Shade or Shadows
by: Khalilah Shelton
I recently moved to Las Vegas. I have never lived on this side of the country before and I was enamored by the beauty of the mountain ranges that surround Sin City. While I was on a long walk I could see shadowy places on the mountainsides. What could shadow something as large as a mountain? As I continued my walk I realized that it was actually the clouds shading certain parts of the mountain. I asked myself, are these looming shadows or protective shade?
A lot of times we wonder what God is doing with the events and experiences of our lives. When we are caught off guard, we tend to grab for the thing nearest to us for protection or defense, whether it be a weapon, our phones, an attitude. But when it's all said and done, at some point, we all wonder, “what is God doing in my life?”
In the first two chapters of 1 John, the writer tells us a few things about God and about those who walk with Him. First, God is pursuing you! We do not look for God. No one who knows God or seeks Him ever looks for God unless they are drawn to God by God! (John 6:44) God desires an unrestrained relationship with His children. He wants us to experience Him.
“That [Jesus] which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us…” 1 Jn 1:1-2
Here we see that even our senses: touch, sight, hearing, are used to show us God and bear witness to who He is. He wants to be intimately involved in our lives. He wants us to know Him. One way that He helps us to know Him is through His people. The author of 1 John writes these things “so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” and their joy is “complete.” Our complete joy also comes with fellowship with other true believers.
God also wants His children to love Him and keep His commandments. Everyone, even Believers, have questions of “what do I do next?” Honestly, the hardest part of developing new habits is maintenance. How does something go from desiring a change to a new lifestyle? Well, the next steps include being honest about where we are.
Do I have a lifestyle of confessing sin? Christ has rescued us from the shadow and darkness of sin, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all”(1Jn1:5). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn1:9). How sweet is that?
Do I keep His commandments? “Whoever says ‘I know Him’ but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him, but whoever keeps His word, in Him truly the love of God is perfected” (1Jn2:4). Is God’s love being perfected in you?
God is making us more like Himself. His love for us is what makes us want to do what He commands. This unlimited love for us, from the Father, gives us the comfort we need and assurance of our standing with Him, not the works themselves.
Therefore, we make a habit of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ and not loving the world. I know for some, love is a word that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It may be like getting a drink of warm water on a hot day, yeh its wet and maybe necessary, but not refreshing at all. Well, this ain’t that! The love of God is always refreshing. It’s limitless and beautiful. It's pure. It's not manipulative or abusive. God’s love always seeks your good, not harm.
He lavishes love on us in a way that is foreign to human understanding, that is why He always goes first. He first loved us and now it’s our turn to love others. First John tells us to love our brothers (and inherently, our sisters). He goes as far as to say that if we say we are walking with God, but hate our brothers and sisters then we are actually still in darkness. Take time to work out those things that are causing you to feel hate for your brothers and sisters. Ask God to heal you and show you how to forgive those who hurt you, even if they never say they are sorry for it. He is faithful to meet us where we are and take us where He wants us to go.
However, there is one thing that He does not want us to love, that is the world. We have to ask ourselves, “do I love to embrace culture at the expense of Christ? Do I love my stuff, myself and my right to my opinion more than I love God’s word? Do I find myself turning to the world’s provision for my life rather than God’s provision?” If you answered “yes” to any of these (I know I have before), then you may be loving the world more than God. He loves you more than the world ever could. Be transformed by the word of God and compelled by His love. When the trials of life come to your door, the world may offer you a hiding place in the shadows, but true freedom comes when we rest in the shade of God’s love.
