Memorise: My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin
not, And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father,
Jesus Christ the righteous. 1st John 2:1
Read: Hebrew 12:22-26
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of
the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that
hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto
vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing
from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This
is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
At the
point of the counsel in our memory verse for today, John had gained enough
experience as an elder and a counsellor, that he could counsel new converts
that one sin does not have to lead to another, and a feeling of guilt should
actually birth the fruit of repentance rather than a surrender to a life of sin
and perpetual guilt. There are many people who in times of trials and
weaknesses commit sin against God, like the wife of job who advise her husband
to curse God. The words of John warn all Christians against the possibility of
allowing sin become habitual in our relationship with God.
The fact
that you sinned yesterday does not mean that you have been completely rejected
by God. In fact, that you are still alive means that Jesus is currently pleading
your case with God, to give you a chance to change your ways as He sets you up
with messages that will speak to your conscience and save you from imminent
destruction. I pray that you will change your ways immediately, because you
never can tell when God will run out of patience waiting for you to change (1st Samuel
16:1)
The Holy
Spirit has been given to us to inspire us into all truth. Jesus is our Advocate
who stands between us and the Father, and speaks in our favour in the heavenly
realm, so that we can receive help with our problems of sin. He is the One who
pleads our case every night and day, and blots out the handwritings of the
devil our lives. He works in close communion with the Father so that there is
no barrier when we want to access the throne of grace. Jesus, as the Advocate,
is the One who atones for our sins and reconciles us back to the Father through
His precious blood that was shed on the Cross of Calvary. Through the role of
Jesus as our advocate, we can come back to the Father and experience the peace
we lost through sin.
The
reassurance of our salvation comes from knowing that we have an Advocate in
Heaven, no by affirming that we have no sin. Our relationship with God is
assured as we keep His commandments daily and remain friends with Jesus our
Advocate. The truth is that our righteousness is as a filthy rag to the Father.
Our perfection is of Jesus, there is therefore the need to rely meekly upon His
grace to make us perfect by His love. The self-made religious traditions of men
and our works alone cannot guarantee our perfection. You are a child of God
basically because you believe in your heart that Jesus died for you and you
have given your life in obedience to the instructions of God and not the
self-imposed dictates of man.
Prayer point: Father, please let me be justified through Your grace.
Bible in one year: Judges 12-14, Job 42:1-9
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