June 3
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1 JOHN 2
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. – 1 John 2:7-11
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1 JOHN 2 TO LIVE IN DARKNESS VS. TO LIVE IN THE LIGHT
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
Anyone who does not know God cannot know love
God is love and if you know him, you will follow his laws
A person who is corrupted by the systems of this world is in darkness
One cannot be a servant of God if he continues to rebel and be lawless
As children of the light, we ought to walk in love
We cannot serve God and also walk in the dark.
To live in darkness is to reject the truth and the word
To live in darkness is to love what is offered by the world
To live in darkness is the absence of the presence of God
To live in darkness is to choose the bad over the right and good
To live in darkness is to constantly waver and doubt the Lord
To live in darkness is to be self-centered and not seek the truth.
Those who claim to be servants of the Lord choose to abide in his word
As they obey the precepts of God, the learn to overcome the world
As they live in the light, they begin to eradicate the fear of anything
They only fear God and wouldn’t compromise their lives by sinning
If you live in the light, there is much peace, joy and contentment
If you live in the dark, there is chaos, sorrow and resentment.
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REFLECTION
• How do you gauge whether someone lives in the dark or in the light?