Liturgy for Life : WK 3 - TUE
Confession
1 John 1:5-10
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Often when we think of justice, we think of making rights wrong, and demanding payback for those who have done damage. That can be important. But when I look at my own life, there is no chance that I can pay back the collective wrongs I have done. So this passage gives me an abundance of hope. That God is faithful and just in God’s way. Justice for God is a forgiving of our sin and a cleansing of our hearts. God brings healing and a fresh start. I don’t have to pay the ultimate price for the way sin has worked in my life, Jesus’ blood paid that price for me.
The first and only step to experiencing this gift of forgiveness is to bring our sin to light. This is confession. To declare with faith that we want to be in the light, and bring our trespasses into the light. When we are honest with ourselves, when we walk with Jesus without holding back our secrets, then the darkness in us wanes. Because Jesus who is light banishes darkness. Confession is a holy practice. We bring our failings to God, we ask God to be a light in our life, and God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.
Often I go through life so fast that I don’t have time to reflect on the intentions and actions of my day. So I am trying to install a rhythm of confession in my life. What would happen if I reflected with Jesus a recap of my day? What if I confessed moments where I was selfish, where I hurt others, reflected on my actions. Jesus invites us to do just that, and he promises fellowship with us, to lead us through life with light, truth, and love.
1 John 1:5-10
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Often when we think of justice, we think of making rights wrong, and demanding payback for those who have done damage. That can be important. But when I look at my own life, there is no chance that I can pay back the collective wrongs I have done. So this passage gives me an abundance of hope. That God is faithful and just in God’s way. Justice for God is a forgiving of our sin and a cleansing of our hearts. God brings healing and a fresh start. I don’t have to pay the ultimate price for the way sin has worked in my life, Jesus’ blood paid that price for me.
The first and only step to experiencing this gift of forgiveness is to bring our sin to light. This is confession. To declare with faith that we want to be in the light, and bring our trespasses into the light. When we are honest with ourselves, when we walk with Jesus without holding back our secrets, then the darkness in us wanes. Because Jesus who is light banishes darkness. Confession is a holy practice. We bring our failings to God, we ask God to be a light in our life, and God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.
Often I go through life so fast that I don’t have time to reflect on the intentions and actions of my day. So I am trying to install a rhythm of confession in my life. What would happen if I reflected with Jesus a recap of my day? What if I confessed moments where I was selfish, where I hurt others, reflected on my actions. Jesus invites us to do just that, and he promises fellowship with us, to lead us through life with light, truth, and love.
- What would it look like to make confession a daily habit? What do you think would change if you tried it?
- Do you tend to keep your mistakes in the dark? Do you get embarrassed when people know you have failed? Wrestle with that today, and bring your confessions to Jesus.
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