Glow In the Dark Believers

Over the past few weeks, I've been preaching through 1 John—a brief but powerful letter the apostle John wrote in his later years. His audience faced confusion from false teachers who were distorting essential Christian truths. One particularly dangerous idea suggested that knowing God had nothing to do with how we actually lived.

At first glance, this seems absurd. But is it really so far-fetched?

Consider how often we treat Christian practices—church attendance, Bible reading, prayer—as the goal itself rather than as means to genuine transformation. I catch myself doing this. The rituals become my religion instead of pathways to change. Craig Groeschel captured this tension perfectly in his book title: The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist. It's entirely possible to maintain all the outward Christian activities while remaining spiritually unchanged.

This disconnect likely plagued John's original readers. It certainly affects us today—perhaps even you and me.

John's response centers on a powerful image: God is Light. Those who truly know Him walk in that light, and walking in light produces visible effects. We become light-bearers ourselves. Drawing near to God's brilliance drives out our inner darkness, gradually transforming us to reflect His purity and glory.

This reminds me of childhood glow-in-the-dark toys—those treasures I'd find in cereal boxes. (Their disappearance from cereal boxes saddens me, but I digress.) I'd rip open the package and rush to the nearest lamp, holding the toy as close to the bulb as possible. Then I would run to the nearest closet, close the door and turn off the lights and voilà—the object glowed. The principle was simple: these objects only glowed after absorbing light. Exposure transformed them from lightless plastic into luminous beacons.

The same principle governs our spiritual lives. To bear God's light, I must stay close to Him. I must dwell in His presence. Without proximity to the Light, I have no capacity to shine.

Perhaps this offers a better framework for understanding Christian practices—not as religious obligations to check off, but as opportunities to draw near the source. I've heard it expressed this way: Don't read Scripture merely for information; read it for transformation.

Otherwise, we miss the point entirely. We attend church but leave unchanged. We read our Bibles while remaining in darkness. We pray without experiencing God's warmth. This path of least resistance may feel easier, but it's fundamentally wrong.

My prayer for you is simple: May God's Light penetrate your life, dispelling whatever darkness troubles you. May His brilliance transform you so completely that others see the unmistakable glow of someone changed by the greatest Light of all.

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, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7, NIV)