Going To God With Our Sin
When I do mess up, through my obedience and my repentance, I find God’s grace, His light.
1 John 1:5-10 (NLT)
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Reflection
My husband and I recently installed a small water feature in our front yard, a fountain with four small waterfalls that cascade down into little pools. The sound of the water falling into the pools is so relaxing and soothing. But the fountain also has another feature – LED lights that emanate up from the pools. I really didn’t see the point of the lights until the first time my husband turned on the fountain after dark. Oh, those lights! The fountain seemed to come to life with the addition of the lights glowing up from each little pool of water. The lights make the fountain seem complete, perfect.
As Christians, God is our light. There is no darkness in Him. In His light, we can experience love, grace, hope, knowledge, wisdom, and the revelations He has for us. The light of God stands in direct contrast to the evil, lies, deceit, and despair found in the darkness of sin. But God’s holy light can break through into the hidden, dark corners of our hearts and illuminate us so that we can escape the darkness that is sin.
Sometimes a simple formula can help me remember things like this:
Sin + Repentance = Light
Sin – Repentance = Darkness
Notice how both formulas start with sin? Sin is inescapable. Sin is in our nature. And you simply cannot be in right standing with God if you live a life of habitual sin.
Sin isn’t simply doing something I know is wrong. It is more than that. Sin is not listening to God and not doing as He commands. That is the equivalent to walking in darkness.
Walking in the light doesn’t mean I live a perfect, sinless life. It means I am striving to seek after God and make life decisions based on God’s will, not my own. When I do mess up, through my obedience and my repentance, I find God’s grace, His light. As Christians, we will sin. But when we acknowledge and ask forgiveness of our sin, we will continue to walk in the blessed light of Jesus.
Walking in the light of God means walking in obedience to Him. There is no better way to receive God’s blessings, as obedience and blessings go hand in hand.
Action Steps
1. Sin + Repentance = Light Sin – Repentance = Darkness
Write down these two formulas, or better yet, come up with two that you can relate to. Carry them with you as a reminder of the importance of God’s light.
2. Read John 12:46. Then find 3 other verses that talk about the perfect light of Jesus.
Prayer
Lord God, help me to trust that You know me better than I know myself. Thank You for exposing whatever darkness there is in me and leading me away from it and towards the perfect light of Your love and grace. Amen.
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Reflection
My husband and I recently installed a small water feature in our front yard, a fountain with four small waterfalls that cascade down into little pools. The sound of the water falling into the pools is so relaxing and soothing. But the fountain also has another feature – LED lights that emanate up from the pools. I really didn’t see the point of the lights until the first time my husband turned on the fountain after dark. Oh, those lights! The fountain seemed to come to life with the addition of the lights glowing up from each little pool of water. The lights make the fountain seem complete, perfect.
As Christians, God is our light. There is no darkness in Him. In His light, we can experience love, grace, hope, knowledge, wisdom, and the revelations He has for us. The light of God stands in direct contrast to the evil, lies, deceit, and despair found in the darkness of sin. But God’s holy light can break through into the hidden, dark corners of our hearts and illuminate us so that we can escape the darkness that is sin.
Sometimes a simple formula can help me remember things like this:
Sin + Repentance = Light
Sin – Repentance = Darkness
Notice how both formulas start with sin? Sin is inescapable. Sin is in our nature. And you simply cannot be in right standing with God if you live a life of habitual sin.
Sin isn’t simply doing something I know is wrong. It is more than that. Sin is not listening to God and not doing as He commands. That is the equivalent to walking in darkness.
Walking in the light doesn’t mean I live a perfect, sinless life. It means I am striving to seek after God and make life decisions based on God’s will, not my own. When I do mess up, through my obedience and my repentance, I find God’s grace, His light. As Christians, we will sin. But when we acknowledge and ask forgiveness of our sin, we will continue to walk in the blessed light of Jesus.
Walking in the light of God means walking in obedience to Him. There is no better way to receive God’s blessings, as obedience and blessings go hand in hand.
Action Steps
1. Sin + Repentance = Light Sin – Repentance = Darkness
Write down these two formulas, or better yet, come up with two that you can relate to. Carry them with you as a reminder of the importance of God’s light.
2. Read John 12:46. Then find 3 other verses that talk about the perfect light of Jesus.
Prayer
Lord God, help me to trust that You know me better than I know myself. Thank You for exposing whatever darkness there is in me and leading me away from it and towards the perfect light of Your love and grace. Amen.
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