1 John 1:3-4; 7, “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. But 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 cleanses us from all sin.
We recently visited our son and his family, who live near Dallas, Texas. We rode on the Avis shuttle bus from the Avis car rental facility to the Love Field airport to board our return flight home. On the shuttle bus was a woman with a magnetic personality. After we all occupied a seat, two women boarded. There was only one seat left. The one took the remaining open seat and the other stood and held onto the pole behind the bus driver. The magnetic personality woman spoke up about wanting to show kindness to the woman left having to stand. She wanted to accommodate her need. The woman kindly declined; said she didn’t mind standing. The magnetic personality woman said, “Ok, I just don’t want anyone to outdo me in showing kindness! I am here to show kindness!” Then she shared a story about what she called a God thing that had happened to her the previous night. She had lost her keys to the rental car and was locked out of her car. She called a locksmith and was told replacing the lost key would cost $600. That was not an option. So, she went through everything hunting for those keys. She went through all the trash in bags, searching desperately for her car keys. She could not find them. So, she sensed within her that she should pick up the two bags of trash she had gone through right before her. She held up one sack. Nothing happened. She put that bag down and picked up the other bag, and the car door unlocked itself! The keys were in there, after all! She excitedly shared with the shuttle bus, “That was a God thing!” I looked at her as we departed the bus and said, “It is so nice to know other Christians are around!” She lit up joyfully and said, “Yes, we just have to be more vocal!”
I had the privilege of enjoying fellowship with this sister in Christ for those few minutes that I will never forget. John had seen and heard Jesus Christ. He stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus died. Peter and John witnessed the resurrected Christ and ate breakfast with Jesus after His resurrection. John had a special relationship with Jesus Christ. He saw Him with his own eyes, touched Him, and proclaimed the truth of the Word of life to bring his readers into a relationship with God Himself, and God’s people. When we “walk in the light” of Christ, as John stated in 1 John 1:1-4, we have fellowship with Him and other believers because we have a common bond as equal heirs of heaven. The light of Christ should then shine through our life. This woman on the shuttle bus had her light shining on all the other passengers on that bus. I wish I had gotten her name.
How can we be more of a light for Christ during these tumultuous times we are living in? When John wrote 1 John, there was a decline in commitment within the church, and the people were compromising and failing to stand up for Christ. May 1 John 1:1-4 and verse 7 be your prayer, as it is mine today, to live before others with an inner abiding peace, cheerfulness, and joyful optimism not based on our circumstances but on our faith in God. May we become more vocal in shining the light of Jesus with others we encounter.
Listen to Phil Wickham – His Name Is Jesus lyric video.