Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him. If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions. But if we live in the light - just as he is in the light - then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. If we say that we have not sinned, we make a liar out of God, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:5-10

The apostle John taught that to live as a forgiven, transformed individual is the best testimony we can give that Jesus is the Son of God, and was a real person. More than the gifts we give, it is how we live that will point to the reality of Christ this Christmas.

Does your life shed light or cast shadows?

Our Daily Bread - December 2, 2002