Contemplative Bible Reading

1 John 2:7-8 (New Living Translation)

7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. 8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

John is reminding us of something—love one another. We’ve heard this many times before. Still, reminders are good.

Yet the old is also new. Huh? Yes, there is great truth in these simple three words. Jesus lived these three words, and we know what happened because of that.

John further encourages his readers in that they too are living these three words. It isn’t just a myth or a philosophical thing. It isn’t just something of faith, something we cannot see. We can see this. We can see the darkness being replaced by light—the true light.

I have bad days. Traffic is too heavy. A friend died. Another friend is ill and in the hospital. A hurricane damaged things that people need to live. Still, there is light, true light. I see people living through all the bad things that happen in their lives. They push away tears and show this true light, just like Jesus showed it.

There are days that are darker than others. Love one another. The light is defeating the darkness. Thank you God.