“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.” – 1 John 1:5

Sometimes I have difficulty telling people the really hard truths. I don’t like to say the things people don’t want to hear. I truly love people, I want them to understand that I love them, so I don’t want to say things that they don’t agree with or things that will hurt their feelings. Have you ever felt this way? If so, take a look at 1 John 1:5. God is light. He is pure holiness and righteousness. There is no speck of evil, unrighteousness, or darkness in him. Scripture also teaches us that God is truth (John 14:6; 16:13; 17:17). More than being “liked,” I want to be sanctified – made more like Christ every day.

Why is all this important? Because 1 John 4:8 (a verse we are probably all much more familiar with) says that “God is love.” You see, God cannot be conflicting in his nature. If God is love, God is light, and God is truth, then these things are all aligned with one another. A love that is divorced from moral standards is not a Godly love. God’s love is holy. This means, as difficult as it may be, telling others the hard truths about righteousness, evil, and right and wrong is not only the Godly thing to do, it is also the most loving thing you can possibly do.

Loving Heavenly Father, fill us with Your light, Your truth, and Your love. Teach us to speak the truth unashamedly but also lovingly. Let us be more like Jesus every day in the way we shine Your light in the darkest places, speak Your truth into the deepest lies, and demonstrate Your love in the most lost of lives.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon