Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 ESV
Yesterday, we looked at the narrative and the outcome of David’s tryst with Bathsheba. We see David essentially commit murder to cover up his affair, and we see the prophet Nathan come and confront David about the evil that he has perpetrated.
David could have been dismissive. He could have just shrugged off Nathan’s confrontation and said, “This is where my heart led me.” He could have said, “God wants me to be happy.” But he does not deflect. Despite his error, David still desires to do what God desires of him. He wants to be right before God, and when the clarity and gravity of his treachery sink in, he shows contrition. Not combativeness. Not excuses. Contrition.
David knows that what he has done is wrong, and he knows that he is not capable of fixing himself and reorienting his life and priorities alone. He cannot wash himself clean of his sin, but God can forgive him and cleanse him of the sin that has come forth from him.
David sees what would later be written: God does not desire sacrifice, but repentance. Not a cheap get me out of this mess offering, but a recognition of the sin done and the brokenness of recognizing the gravity of the separation from God that sin causes. God accepts sacrifices, but he accepts these sacrifices from a clear conscience; he doesn’t desire sacrifices from a guilty one.
-JJ Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Why do we struggle to see the gravity of our sin?
How can we truly show contrition, not just be sad that we’ve had our sin found out?
What can we learn from Psalm 51, a psalm of repentance?
And in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they laid waste the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but David stayed at Jerusalem. – 2 Samuel 11:1 (REV)
In today’s reading, we see two realities. Both happened, but at different times and represent different things. In 2nd Samuel, we see David, king of Israel. Where do we see David? At home. Sitting on his keister and not doing what a king would normally be doing: overseeing his generals as they go out to battle.
David is not where he is supposed to be. He should be meeting with his generals. He should be motivating his armies. He should be praying and fasting and seeking out God’s direction for the safety and prosperity of Israel, but he’s back in Jerusalem. Twiddling his thumbs? Playing his harp? We don’t know what he was doing at all hours of the day when he held up in his palace. We do, however, know what he was doing on one specific evening.
David is out walking on the roof, where he shouldn’t be, and he sees Bathsheba bathing. David does not turn away from seeing the nakedness of this woman whom he is not married to. He stares. He dwells. He obsesses. She’s beautiful. He needs to meet her. To be with her.
David ends up having her come into his home, and he has sex with her and gets her pregnant. We may have seen this story happen in the lives of some people we know, but this is high profile. This is a problem. A bunch of people are going to know what has happened, and this is going to be hard to explain to Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, who is out at war, where he is supposed to be: fighting for the armies of the people of Yahweh. While the king is out preying upon the wife of his soldier.
David finds himself in a sticky situation, so he sends for Uriah and does his best to get Uriah to go have sex with his wife and cover his… keister. Uriah, however, cannot fathom such a thing while his comrades are off fighting a war. He refuses to even go visit his wife. This poses a major problem. People are going to know that Bathsheba is expecting, and they are going to know that Uriah hasn’t been with her in months, maybe longer. David tries multiple times, but no dice. Uriah is a man of honor and conviction, and that is not going to fly in this situation. David needs an out. David essentially puts out a hit job on Uriah. David cannot control his urges, so a good man dies.
The story unfolds. Uriah is dead. David marries his baby mama, and then the baby dies. Nathan the prophet comes to confront David and gets David worked up with a parable. David wants vengeance for the perpetrator in the story, but then the tables are turned when David is revealed to be the bad guy in the tale. David grieves, David repents, but the baby does not survive. It’s rough.
In 1 Chronicles 20, we see that it is the time when kings go out to war. And David goes out to war. And his armies thrive. He gets an awesome new crown. God blesses the armies of a king who acts in good faith. David is more than capable of doing the right thing, but even a man after God’s own heart can allow himself to fall off the rails.
Here’s the rub: Sometimes we get complacent. Sometimes we get lazy. Sometimes we do things, go places, consume content that we know we shouldn’t, but we’ve allowed ourselves to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and we fall victim to the allure of the temptations of sin around us.
We’ve all allowed ourselves to be in bad situations that we could have avoided. Sometimes we may come out on top, but given enough opportunities to sin in the situations we create, we are bound to fall. We play with fire… and you know the cliché, but it’s true, we get burned.
-JJ Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Can you recall some times you allowed yourself to be in a place you shouldn’t have been? What was the outcome? How could you have avoided putting yourself in that situation? What did you learn from it?
What do you think of Nathan’s tactics of getting David to see the gravity of the wickedness that he had perpetrated?
What does the story of David and Bathsheba teach us about grace, repentance, and forgiveness?
If David can be forgiven for this travesty, who can you forgive that may have done much less harm in the way that they have wronged you?
How does the contrast of 2 Samuel 11-12 and 1 Chronicles 20 sit with you? Does it give you any insight or change the way you perceive David’s sin?
We have finally come to the end of Leviticus and I hope that you’ve gained an appreciation for this “skipped-over” book: there is much we can learn about our God and how to serve Him within these pages, even if some of the specific details are different now under the new covenant with Jesus. One thing that will never change about our heavenly Father is something described in chapter 26: He blesses obedience and punishes disobedience.
Like most kids, I disobeyed my parents often when I was younger. If I was told not to do something, that’s immediately where my mind gravitated towards, even if there was the threat of punishment. I was also stubborn (and still am sometimes), and continued my disobedience even if the punishment was dealt out, until the punishment grew to a severity that wasn’t worth it anymore. A time-out from television didn’t mean much to me: neither did the extra chores that I was given. However, when those things didn’t work out and I was grounded from seeing my friends, I began to shape up and ask for forgiveness. My parents weren’t thrilled about punishing me, like most parents: they just needed to do something to get my attention and create an obedient spirit within me (probably the hardest job of a parent).
God as our heavenly Father is much the same way, and it is shown in Leviticus 26: He will punish the disobedience of His children until they shape up and realize the error of their ways. In this chapter, He gives the Israelite nation FIVE chances to change their ways and start listening to Him again, with increasing punishments: they unfortunately proved to be very stubborn and continued their disobedience until their nation was completely driven away from the Promised Land (which did happen). Although God warned them ahead of time, and gave them multiple chances to change, they kept acting out and disobeying until God had to go to extreme measures to get their attention.
However, despite all the disobedience and the punishments in this chapter, God says that if they will confess their sins and repent of their ways, He will forgive them (just like a good parent). He promises to bring them back to the Promised Land, restore the covenant that He made with their forefathers, love them again, and even dwell with them again: all they have to do is repent and start obeying Him again, because He knows what’s best for them.
We would do well to remember this lesson above all else: God blesses obedience, not disobedience. Far too often Christians have chosen to disobey God’s instructions and immediately expect His forgiveness because Jesus died for us. However, we cannot miss the most important part of receiving forgiveness: repentance.
“It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” – Luke 5:31-32 NASB1995
Do you want to live a good life full of blessings? Then obey God’s instructions.
Have you disobeyed God’s instructions and are suffering for it? Ask for forgiveness and repent.
God is willing to work with us and forgive our sins, but we must do something about it. Like a good Father, He is expecting obedience and a change of heart. We cannot simply “skate by” in our Christian walk, expecting forgiveness when we have no change in our lives. We have to obey Him if we want His blessings.
-Talon Paul
Reflection Questions
How is God similar to your parents? How is God different from your parents?
What blessings does He give that make you want to obey Him? What punishments does He give that make you want to not disobey Him? If you want to obey God how do you learn what His instructions are?
Whenever we watch a movie or read a book, we are anticipating “the moment” in the story where everything comes to a climax and all the puzzle pieces finally come together: chapter 16 of Leviticus is that climax within this book. In this chapter, God gives a special ceremony for the Israelite people, later called Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). At this special ceremony, the sins of ALL the people were forgiven and forgotten: at this special annual celebration, every person in God’s family gets a fresh start.
Once a year, the high priest would offer a sin offering for himself, his family, and all the people of Israel within the tabernacle. Since atonement and forgiveness are only possible through blood (Leviticus 17:11), the high priest offers this sacrifice on behalf of all the people to cover all their past yearly sins. He also presents a “scapegoat” before the people, a goat that would bear the sins of all the people and be led out into the wilderness, representing their sins being carried away and forgotten forever. Meanwhile, the people were expected to “deny themselves” in humility before God, repenting and mourning over the ways that they had offended their God throughout the year (and likely fasted from food and water).
What a wonderful and merciful act that God blessed His people with! This was the most important day of the year for every Israelite: the day that they could walk into a new year, cleansed and forgiven of every past mistake they’d made. God didn’t have to provide this ceremony: He only allowed it because He loves His people and understands that we are only dust.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” – Psalm 103:12-14 NASB1995
Unfortunately, under the Old Covenant, only the high priest was able to bring about this forgiveness and atonement: only he could offer the sacrifice needed to cover over the sins of the people. There hasn’t been a tabernacle, a Temple, or a priesthood for Israel since 70 AD… based on the standards of Leviticus, it is impossible for the people to have their sins forgiven before God. That is, unless God provided a better way, which He did.
We find out in the book of Hebrews that Jesus Christ has taken the role of our new High Priest, and also as the sacrifice we need to take away our sins: not only just for the year, but forever.
“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but Jesus, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting for that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:11-14 NASB1995
We all have regrets and understand that we haven’t lived perfectly: what if you knew that tomorrow all those deeply regretful moments would be washed away, never to be remembered again? Would that change the way you lived before God today? Under the New Covenant, we have the opportunity to live completely free from the guilt and pain that comes from regretful sin, because Jesus died in our place: this is an opportunity available to you, not just once a year, but every single day.
We all have the choice to live differently today than we did yesterday, because Jesus has removed all our sins from the past. What will you choose to do?
-Talon Paul
Reflection Questions
What similarities and differences do you see between Aaron as high priest and Jesus as high priest?
What regrets, guilt, and shame have you experienced? Are you living with them today? Do you need to? What are the New Covenant’s steps to accepting God’s free gift of forgiveness? What will you choose to do?
Did living under the Day of Atonement mean they could do whatever they wanted because once a year all the sins would be forgiven? Does living under the sacrifice of Jesus mean we can do whatever we want because we have forgiveness of sins every day of the year?
Leviticus is usually the most difficult book for people to read through, specifically because so many of the rituals from the ancient time of the Israelites don’t apply anymore. Many Christians when they come to this book in their Bible reading plans enter “skimming mode”, and brush over most of the content. However, we may be surprised at just how important this book really is when it comes to experiencing the presence of God. In order to understand how significant Leviticus really is, we need to look at the end of Exodus to grasp the story.
“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” – Exodus 40:34-35 NASB1995
The story up to this point has been God desiring to be with His people, but when His glory finally does come to earth in the tabernacle, even Moses isn’t able to experience it fully… Leviticus is the answer to the problem. Through the rituals and the laws that Leviticus spells out for the Israelites, they are able to fully experience God’s presence. What is really cool about this book is that it worked: when we come to the following book of Numbers, Moses is finally able to enter into the tabernacle and see God’s glory.
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month…” – Numbers 1:1 NASB1995
Moving forward, I hope that you will have a renewed appreciation for this often misunderstood and skipped-over book, especially as we discuss our chapters today. Through the first seven chapters, God has been telling Moses and his brother Aaron about all the very specific details they need to follow in order to bring forgiveness of sins into the Israelites’ lives. When we come to chapter eight today, they begin to put these instructions into practice: however, not everyone follows the clear instructions from God and suffers for it. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, didn’t follow the proper procedure for worshiping before God, choosing to offer “strange fire” (10:1) onto the altar. Because they didn’t follow God’s instructions, they were struck dead and stand as an example for everyone that will worship afterwards.
We learn that God takes worship SERIOUSLY: to “worship” Him in an unworthy manner will not be tolerated. He told Moses and Aaron, “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.” (10:3) He is a good God and Father who tells us exactly what we need to do, but will punish those who choose to “try it their own way”, especially those in positions of religious authority. No matter what, when we come to worship before our God and before our Savior, Jesus, we need to treat it as a serious matter, and seek to bring them total glory. True worship goes far beyond what type of music is played (hymns or contemporary), what order of service our church has “always used”, and beyond how we “feel” after the service: true worship is about God and Jesus being honored and exalted. If you don’t have that as your primary focus, nothing else matters.
-Talon Paul
Reflection Questions
Give some examples of how the world “tries it their own way” instead of following God’s instructions. When have you “tried it your own way” instead of following God’s instructions?
We aren’t told what Nadab and Abihu might have been thinking as they were experimenting with their ‘strange fire’. Whar are some possibilities?
Instant death is not always the consequence for acting contrary to God’s commands. What are some other consequences you have seen or experienced for acting contrary to God’s instructions?
Why do you think God places such great importance on worship, and worship done right? How do we come into His presence today?
Confession – yesterday we talked about Christ’s sacrifice replacing the Old Testament offerings. In those sacrifices, it was just that, a sacrifice – the people had to give something that they could have enjoyed because of their sin.
Even though there was a loss, the people had no clear way to alleviate the weight of guilt and find forgiveness in their lives. God has provided another way to help with that – Confession.
Confession is something that is hard to do. Many lie, deny and push blame on others just to avoid confessing. It is something that God asks of us not for his benefit but for ours. I remember being told often as a kid the only way to fix a problem is to realize there is one. And that is what confession is.
Further, confession gives a proper view on sin, God and ourselves.
The punishment for sin is death – we need a proper view of sin. I have often heard of people talk about their sin as “Not that big of a deal.” Sin is just that, SIN. If it is wrong, we shouldn’t do it. Sin that is not confessed and not repented of leads to missing out on the Kingdom.
God cannot be in the presence of sin – we need a proper view of God. Our God is a holy God. He expects purity not just in our actions but also in our hearts. (Matt. 5:8 says the pure heart will see God.)
We cannot do it on our own – we need a proper view of ourselves. We often try to fix our problems on our own. Sin is not something we can fix on our own or earn enough to repay the debt. We need a savior and Christ is willing to step in on our behalf.
A couple tips on confession:
Confess immediately – when you know you have done something wrong do not push it off. It is easy to push it off.
Confess specifically – I hear a lot of prayer that vaguely ask for all sins to be forgiven. Make it personal and specific.
Confess honestly – Take it serious and do not make promises you know you will not keep.
Confess to someone else – this is something I push in the church. For some reason people are afraid of letting others know about their sin. Most will acknowledge they are a sinner but would never discuss their struggles for fear of other’s judgement. Find someone you trust and create an open discussion and ask for accountability.
John Wincapaw
(Originally posted February 14, 2020)
Reflection Questions
What are you guilty of? What have you tried (lie, deny, blame, etc…) to avoid correctly addressing the problem?
How does not confessing hurt you? What are the benefits of confession?
What has God been waiting to hear from you? Talk to Him today.
Do you have an accountability partner? If not, who do you know who would make a good accountability partner?
Next to the greatest story ever told, the story of Joseph is by far my favorite Bible story. There are so many valuable lessons one can learn from reading it. Some lessons that stand out to me are the sovereignty of God, the importance of trusting God even in the midst of tragedy and suffering, and the beauty and power of forgiveness.
I have often asked myself if I would have had Joseph’s attitude in the midst of a seemingly unending chain of absolutely horrific events. In spite of the terrible hand that he continued to be dealt, we don’t see him being consumed by anger, self-pity or a quest for vengeance. There’s something very powerful about Joseph’s unwavering faith in God that inspires me. He seems to possess a quiet assurance that everything is ultimately going to be okay.
In this 45th chapter of Genesis, we see Joseph revealing his true identity to his brothers. We know he had risen to a very prominent position of power as second in command of Egypt. The stage could have been set for him to get the “perfect revenge” against his brothers. We read in verse 5 right after Joseph reveals his identity to his brother: “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” I find it especially poignant that not only does Joseph not want to exact revenge in this situation, he actually chooses to comfort his brothers in this moment rather than “giving them what for.” We know from earlier scriptures that Joseph was clearly hurt by their previous actions, but he wants to spare them the hurt of being angry with themselves or beating themselves up because of their actions. He points them to an understanding of God’s sovereignty and that they were players in God’s plan.
How differently that 45th chapter of Genesis could have played out if Joseph had been bent on vengeance. Instead, we see the true beauty and power of forgiveness and a reminder that God is in control even in the midst of our darkest hours.
If we choose to be consumed with anger or self-pity, we miss the important lessons God is trying to teach us. We read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Perhaps the answer in those dark times is to focus on loving God even more deeply and purposely than ever before.
-Kristy Cisneros
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
1) When you encounter hardships and tragedies, does your attitude reflect one of unwavering faith in God? If not, how can you further nurture and strengthen that faith so that it is at the ready when life’s storms come your way?
2) What action can help us love God more deeply and purposely than ever before?
3) What other lessons can you learn from the story of Joseph?
(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 6, 2020)
Joseph, from the Old Testament, was a very godly man. He endured many hardships, but held onto his faith. But along the way, he picked up some bitterness and resentment toward his brothers. When he had the chance, he tormented them, exacting some measure of revenge. At that time there was such severe famine that Joseph’s brothers were forced to go back to Joseph a second time and buy grain. This time, Joseph started by being kind to his brothers, and then he veered off, continuing to emotionally torment them.
In Genesis 44, everything finally came to a head. Joseph deceived his brothers further, and made it appear that he was going to force the youngest brother, Benjamin, to stay there with Joseph in Egypt. This plan may have seemed like another fine way to punish his brothers, but there was a huge problem. His brother Judah approached Joseph, and said, “If you keep the boy Benjamin here, our elderly father will die from sorrow.” Perhaps Joseph hadn’t considered the pain he was about to cause his own father–or the pain he had already caused him. At this point, Joseph just about had an emotional breakdown (in tomorrow’s reading in Genesis 45). All along Joseph had been trying to hurt his brothers, but he was the one who was hurt the most. The pain he wished for them turned out to be the pain he felt.
At some point in your life, you may have someone really hurt you. Maybe you already have. And maybe at some point you will have a chance to hurt them back. Maybe even hurt them back really bad. Consider this: it will come with a huge cost to you. You may want to hurt them back, but it will cost you something very real and something very big. It would be better for everyone involved if you can somehow forgive them, and not pay them back in the way they deserve.
-Jason Turner
(Originally posted Oct 26, 2018 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
When have you seen “Hurt People Hurt People” in action? When have you seen someone rise above their hurts to forgive and show compassion?
What emotions do you think Joseph is feeling in today’s reading? Are there any that ought to win? Are there any that you want to see him overcome? What does it take to overcome an emotion?
Who has hurt you in the past? Are you still hanging onto pieces of bitterness and resentment? Can you see any evidence in your life that this bitterness is hurting you? Who else could be feeling the effects? What would it take to let it go?
It’s my absolute favorite time. I love the snow falling from gray skies. The world turned crystalline with ice. Warm homes with twinkling lights and fireplaces burning, keeping the dark days bright.
But notice, all the things I am speaking of are the current time of the year. I could be speaking of “the holidays,” a societal collection of days starting usually on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and going to about January 1st. I’m not speaking of those days. Thanksgiving is a great reminder to give thanks to God, New Year’s is nice to think about the way we want to live differently and better in the year ahead. But the only holiday in “the holidays” that matters is Christmas, its twelve days beginning on December 25 and going on until January 6th! Before this time of Christmastide, we can celebrate Advent (meaning “coming”) about the coming of Jesus. Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas, meaning the first advent Sunday was yesterday.
Though the weeks of Advent are based around familiar themes (hope, peace, joy, love), Advent should also be a time of solemnity. Why? It’s more fun to focus on the love of God and the peace toward men of good will, hope and joy given to those who see the babe in the straw.
Why is the babe in the straw? “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” In Advent, similar to Lent (the days before Easter), though not as intense, the Christian world is encouraged to remember our sins and to confess them to God. Daniel, in Daniel 9, embodies this for us well.
Daniel prays to God, but he does so with all the parts of his body. He covers himself with ashes, a symbol of mourning, and itchy sackcloth, and to show his total dependence upon God, he fasts, refraining from food. He claims responsibility for his own sin and for the sin of his people. “We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled.” (9:5) He recognizes that God is righteous (9:7), merciful and forgiving (9:9), but for the people of God he knows that they are shameful in their disobedience. He recognizes that he and all God’s people transgressed and disobeyed the law, the voice of God.
When was the last time you laid out your sin before the Lord and repented of it? Maybe you do this every day, and recognize those things in you that need to change and course correct at the end of each day. That’s awesome. But maybe it’s been longer than a day, and during this time of Advent, when we consider that Christ had to come to save us from our sins, you can say “God, I’m sorry for the mistakes I’ve made.” If you have never given your life to Christ, that is necessary for forgiveness and hope. We trust that God is merciful, as Daniel says in Daniel 9:18 “For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”
And because he is, forgiveness is quick to be given, and hope is not scorned, because we are not calling on a vindictive God but on a loving Father. Gabriel tells Daniel “as soon as you began to pray, a word was sent out.” Daniel gets a visionary message in answer to his prayer… but notice his prayer will be answered! We know now that it was answered. When we come to God and confess, he is faithful and just to forgive us of all sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
So today, take the time in this Advent season to confess your sins, to course correct because you want to please the God who saves you and wants to bless you. But do so because of what Advent will receive, and what the season is Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one.
-Jake Ballard
Reflection Questions
What makes the Advent season so special? How can you celebrate it in a way that brings honor to God and to the gift of His Son Jesus Christ?
What role does confession play in your relationship with God? What do you notice in Daniel’s prayer? What does he acknowledge? What are his requests? When was your last prayer of confession?
Have you ever felt completely at home someplace? Maybe it was your family of origin, maybe it was your first home on your own, maybe it was the first home you shared with someone special, like your spouse or a close friend. I hope that you have experienced that feeling.
We want to feel at home in our relationship with God and with our Lord Jesus (and of course, with each other!). But sometimes, our brokenness, shame, and guilt get in the way of our feeling “at home” with God and others. Thankfully, the Bible tells us how to remedy this situation.
In the beginning of 1 John, John talks about this “at home” feeling using the word “fellowship.” The word for “fellowship” basically means to share together or to participate together or to have close friendship with someone. We want to feel close to God, to Christ, and to each other. Those of us in church communities want to feel this closeness especially with those we are in community with on a regular basis. Living this way brings a special sweetness to life that is unlike any other feeling.
Unfortunately, we don’t really experience this fellowship or “at home” feeling to the fullest extent possible in this life. Why? One reason is because, when we sin, our sin makes us feel distant from God.
1 John 1:6-10 (ESV)
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he 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 we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Walking in darkness is having our lives saturated with sin. Christians should not live this way. Christians are called to become more and more like Jesus every single day through the power of the holy spirit. This is called “walking in the light.” Walking in the light does not mean that we will never sin again ever in this life, but rather that we will not practice sin.
So, how do we restore this fellowship with God when we do sin? Verse 9 tells us to confess our sins. One often overlooked fact about verse 9 is that it says that God does not hesitate to restore us. It says instead that God is “faithful and just.” We can trust God to forgive us and restore us because He has been faithful through the ages. And when He does so, He is acting in a just way, because Jesus has paid the penalty for sin at the cross.
Forgiveness by God is an act of justice accomplished through Jesus our Lord.
We have a lot to be thankful for!
-Will Barlow
Reflection Questions
Have you ever experienced the “at home” feeling? What conditions made you feel safe and at peace?
Do you have any parts of your life that are “walking in darkness”? What do you need to confess to bring them back into the light?
What are the benefits to those around you when you are walking in the light?
Seek Grow Love 