Thursday, 11 January 2024
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
You will fail on the pathway to being like Jesus!
I don't write those words to discourage you, but to acknowledge a reality that we all know too well. Although we all are very aware of our own shortcomings, too often we don't acknowledge that failure is a part of the journey of spiritual growth. When we approach spiritual growth with the idea that as we respond to Jesus, we will never sin, then our failure totally demoralizes us and leads to even less growth.
This is not to say that we should treat sin in our lives lightly! We should hate what sin does to our own spiritual lives and how it hurts the heart of the God we love. But what God is saying to us in today's passage is that he knows we will sin and has made provision for our forgiveness and restoration to a close walk with him. How can this happen? Don't hide your sin in your shame and refuse to talk to God; rather, bring it into the light. Acknowledge it to God and ask him not only to forgive you, but to restore your walk with him. "He is faithful"!
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