If we walk in the light as He
is in the light…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. —1
John 1:7
{CHAMBERS} “To mistake freedom from sin only on the conscious level
of our lives for complete deliverance from sin by the atonement through the
Cross of Christ is a great error. […] The evidence that I have been delivered
from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. […] And it is not until
we truly perceive the unrivaled power of the Spirit in us that we understand
the meaning of 1 John 1:7 , which says, “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanses us from all sin.” This verse does not refer only to conscious sin, but
also to the tremendously profound understanding of sin which only the Holy
Spirit in me can accomplish. I must “walk in the light as He is in the light…”—
not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light. […] On the conscious
level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is. The love
of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin,
anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light”
means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the
center of the light.”
{ELGIN} Does the fact that
you continue to sin concern you? Even a
little bit? Or are you content with
being a marginal Christian. Are you accommodating sin in your life because,
well frankly, you like it. If you love
your culture. If you embrace what it
offers or promotes as truth and right, even though the Word of God says it is a
lie and wrong, then that is exactly where you are. It is not a function of what you have but
what has you. Listen, freedom from sin
is not freedom to sin. It is really not
OK. The problem is, so many “Christians”
are in love with the world and the things of the world, that if you look at
other Christians and not Jesus, you can find justification for what you do and
don’t do very easily. We are not to love
our neighbor and then love for God will result.
It is the other way around. Love
God and then you will love others because of our love for God and His love for
us. (1 John 4:19) The Christmas celebration is fresh on our minds. Churches try to accommodate people by not
have a service on Christmas morning.
Why? So people can be at home and focus on gift giving. Don’t ask them to come to church instead …
the preacher may be preaching to empty pews.
Even though we may say “Jesus is the reason for the season” we don’t
want Him to get in the way of our revelry.
I am not descended from
Scrooge! I want you to think about where
your heart is and where your priorities are.
Loving God and not loving the world is not an option, it’s a command. Your devotion to your family is a good thing
but not when it trumps your devotion to God.
Would you consider going into debt to give to God? Would you think about how your tax return
will pay for the tithe you put on your credit card? No? Yet you will do that
for your family. Often buying them gifts
they don’t need … why? God sent His Son
as a gift to save us from the world and our sin. Think about it. We over indulge ourselves in
the things of the world and then give God an hour to sing Christmas
carols.
I type what the Lord puts on
my heart at the moment. You might be thinking “he is not talking about me!” If not .. praise the Lord, but be watchful … the
temptation is all around you. The bottom
line …… Each of us should examine our hearts.
Especially at this time of year. Child
of God …. I am encouraging you to let the light of Christ shine (Matthew
5:16) .. first in your home and then the world.
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