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, purifies us from all sin. – 1 John 1:7
 
Walking in the light gives us fellowship with the body of Christ and keeps us in right relationship with Him. This verse introduces a hint that we can walk without the light if we choose.

John puts the little doubting word “if” in the beginning of this verse. He says, “If we walk in the light,” as if to say we don’t have to walk in the light, we can choose not to. If we choose not to walk in the light then we release another whole set of circumstances.

In the verse prior to this one he says, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth.” He is saying that there are those who claim to be in the light but in fact they are in darkness. What is the evidence that they are in darkness? They don’t walk in fellowship with the body, and they are not free from sin.

In the verse following our verse for today he gives a remedy for walking in darkness. He writes, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

In context this passage seems to be saying that God’s will is for us to walk in fellowship with one another and to be free from sin. Are we always successful at that? No, that’s why he gives us a remedy. When we find that we are moving toward darkness in our attitudes or actions, we can remedy the situation by confessing and asking to be free.

Our struggles for righteousness are not over when we come to faith, in fact the journey of faith is a constant struggle against the tendencies of our flesh. To be successful in our faith walk we must be committed to persevere through every trying time and every time we find ourselves drifting back toward darkness we must again focus on the light.
 
Prayer: Lord, give me insight to see when my attitudes and behaviors are moving toward darkness. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message: It is our confidence, or faith, in Christ as the revelation of God which gives us the conviction for a life of being committed to the principles of God’s word.
  
Affirmation: I am daily adding knowledge of God to my mind and heart and faith in his word gives me the conviction for a life committed to the principles of the faith.
 
Reflection: In order to continually be effective in our faith we must establish the pattern of adding knowledge of God and his plan to our heart and mind. What can you do to make adding knowledge to your faith a reality in your life?

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 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel.”  – 2 Kings 2:2  
 
Elijah was one of the most renowned prophets in Israel’s history and Elisha was his protégé. Elisha wanted to carry on the ministry of Elijah and he knew that he would have to stay close to him to learn all that he could. He also knew that the Lord was going to take Elijah soon, and Elisha wanted to be there to receive Elijah’s mantle of anointing.

Three times Elijah tried to send Elisha away, but Elisha would hear nothing of it. He knew that the thing he wanted most would be given him only if he stayed close to Elijah. As they were walking they came to the Jordan. Elijah took off his coat and struck the water. The water divided and they crossed over on dry ground.

“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied. ‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah said, ‘yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise not” (v9-11).

Elisha had been mentored by Elijah to be the next prophet in the land. One thing he had learned is that to be mentored by another person one must pursue the mentor with a passion. If Elisha had not had a firm resolve to be with Elijah when he was taken up he might have left when Elijah told him to go – but he didn’t because he was committed to getting the blessing.

We have all known people who were impressed by someone else and wanted to be mentored by them, but they lacked the tenacity to pursue their mentor. Usually a person worth emulating is a busy person and busy people require a lot of tenacity to get close to them. Elisha had that kind of perseverance in his pursuit of Elijah. Perseverance in pursuit of a goal has great rewards.
Is there someone you have desired to emulate? Pursue them.
 
Prayer: Lord, I do desire your best for me, but it is easy to become sidetracked; grant me the grace to stay focused on you. In Jesus name, amen.
Elisha Pursued His Goal Resolutely
  
Message: Perseverance in pursuit of a goal has great rewards. Elisha would not have received the blessing had he not persevered in pursuing Elijah.
  
Affirmation: I am committed to pursuing God and his blessing in the manner in which Elisha pursued the blessing from Elijah.
  
Reflection: When God has promised a blessing we often have to endure undesirable circumstances in pursuit of that blessing. We must resolve to do whatever it takes to receive the blessing that we have been promised.

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​ We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. – Romans 5:2-4
 
I saw a placard once that said, “I was a hopeless dope fiend, now I am a dopeless hope fiend.” The person who had put that placard on their door had come to know Jesus as the Christ of redemption. He was hopeless in his addiction, but in Christ he found hope.

It was the same for all of us in this world and without Christ; we had no lasting hope. Then someone introduced us to Christ and hope was born in our hearts. That faith driven hope enabled us to surrender our life to the one who is himself life. This hope is what gives us an anchor in life’s storms (Hebrews 6:19).

This hope gives us eyes to see beyond the storm to the glory God has prepared for us. Our hope in Christ does not keep us from suffering but it does enable us to persevere in our suffering.

Another passage in Romans encourages us, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (15:4). It is the very nature of hope to give us the impetus to take the next step even in the face of great adversity.

I remember shortly after the Vietnam war many stories of heroic survival emerged as the prisoners of war were released. There were reports from believers who survived torture for years because of their faith. There was one story, and I can’t remember the details, not even the name of the people involved, but the POW’s developed a system of quoting scripture to each other by using a code they tapped out on the walls.

Hope drives us further than we could possibly go on our own. Hope calls to those who have fallen and says, “Get up, there will be another day.” Hope stands at the bedside of a dying loved one and says, “I’ll see you over there.” Hope gives us perseverance.
  
Prayer: Father, give the hopeless eyes to see what they can be in you. Amen.
Hope Enables Us To Persevere
 
 Message: Hope gives us eyes to see beyond the storm to the glory God has prepared for us. Our hope in Christ does not keep us from suffering but it does enable us to persevere in our suffering.
 
 Affirmation: I know that in this world I will have disappointments and times of suffering, but I also know that God's grace is sufficient to enable to persevere, even in suffering.
  
Reflection: Hope gives us the strength to endure. Give some thought to the tough times you have endured and remember the grace God gave you to persevere.
 
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Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. – 1 Peter 5:8-9
 
We have read of the persecution endured by early believers. From the first persecution in Jerusalem, which followed the martyrdom of Stephen, to killing of the apostles and beyond, the church endured much persecution. From beatings to being thrown to the lions Christians knew persecution.

The persecution did not stop with the early Christians, it continues today. The following is an excerpt from the web site “opendoorsusa.org”:
100 million Christians around the globe are currently suffering persecution for their faith.  Most often persecution takes the form of imprisonment, abuse, and hostilities.   In some cases, however, Christians are asked to face more than scorn, prison, or the loss of health—they are asked to face death.  

Peter is not only warning people to be aware of the one who snares us, he is also warning us to be mindful of other believers who are being persecuted and even giving their life for the gospel. Many believe that God is calling people to awaken from their stupor of mediocrity and treasure the prize we possess.

The roaring lion has gotten wise. Rather than a frightening roar he uses a seductive appeal. He appeals to our base nature which cries for self-fulfillment and the comfort afforded by prosperity. This evil one has won the hearts of many believers who do not see the cause for standing firm in the faith.

The gospel some preach glosses over the mandate of Jesus, “If a person is to be my disciple he must deny himself.” Tradition tells us that Peter, who wrote today’s verse, was crucified for the faith. Should our commitment be any less?

Ask yourself this question: “Do I stand as strong for the gospel as those who are dying for the gospel around the world?”
 
Prayer: Lord, Health, wealth and prosperity is just as attractive to me as it is to others. Help me to pursue you rather than those things. In Jesus name, amen.
A Persevering Faith Meets A Roaring Lion
  
Message: The roaring lion has gotten wise. Rather than a frightening roar he uses a seductive appeal. He appeals to our base nature which cries for self-fulfillment and the comfort afforded by prosperity.
  
Affirmation: I can resist the seductive appeal of the enemy because I am aware of his seduction. I deny myself daily and take up the cross of faith daily.
 
Reflection: The roar of the lion today is more of an appeal to our base nature than a chilling threat. Give some thought to how this enemy of our soul appeals to your base nature.

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