Devotions
Rev Gav
Pure
1 John 2.29 – 3.6
Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.
See how very much our Father loves us, for God calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognise that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.
Reflect
Because God is pure and holy, the way (or law) of God is called righteousness. We might think of this as right thoughts, right words, and right behaviours. There is a way of living that is Godly, and a way of living that is ungodly.
As we journey through life, we are works in progress with Christ transforming us from the inside out. Christ stands in the gap, covering over our mistakes, until one day we will be like God — pure and holy — and this future time is the ‘appearance’ of Christ of which John writes.
I have written much about the law, and the law in this context does not mean obedience to a long list of commands, but means to live the way, and be imitators of, God.
So, how should we think, speak, and behave? This brings us back to the universal ‘law’ of not putting ourselves first at the expense of God, others, or the environment. This is the yardstick by which we measure every aspect of our lives, and when we are honest with ourselves, we recognise that we all fall short and miss the mark. In fact, this is the very definition of ‘sin’ — to miss the mark.
Thank God we have Jesus Christ who covers for us and who, whenever we sin, gives us the opportunity of a fresh start!
I sometimes think that our sleep at night is like pressing a reset button. Each new day is a new beginning, with opportunities to serve, be generous, give time to relationships, speak encouragements, and more.
If you are reading this in the morning, then today is a brand new day for you. Dedicate it to God — the work to which you are called, the people whom you will encounter, and God’s creation that you will savour through your senses. And be expectant that God will work in and through you, because you are called to be like God.
Pray
Holy God
I dedicate this day to you,
expectant that you will
work in and through me
by your Holy Spirit.
As your child, and your
representative here on earth,
may I bring blessings
to my work and vocation.
to those I encounter,
and to the world around me.
This day and forever.
and then