- Confession
Scriptures:
- 1 John 1:7-10
Observations:
If we follow Christ an walk in his way, we have fellowship with him and other believers
If we say we have no sin, we delude ourselves and we do not have the truth
If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us
If we say we have never sinned we make God out to be a liar and his word is not in us
That's my paraphrase.
What is part of confession, then, is admitting, first, that we do sin. If I deny my sin, or delude myself in order to not see my sin, then I am not in God. After all, if I were dwelling in God and God in me, then I would not be able to stand my sin.
I can attest to this in this current struggle in my life. Increasingly, I am seeing my sin and now numb I had become to my sin. It's disturbing to see how easily and prevalently I sin, especially now that I am trying to change and keep from sinning. In some ways, it seems like the temptation to sin has increased because of my determination to not sin, which I can believe.
Another aspect of confession, is that confession brings us closer into fellowship and rightness with God.
I can attest to this as well. Sin isolates. I have never felt so alone as when I was neck-deep in sin. Even when I have sinned in smaller ways with greater impact, I find myself trying to isolate myself as punishment, yet yearning for fellowship despite it.
The last aspect of confession that I see here is forgiveness and cleansing.
This, also, I can attest to. I find myself most afraid and terrified before I come to confess, either to God or the aggrieved party. That fear is not of God, though, as John writes later in this letter that there is no fear in love, but that perfect love drives out fear. Fear keeps me from confessing and keeps me separated from the body of Christ. Confession brings forgiveness and, sometimes immediately, sometimes over a long period of struggle, cleansing from sin.
Application:
Well, it's pretty straightforward, I think: take the time and confess my sins. Even though it may be fearful, difficult, or even hurtful to another, it is best that I confess my sins instead of letting them fester, laying them out on the table, in full view, that they can be worked upon.
~ ~ ~
The Love Dare
Day 2: "Love is Kind"
A couple things that stand out:
- Kindness maximises a positive circumstance
- Kindness creates a blessing
- Kindness is reactive
I totally get the patience side of things, which is damage control, avoidance of a problem, and reactive. Kindness, being proactive, does not come naturally to me.
Let's look at the breakdown given of kindness:
- Gentleness - I kinda get it. It comes out more at timidity, though
- Helpfulness - Maybe a bit too much
- Willingness - Yeah, I fit this bill to a degree. I tend to make a lot of excuses when I'm busy doing something more enjoyable, though
- Initiative - Yeah, no. This one is largely what's lacking in me
Dare: Do one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness
Seeing as I won't see much of my wife today, this may be a bit difficult, but I think I can manage
Prayer:
In private today
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