illuminates, reveals, and clarifies. And Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ shines brightly into this dark world. In a world filled with lies, Jesus is the truth. In a world filled with despair, Jesus brings hope. In a world filled with sin, Jesus is the answer. He paid the price for the sin of the world at the cross.

To “walk in the Light” does not mean you never stumble into sin. Instead it means you stop hiding in the shadows of secret sin. You remember that Jesus paid the price for our redemption. We do not earn our standing with God through our own striving toward perfection. None of us will be perfect on this side of heaven. So we bring our sin out into the open, walking in light.

In order to have true fellowship in the body of Christ, we pursue genuine, honest, community with God and other believers. And when our sin is out in the open, we can do that without fear or shame. It reminds me of the statement, “If you live with nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear.” And I think there’s a lot of truth to that.

As a Christian, the cross of Jesus Christ is active in our lives every single day, washing away our sin and unrighteousness as we walk with Him. Walking in the Light means we let the gospel guide us on the ‘trails of life’. To step off these ‘trails’ leads to certain danger. So shine the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ into your everyday life. You are no longer defined by past sins or struggles. But the love and purity of Jesus Christ our Savior has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. So walk in the light.

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.