Daily Devotion in I John 1

Daily Nugget:
In starting the first of his three letters, John the Apostle bluntly covers two areas that many are not completely honest about, even with themselves. These areas are:

• When people claim to be in fellowship with God, but are not!
  “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” I John 1:6

  Many times folks fool even themselves into believing that they can talk to God, that He is listening to them, answering them, and they are in full fellowship with Him. They lie to themselves.

  A believer cannot have close fellowship with God when there is sin in their life! God hates wickedness. Although people do not lose their salvation when they fall for sin’s enticement, they certainly grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). That grieving will cost one from having a close relationship with God. The only remedy for that broken relationship is to turn from sin (Acts 8:22) and again “… walk in the light…” (I John 7). One should then live in the way God requires.

• When people claim to have no sin.
  “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” I John 1:8 Also: vs. 10.

  There are those that consider themselves sin-free. My grandmother claimed never to have sinned. She was a good person by man’s standards, but when I approached her with the Bible truth that “… all have sinned… (Romans 3:23), she insisted she was not a sinner. I remember her even being insulted that I would even think such a thing about her. No matter how much I loved my grandmom, she was like the rest of us — a sinner! She was deceiving herself, and because of that deception, as far as I know, was never saved.

  The only cure for my grandmom, and any other person in this state of not recognizing their sin, is to acknowledge their iniquities and admit them. Once we realize and confess it to Him, God is “… faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). 

  However, that first step is the tough part, recognizing oneself as a sinner. Some know it at a young age, but for other folks, such as my grandmom, they can go 80 years and still not recognize their transgressions. This is one of the most important steps for anyone’s salvation, to first realize they are a sinner.

The most valuable and important thing everyone has is their soul. Deciding to be close to God and to go to Heaven rests mostly on their shoulders. That decision can only be made when one is completely honest with God and will do what the Bible demands.

Today’s Thought: 
“The wages of sin is death. There is no minimum wage.” — Author Unknown

Today’s Reading:
I John 1
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 ¶ This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 ¶ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.