November 30

1 John 1:8-10

Cleansing Begins with Confessing

I remember a second grader who once came to school with something that belonged to his parents. Clearly this child took what was not his and it certainly didn't belong in school.  When one of the other kids saw it they immediately ran over to tell the teacher.  Of course the teacher approached him and asked what he was hiding in his pocket.  You could see the child's color drain from his face, and he started to cry.  When the whole incident was said and done and all was forgiven, the color returned to his face and he was able to move on with his day. Maybe we aren't being confronted with an immediate sin, but John makes it clear that if we think we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves. He also goes on to say that God is faithful to forgive us once we confess.  Psalm 103:3 affirms that God forgives all our iniquities. Repentance clears away the big and small lies with which people sometimes surround themselves.  Sometimes the most dangerous lies that people tell are perhaps not to other people but to ourselves.  In order to move on in our journey with Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, we can't hold on to what no longer belongs to us, including our sins. In verse 6 John talks about God's light dispelling the darkness.  If we claim to have fellowship with Jesus, but we are still holding on to past sins, then we are not practicing the truth. Remember, we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13) and repentance leads us into a deeper truth and understanding about not only God, but of ourselves as well. I think that repentance is a process and I don't think we are ever done with it. Just like the little second grader who felt a whole lot better and was able to get on with his day after he admitted his mistake, I pray we take time and ask Jesus what mistakes we need to leave at the foot of the Cross.   I pray for all of us that we let the cleansing begin!!

Randi