“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7 ASV
On a weekly basis I have to take my shirts to the Dry Cleaners. Nothing frustrates me more than when I pick my shirts up after paying for them and the shirts still show signs of stains around the collar.
Once we come to Jesus He cleanseth us from all our sins and the frustration of dirt doesn’t show when we get to heaven.
I love it!
“When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land. The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD which He had done for Israel. Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten. And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.” JUDGES 2:6-10 NASB
Today, a lot of emphasis is being placed on ancestry. Ancestry.com can do an analysis and produce a profile demonstrating your ethnic bloodline. I think it would be interesting to conduct a “spiritual” analysis of our family and perhaps we will find out which generation began serving God and which generation dropped the ball. What about the future? Will you be in the generation that is unaware of God and what He has done or will you keep the flame burning, telling of His work, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ?
In our age of cyber communication, it is easy to tweet something to millions of people in a very short period of time. However, sharing Christ requires more than a tweet. God wants to have a relationship with us that requires heart, mind, soul and spirit. Technological astuteness is not a requirement to know God. We try to fit God in to our devices and our communication streams so that He is compact and convenient for whenever we need Him. Securely tucked away in an APP that we access on demand. Our God does not operate like that. He wants to be our first priority. If we place our trust in Him, He will guide us through this complicated maze called life. Who is better to get you safely through the maze than the one who created it? He knows every curve and turn that life will take so why not trust Him to lead you through it?
Will you be the one to ensure that your generation is not recorded in history as the one “who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done”? God is looking for those who will stand for righteousness and share His love and plan of salvation with the lost people of the world. If we don’t leave a spiritual legacy of knowing and serving God, what will happen to the next generation?
It’s a funny thing to look at my life and see the many was God has shaped me. Even greater is seeing the way God stood by while allowing me to fall on my face, only for Him to pick me back up.
One of the most important things I’ve learned from God is just how much I was enslaved to sin and the ways of the world before He set me free.
I never knew how much I put myself first before anyone else until I realized how He always put me first. I never knew how easily I followed the crowd until I realized He died for me to follow Him. I never knew how much I was seeking attention and approval from others until I realized what I was seeking was Jesus.
Upon the death of Jesus, He took all that I was held captive to with Him. Every link to my chain of sin was nailed to that cross. Jesus set me free because He genuinely loves and cares for me. 1 Peter 5: 7 says “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
The God of Heaven and Earth, Creator of the Universe, the One who breathed life into existence tells me He cares for me? It’s unimaginable. However, because of what He did on that cross for me I no longer chase what is not of Him. I no longer crave what was meant to deceive and destroy me. I no longer turn away from the very One who loved me the most from the very beginning. He proved it on the cross when He took my sin and gave His life in exchange for mine. He gave me my future and my freedom when He rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb remembering my sin no more.
Reflect on 1 Peter 5:7 and share how God has shown how he cares for you. What does freedom in Christ mean to you?
