“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7 NLT
James is confronting us at a deeper level. The two previous verses explain:
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.”
1 John 1:5-6
The evidence that we are walking in the light is that we have fellowship with one another. So, if we find ourselves avoiding a brother or sister then we must examine our hearts to determine why. If we find we just don’t want to talk to that particular person we must ask why. Often it is offence. As I write this I am being convicted about a brother who has called my phone just before I came away and I did not see his call until later. I did not call him because I knew the level of conversation and was not prepared for it, but also I had helped him move house and when I asked him to help me he did not answer. I think I can call this offence. Shame!
Now, I know what Jesus said about offence and how to deal with it. Shortly, I will contact this brother on messenger and fill him in on where I am, and apologise. I don’t need anything uncleaness in my heart as I travel to Nepal today. The fact that I did not recognise my offence is showing a level I have not gone to before, so, here I go.
Offence keeps us in the dark. As I want the light and a breakthrough in healing I cannot afford to stay offended. Amen
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