By Aneta Dodd 

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

One of my favorite “day trips” I have taken with my children was to Cumberland Caverns in Tennessee. We enjoyed a nice hike into the caves and learned about all the wonderful rock formations located there. The guide sat us all on rocks around the edge of the cave and suddenly the lights went out! We could not see our hands in front of our faces. The chattering fun activities turned to complete silence except for the whimpers of a few frightened children. We were no longer fellowshipping with one another because we could not see who was near us or where to travel.How do we know if we are spiritually walking in light or in darkness? 

Let’s first explore those who are walking in darkness. I John 2:11 tells us “But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” Just like the cave, when we walk in darkness, we stumble and fall and cannot find our way. We feel alone and helpless to survive. We create this alienation within ourselves when we hate our brothers. We cannot have fellowship with God without first loving His children. I John 4:20 “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”

“When we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another.”

This word fellowship means a partnership with or communion with one another. It is a desirous activity to spend time with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It is through these relationships that we can begin to know God and to have fellowship with Him. What better way to spend our time than communicating with God..