No One Who Contnues to Sin, Knows Jesus

1 John 3:6 “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. (practices sin) No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.”  Emphasis is mine.

            Lord, how:

·         When I know the mercy You bestow on me every day

·         When I enjoy the magnitude of Your grace because of the magnitude of Your sacrifice on my behalf

·         When You answer prayers on a daily basis

·         When You provide for me each day

·         When You give me wisdom from above

·         When You give me Your peace that passes all understanding

can I continue to practice sin that You have washed away with Your precious blood? 

           You are holy, pure, and righteous.  As Your child, if I am abiding in You and You in me, You make a difference in my life.  Old things are passed away and behold all things have become new.  I am a new Creation!  You throw my sins as far as the East is from the West.  Children born into a family will bear family resemblance.  Your child will look and act like You.  Children born of the Devil will resemble him.  I did until You gave me a new birth!

How can I ever thank You enough?

He Appeared So That He Might Take Away Our Sins

1 John 3:5 “But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins; and in Him there is no sin.”

            Lord, what a marvelous First Christmas gift!  You were born to take away our sins and give us so many other blessings, Hallelujah!  I never really thought of these verses being part of  “The Christmas Story”

            I watched “The Nativity Story last night with my beloved Husband Dick.  Some things in that production led me to check the scriptures this morning for validity.  As many times I have read “The Christmas Story” in Matthew and Luke’s gospels, I never caught this:  Gabriel did not share with Mary that You would save Your people from their sins, he shared it with Joseph in his dream to take Mary as his wife.

            He shared some marvelous things with Your mother:  You would be great, called the Son of the Most High, the Lord God would give You the throne of Your father David, that You would reign over the house of Jacob forever, and that Your kingdom would have no end.  With all of that, Lord, did the Father, knowing that Joseph would die before Your miraculous resurrection (and maybe before You started Your earthly ministry), tell Gabriel to encourage Joseph with those words instead of sharing that with Mary? 

            I am very sure that Joseph told Mary what the angel said to him; but this is, for me, one of those “Hmmm” moments.  It does not matter I guess, but these are things I ponder.

Everyone Who Sins Breaks the Law

1 John 3:4 “Everyone who sins breaks the law, in fact, sin is lawlessness.”

            Lord, I think for most of us the sins of the tongue are the hardest to forsake.  I saw a sweatshirt once that said, “Lord, put your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth”.  I thought at the time that I might write “Lord put Your love in my heart so You won’t have to put Your hand over my mouth.”

            We tend to look at sin as the biggies: murder, lust, and theft.  However; You have given us a list of 7 things that You consider abominations in Proverbs 6:17-19:

Haughty eyes (Pride)

Lying tongue (gossip and slander)

Hands that shed innocent blood (abortion and terrorism)

A heart that devises wicked plans (bitterness, revenge)

Feet that run rapidly to evil (being easily drawn into another’s sin)

A false witness that utters lies (Perjury)

One who spreads strife among the brothers (usually caused by bitterness, gossip, pride, envy, etc.)

            Let’s add to that from the Ten Commandments:

Dishonoring of parents

Worshipping other gods

Not keeping the Sabbath

Envy

Greed

            All of these things would not be an issue in our lives if we were full of Your unconditional love for one another, we were devoid of pride, and were content in any and every circumstance You allow into our lives.

            All too often, Lord, again, we use the excuse that we are only human after all and have a sin nature.  But if we are truly crucified with You; then it is no longer we who live, but You live within us.  We have no excuse!  We must confess and repent.

            Lord, help me to live my life with a new motto:

NO EXCUSES!

Purify Yourselves As He Is Pure

1 John 3:3 “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as He is pure.”

            Purity…purity in thought, speech, and action, in all ways, all the time.  Lord, that is a tall order even with the Holy Spirit living within, but that is what You have commanded.  The more we practice it, the more (super) natural it becomes.  And what is my benefit?  Being unashamed and confident at Your appearing, being in constant fellowship with You and my brothers and sisters with nothing in between.

            Lord, there is no one or no thing that is as pure as You because You ARE purity.  You do not just think pure thoughts or do pure deeds, or speak pure words.  You cannot be impure.  I know that “I” and my sin died that day on Your cross and that it no longer I who live, but You live in me.  I can be pure here in this earthly dwelling, but I must be willing.  Oh to be like You!  Like King David, I implore You to, “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.  Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.”

            Thank You, Lord, for saving me and for working in my life.

What Would Baby Jesus Look like?

1 John 3:2 “Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not been made known.  But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

            Lord!  Sweet blessed Savior, this is such a wonderful and precious promise and the basis of our hope and joy as Christians.  It is hard to wait!  I remember as a child how hard it was to wait for Christmas.  Even though I didn’t KNOW You then, I knew of You and why we celebrated Christmas.  For me, it wasn’t as much about the presents we might receive as it was the whole celebration with quality family time, special goodies, and time for games with the family.         Even church seemed more meaningful during the Christmas season.

            “For we shall see Him as He is.”

            Lord, I am transported in thought back to the months before Your birth.  When we human parents find that there is a new person growing within the mother, we start to imagine what type of child you are weaving within, male or female, who will they look like and what type of personality they will have.  We know they will have some of dad’s traits and some of mom’s as well as grandparents on both sides simply because of heredity.

            What was that like for Your mother, Mary and Joseph, Your earthly father?  After all…what would God in the form of a baby look like?  There were no ultra-sounds back then to give them a sneak peek.  Would He glow with the shekinah glory spoken of by Moses?  Would he look very different than other babies?  Isaiah said that he was nothing special to look at.   Would God cause him to have the traits and appearance of Mary’s family?  Would hHe include some of Joseph’s or leave his side out totally so there would be no speculation that You were really Joseph’s child conceived out of wedlock?  These are things to ponder.

            I believe You were born in a time before cameras and Facebook so that we would not worship Your image instead of You.  Artists have tried through time to depict what You might have looked like and what the Nativity should depict.  I think we have failed miserably for the most part.  Most have made you look very European with a halo on your blond head and with Your fair skin and bright blue eyes.  I don’t believe You looked anything like any artist’s imagination, but there must have been something about You, even as a baby and child,  that would bring the reaction of the shepherds and the Magi.  Regardless, they knew who You were even if you looked like any other Jewish baby in Israel at the time.  I will probably never know, and that is alright.  All I know is that when You appear, I will know You and see You and that will be glorious!

            Thank You, Lord, for Your promises.  They mean so very much to me. Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come!

The World Does Not Know Us

1 John 3:1c “Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him.”

Lord, Christians have been persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and martyred for their faith in You.  I have not experienced any severe persecution, and certainly not any of the other things, but I fear that these  are fast approaching in America.  Although our country was founded for the sole purpose of having religious freedom, at present everyone else’s rights are being protected and granted but ours.

Lord this should not surprise me.  The world does not know us because they didn’t know you.  They cannot understand us because they did not understand You.  Help us, Lord, in our generation, to serve You well and to learn, as did the Christians of old,  how to endure persecution with joy and to see it as an honor to suffer for Your cause and Kingdom.

A Child of GOD!

1 John 3:1 a-b “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God!  And that is what we are!”

            Lord, sometimes the words of another ( Stuart Townend) put into song best describes my feelings and devotion.

How deep the Father’s love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He would give His only son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wound which mar the Chosen One

Bring sons to glory

Behold the man upon the cross

 My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has bought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Righteousness

1 John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.”

            Lord,  I do know that You are righteous because you ARE righteousness!  I must confess that when I first wrote this I was a little confused as to the meaning.  You said that there would be those who You would have to tell, “Depart from me, you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.” even though they had done all kinds of good “Christian” deeds in Your name.  But I have come to realize that You are saying that even we can tell the difference between false and true brotherhood because Your Spirit witnesses with our spirit.  Thank You, Lord!