1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is
Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”
John’s message of truth included the “fact” that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. So if we walk in Him yet claim we have fellowship with Him, someone is not telling the truth….And it is not God. The pride of life has taken over our reasoning when we can no longer admit wrong and allow the water of forgiveness to wash over us. Our relationships are directly affected by this out of control pride problem and the continued lack of dealing with it can be a soul killer. Soul Killer means it affects us at the core of our faith. Our core is that part that drives why we do what we do. Jesus always brought up the reason things are done and what the motivation is and that really exposed the people who heard Him preach and still affects us today.
I almost tremble at the thought of me being like one of those who Jesus called out in His day. Those men who told others to practice things they were not living and loved the leadership position, but their hearts were cold and prideful. Jesus spoke about these men in Matthew 23:Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4 They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5 But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their [a]phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. It is my desire to be the opposite of that and to live a humble life and let God be the one who elevates me. I should always lift up His name and give Him the glory for everything and that puts my pride where it needs to be, with me honoring God.
This is not the way our world is right now, but the world and all it offers has never lined up with God’s Standard for living, so don’t think this is something new. Every day is very pivotal to us finding ourselves more and more in Christ and doing the things He wants us to do. Our constant watch on our lives through prayer and Bible Study will line us up with God’s will for our lives and the daily cleaning that comes through our quiet time with God continues us down a path of Godliness and service.
As John says in verse 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John points out in the earlier verses that God is light and that light should be seen in us. He also points out that we do sin and the realization of that sin is a step in the right direction. The cure for that sin condition is found in the forgiveness that is offered when we confess our sins. I guess you could look at it as a daily inventory. Businesses have to do inventory from time to time just to see what they have and what they need and don’t need. Our inventory time involves God showing us our sins, giving us wisdom, and injecting ourselves with the teaching of His Word. Some might call that a standard that God has set for us to live our lives by and I agree. There is no abuse in the confession of sin, only absolution and that is offered through the blood of Jesus. Praise the Lord!!
The ongoing inventory checking by us not only affects our spiritual life, but affects all our relationships. The thin-skinned hurt attitude that masks a pride problem is replaced with a thick-skinned strength that is seen through a daily time of introspection. In verse 10 John finishes off the thought by saying 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. This means we are all in the same boat. One is not better than the other and one is not above the other. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. There is no winner and no competition in living the life of forgiveness. We are all the same. Some people cannot handle that and their pride makes them judge others because they believe their sin is worse, so they win. Not so. Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This great scripture is the heart of the whole thing. Time to put your pride on hold and let the light of God shine through your life as never before. A darkened world needs to see that light, so they can come to it. The only way to Hit the Mark with Jesus is to confess your sins and let His forgiveness wash over you and heal your hurting heart. Be real. Be truthful. Be Godly. Be forgiven. Be cleansed. Be whole. It is all possible through the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Pilgrimage continues….
David Warren
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