Daily Devotions
God is Light
Reading for November 30th: 1 Corinthians 5-8
Weekly reading for November 29-December 5: 1 John 1-5
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:5-9
There are two equally destructive (and, in some ways, related) attitudes toward sin that this passage addresses:
1. Diminishing sin. Some say they have a relationship with God, when they don't try to live by God's standards. They "walk in darkness," which means that they don't even attempt to try to follow God's will.
2. Denying sin. Others refuse to admit that they ever sin. It's not necessarily ignorance or denial of a standard, but a failure to admit their own failure to meet that standard.
Though there are some differences in these two attitudes, the root cause of both is exactly the same: PRIDE! Pride will either cause you to diminish the importance of God's standard or it will cause you to deny your own failure to meet that standard, but one way or other pride provides a strong motivation to justify yourself.
The solution is to come to know God better. The more we know the One who is light, the more we are driven to our knees in humble admission of our own failure and our need to repent. And the more we know the One who is love (1 Jn 4:8), the more willing we will be to confess our sins to him.
Father, humble us so that we might see your light and your love more clearly. Give us a heart to obey your will and humbly confess our sins to you when we fail you. Thank you for being a faithful and a just God!
