In His Name Devotionals
FORGIVENESS (4)
In His Name Devotionals
FORGIVENESS (4)
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”(1 John 1:7NKJV)
Have you ever had so much sin your life that it choked you? And the guilt of that sin makes you feel hopeless? The Scriptures say Jesus forgives, but you don’t really believe it; you won’t let Him. You keep the focus on yourself and not on Him.
An elderly Christian gentleman wrote: “At an early age, I obeyed the gospel of Christ and I knew my slate was wiped clean—that I was forgiven. As my life developed physically, my spiritual life really didn’t keep up. Things happened and sin gained a big hold. Satan knew when to attack.
“One summer evening at a picnic, I found myself discussing this situation with a treasured family friend. I told him that the worst sins of my life have occurred since conversion, not before, and it burdened me with horrible guilt.
“His response was like the sun coming up. He said man creates ‘worse’ sins and ‘not so bad’ sins, but to God, sin is sin. Envy, gossip, greediness, or bad language is just as bad as stealing, sexual sin, murder, causing division in the church, etc. He continued by saying that when I had repented and confessed Jesus, and was baptized, I met the forgiving blood of Jesus Christ and he said that blood of Christ cleanses me not only backwards (past), but forwards (future), too. There is no way I could be holy enough to merit it on my own ‘holiness.’ That’s when he quoted 1 John 1:7. I won’t ever forget it!”
To walk in the light means to love God and follow His commands. Jesus Himself said the first and greatest command is to love God, and the second is to love others! We serve God by serving others!
