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Listen to today's devotional: https://bit.ly/31Rclgd
1 We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3 we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself 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 that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 1:1 - 2;2 NRSV)
Happy Tuesday, ConCafe Family! And may the wonders of God continue to instill in us childlike awe and wonder. Make this the blessed day you need, Friend! Please seek to recapture the power of prayer for the areas of your life where it is most needed. Pray for other ConCafe readers; forward this email to someone indicating you are praying for them; and pray for yourself!
Studying this passage made me remember the dirtiest day of my life. Yes, there were many, but this one stands out. It was a hazing i received my first year at college. So, I asked for it. And I got it. You name it and it was poured on me, usually started with my head. Catsup, honey, mustard, so many things I cannot remember; oh did I mention this was in a rodeo arena behind the college? And did I mention the arena floor was, well, not a floor, but dirt and dirt hosed down with lots of water turns into mud. Thick, stick-to-your-skin mud. I thank God it was not a cold day, because I knew after all the "fun" was over, we would be hosed down with cold water. The one thing I remember was that i was not alone. I was with a group of equally mud-caked men. All of had been laughed and jeered at; and the crowd gathered could hardly wait to see us be hosed down. I remember the pre-mudding instructions being, "Wear only those garments you want to get rid off, because you will never get them clean again. And bring a change of clothes to wear home." I tried to select the toss-out garments with my Mom in mind; for she was a keen inventory-keeper and had initialed every garment of mine with red thread. Today that makes me smile. I disliked the thought of some how that being discovered; but hey, times were tough, money was tight, and we couldn't afford for me to have my clothing stolen! Being a person who shopped in the Husky department meant chances another husky guy wanting my clothing were slimmer, ha! great word, than most!
Yesterday, the gospel lesson spoke about the Holy Spirit giving the disciples the power to forgive sin; and equally strong, to retain sin. And I can only imagine if our eyes could see the spiritual impact our sins have on our souls, images not far from the young man pictured in today's graphic above or your mental images of me in mud, well, we would be on the right track. This passage stresses the importance of having Jesus remove our sins. The seventh verse of this passage sums that up, "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." In my hazing, I mentioned I was not alone; many times our sins involve other people; sometimes we convince them or they convince us that sinning is alright; yet we know we will both or all, stand in judgment caked in sin with no hope of getting a shower of grace to remove them because we failed to ask for it while alive. And unlike clothing, our decisions to sin sometimes lead us to throw away important things or people in our lives, relationships, children, employment, and the list is too long to list; suffice it to say, John wrote this with love in his heart for you and me, urging us to take advantage of Easter and the removal of sin and the resurrection of a new creature (us) when we repent and walk after and with, the Lord. Notice how he closes the passage, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." Friend, do not let this day end without asking the Lord to wash us clean from our sins; our spirits cannot fully function caked in sin; let the atoning blood of Jesus make us truly new!
PRAYER: Father, You know full well the places where we have gone when we knew better. You were there, though we tried to hide from You when we said, or did, or thought the things that damages us while breaking Your heart. Grant us a new chance to truly enjoy the freedom that comes from new hearts created by You once sin is removed. We pray in Your Son's powerful name, Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shine your light into the darkness of those whom you know need to hear about freedom in Jesus!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
