LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Sunday 10th October 2021
BEING REAL WITH GOD
Scripture Reading: 1 John 1
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:10
John repeats the assertion of those who deny the reality of sin in their lives and condemns the attitude. Considering the number of times that the Apostle talks about this problem, we grasp the seriousness he attaches to it. Christians of today must guard their hearts against this heresy reasserting itself in our preaching.
God has called us to a life of holiness but not one of self-delusion. We cannot presume that simply repeating to ourselves that we are holy makes us so. Neither should we conform to the ways of the world. The Christian life is a daily strive to be like Jesus Christ.
Living for God does not require that we be sinless all the time before the Lord. God made us. He knows our frame and understands our weaknesses. What He wants from us is that all our sins should be brought out into His presence, confessed, and forsaken. That requires honesty. We must be honest about who we are when we come before the Lord. He already knows us, so it is futile to try to impress Him with what is false.
When we come before the Lord with a false image, we deny all that He has done for us through Christ. We reject the reason the Lord Jesus came to suffer, bleed, and die. By His death and resurrection, provision has been made for sin; the sins of the old nature which is forgiven at salvation and every sin committed after we come to know Christ as Saviour. Christ’s sacrifice sufficiently caters for our restoration to fellowship with God. When we are real with the Lord, we partake of these blessings and more.
Commit to the pursuit of Jesus Christ. Make Him the center of your life. Present yourself to Him in sincerity and allow Him to transform you as you walk with Him daily. He will lead and guide you in the way that is right and just. There’s no greater joy, no higher ambition than to seek to know Him more, love and serve Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you know me through and through. I come before you just as I am. Help me to live for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.