In January our church held its annual congregational fast. For 21 days we prayed together, fasted together and meditated on 1 John . Here are my thoughts from those times of devotion in 1 John.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 JOHN 2:1,2

MEDITATIONAL THOUGHT:

Strive for obedience, but rest in the grace that covers your shortcomings through Christ’s work.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have spoken with many people who have created for themselves lists of the changes which are necessary to get into Heaven. The list generally looks something like this:

IN ORDER TO GET INTO HEAVEN, I NEED TO STOP….

AND IN ORDER TO GET INTO HEAVEN,I NEED TO START…

With almost everyone the need to stop list comes first and then the need to start. There are several problems with the list. First, we need to realize we can’t do a negative so as long as we are focused on the stopping of something without replacing it with something else we never actually get to the I need to start list. The lists need to be inverted. When we start doing the things God wants us to do they take up the space and time for doing the things we aren’t supposed to do.

BUT

The real heart of the issue with these statements and therefore the real problem is with the word “I”. The idea that by starting or stopping anything “I” can get myself into Heaven or earn it goes right back to the works righteousness model of Christianity which is not the true core of Christianity at all. My getting into Heaven is not based on anything I do or don’t do. Getting a soul into Heaven is based on the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The only thing needed to get to Heaven is confession of your sin to Jesus and repentance from that sin and that is a heart condition not based in the works we do but in the belief we hold.

Our repentance causes us to begin to strive or move towards righteousness and holiness…BUT… it is the Holy Spirit at work within us that gives us success in that striving not our own effort…AND.. that work of building success is progressive.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MATTER, BECAUSE THESE WORDS HERE ONLY BEGIN TO EXPLAIN IT.

In January our church held its annual congregational fast. For 21 days we prayed together, fasted together and meditated on 1 John . Here are my thoughts from those times of devotion in 1 John.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 JOHN 2:1,2

MEDITATIONAL THOUGHT:

MY THOUGHTS: That word….Proptiaition…“Propitiation is the biblical concept of appeasing God’s righteous wrath against sin through a sacrifice, thereby reconciling a holy God to sinners. It means satisfying divine justice, with Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross serving as the ultimate, voluntary sacrifice that turns away judgment and provides mercy. ” (courtesy of got questions .org)

So many times I have gotten the question “Why didn’t God make more than one way to Heaven? Why can’t we get there by the path of our choosing?”

To my mind, that’s the wrong question. The real question should be “Why did God make a way to get to Heaven at all? Why didn’t He just write us off and start over?”

To my mind, another good question would be, “Why did God choose to make the one way involve the death of His Son?”

I don’t know that either of those questions have an answer this side of Glory, but they are better questions to ask at least.

If there is anything to say to these two questions I think it ties back to our intrinsic worth. The fact that God would make any way to reconnect to Him through the offer of eternal life, the fact that God would make the one way cost Himself so much speaks to our intrinsic worth. So much of this world degrades and denigrates our human value. That’s the power of sin. The work of the cross of Jesus flies in the face of all devaluing of human life. If anything his death in our place raises our personal worth exponentially. Evidently Jesus thought the act of sacrificing Himself so that we could live a worthy trade.

In January our church held its annual congregational fast. For 21 days we prayed together, fasted together and meditated on 1 John . Here are my thoughts from those times of devotion in 1 John.

SCRIPTURE:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
1 JOHN 1:8-10

MEDITATIONAL THOUGHT:

Denying your sin only deceives yourself; honesty is the path to spiritual health.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have always wondered why at certain moments I try to hide my sin from God. I mean, He already knows everything anyway so what is the point in trying to keep something from Him. Maybe it is not so much God I am trying to hide from in refusing to confess my sins, but it is me trying to hide from myself because my own psyche is so wounded I cannot face my own truth. I come to it then that I need not only forgiveness but inner healing.

I think it is also I have not totally resolved the doubt that God will never leave me nor forsake me, the sense that a real rejection could be right around the corner.

Here’s the thing I have learned. This battle is not a one and done type of battle. I am not today the same insecure man I was 45 years ago when I came to Christ. I don’t hide from God like I did when I first became a Christian. I am more secure in His promises now. That said I find there is still work to do. So I press on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ.