Saturday 3 Mar 2012

Saturday Reading: 1 John 1:5-10

Key Verse: 1 John 1:8
8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Devotion:
When someone does turn round to ask us “Did you do that?” we often turn away as if to say that we had nothing to do with it. Just as Peter denied Christ three times before realising just what he had done, each of us will go down that path at some stage – whether we have been there and done that already or whether we may be on the way now I am not to judge because I, like Peter, have done things wrong already. But I know that my Christ has forgiven me for those things that I have done and I know that because I have taken them to Him already and now trust totally on His promise that He has forgiven me.

Does this mean that I am sinless? Certainly not! It does mean that I know that when I am presented before my Lord He will not account me as guilty but rather will see that my sins have been forgiven because of what He did for me on that cross of Calvary. As long as we are willing to admit that we are sinners and that we do need our Lord and Saviour, then we are on that road to redemption. Just because we may say that we are Christians and may say that Christ is Lord does not get us any further down that road. It is the believing in our hearts that Christ has died for us and that we need to acknowledge Him as Lord of All that will move us on.

God’s Word is the truth. It shows us these facts so that we can separate ourselves from the deceit that Satan continues to shove our way. Satan is trying to stop us from making that final step to say that be believe Jesus is Lord and that we need Him as Saviour. Satan wants us to trip up before we get there in the hopes that he will have one more follower. But as soon as we do things wrong we will know that we have done things wrong. Doing something about those wrongs is then what will count.

Christ is the one who went to the cross before we gave in to those temptations and that sin. When we recognise that we have done wrong, we can do something about it by admitting those wrongs to Christ – just as our bible will tell us to do, just as God wants us to. Christ did not stop the woman from touching His garment (yesterday’s devotion) because He knew that that step would allow her to know Him properly. He is never going to turn us away whilst we still have a chance – but once that chance has gone, we will have not a single one left. When we then realise that we have done wrong, it will be with tears that Christ admits to us “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23)

Points to Ponder:
Do you know Christ as Lord and Saviour?

What are you waiting for?