I Sinned

 

 

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  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, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  I John 1:1-8

 

Have you ever known a person who believed that they were without sin?  If so, you probably were talking to someone impossible to witness to. Without the foundational principle of knowing there is an inherent sin nature, an individual has a hard time recognizing their need for a Savior.  As in most things in life, admitting the problem is the first step to receiving help.

I remember the first time I realized that my precious little child had chosen to purposely deceive me.  I could not believe it.  I had always told him how sweet he was, how smart he was, how very much he was loved.  I doted on him and tried to make his little world all he could hope for.  Still, naughtiness came from out of the blue.  But was it really?  Of course not; we can trace the root of sin all the way back to Adam.  And to Lucifer even before that.  When my little ones begin to display purposeful, premeditated sin, I know it is time to start talking to them about what sin is and how it separates us from God. 

We are not without sin.  Our very nature is proud, lustful and covetous.  If we will admit that, the truth is at work in our lives.  Where truth is, we find Jesus for he is truth. We have been talking about walking in the light.  The first step to that walk is to confess our sins to the Lord- one by one, and asking for forgiveness.  This occurs at salvation.  But can I tell you a secret? Even after salvation, we must constantly recognize our need for God’s cleansing, healing and restoration in our lives.  Then can we receive that purity and enjoy our day in the sun.

Dear Lord, I am a helpless sinner without you.  I am so grateful that you give me the help I need to overcome sin and become righteous in your sight.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri