“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

Not sin? Really?

John aims for perfection; he writes this letter so that we will not sin. Yet even as he aims high, John assures us that if we do sin, Jesus advocates before God on our behalf and atones for our sins. We live with the tension between our call – do not sin – and our ability – we do sin.

Although perfection is not possible, humanly speaking, knowing that Jesus atones for our sins doesn’t mean we can neglect the command not to sin. Perhaps John knew that too often we take a soft stance on sin. We excuse and explain and rationalize why we sin, when we should grieve that we sin.

John understood the connection between faith and action. There must be tangible evidence for loving an invisible God.

Obeying God’s commands proves that we know Him.

“We know that we have come to know [God] if we obey His commands.” (1 John 2:3)

Obeying God’s commands demonstrates that we love Him.

 “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” (1 John 5:3)

How we live reveals our relationship with Jesus.

“But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5-6)

Heavenly Father, I want to walk as Jesus did. Not sinning seems like an impossible dream, but Your power can make the impossible a reality. Make me like You.  Amen.

Questions: How do you manage the tension between our call not to sin and real life? How has God done the impossible in Your life?

Related
Where is your life headed? What is your purpose?

Isn’t it good to know that even when we don’t love with a perfect love, he does? God always nourishes what is right. He always applauds what is right. He has never done wrong, led one person to do wrong, or rejoiced when anyone did wrong. For he is love, and love “does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6, NASB).

God passes the test of 1 Corinthians 13:6. Well, he should; he drafted it.

So where does this leave us? Perhaps with a trio of reminders. When it comes to love:

Be careful.

Until love is stirred, let God’s love be enough for you. There are seasons when God allows us to feel the frailty of human love so we’ll appreciate the strength of his love. Didn’t he do this with David? Saul turned on him. Michal, his wife, betrayed him. Jonathan and Samuel were David’s friends, but they couldn’t follow him into the wilderness. Betrayal and circumstances left David alone. Alone with God. And, as David discovered, God was enough. David wrote these words in a desert: “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you … My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods” (Psalm 63:3, 5)

Be prayerful.

What if it’s too late? Specifically, what if you’re married to someone you don’t love—or who doesn’t love you? Many choose to leave. That may be the step you take. But if it is, take at least a thousand others first. And bathe every one of those steps in prayer. Love is a fruit of the Spirit. Ask God to help you love as he loves. “God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love” (Romams 5:5, CEV). Ask everyone you know to pray for you. Your friends. Your family. Your church leaders. Get your name on every prayer list available. And, most of all, pray for and, if possible, with your spouse. Ask the same God who raised the dead to resurrect the embers of your love.

Be grateful.

Be grateful for those who love you. Be grateful for those who have encouraged you to do what is right and applauded when you did. Do you have people like that in your world? If so, you are doubly blessed. Be grateful for them. And be grateful for your Father in heaven.

From A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado
Used by permission

Question: How do you feel about the word “love” today?

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Christmas is packed with expectations. Don’t be driven by a list of expectations. There’s a better way to have a satisfying Christmas. > Read more

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This week’s success quote: “How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.” – David Norris

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Coming up next week: The Gifts of Christmas: True Friendship. Join us in the chat room
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Photo credit: istolethetv, used under Creative Commons license.

God passes the test of 1 Corinthians 13:6. Well, he should; he drafted it.

So where does this leave us? Perhaps with a trio of reminders. When it comes to love:

Be careful.

Until love is stirred, let God’s love be enough for you. There are seasons when God allows us to feel the frailty of human love so we’ll appreciate the strength of his love. Didn’t he do this with David? Saul turned on him. Michal, his wife, betrayed him. Jonathan and Samuel were David’s friends, but they couldn’t follow him into the wilderness. Betrayal and circumstances left David alone. Alone with God. And, as David discovered, God was enough. David wrote these words in a desert: “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you … My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods” (Psalm 63:3, 5)

Be prayerful.

What if it’s too late? Specifically, what if you’re married to someone you don’t love—or who doesn’t love you? Many choose to leave. That may be the step you take. But if it is, take at least a thousand others first. And bathe every one of those steps in prayer. Love is a fruit of the Spirit. Ask God to help you love as he loves. “God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love” (Romams 5:5, CEV). Ask everyone you know to pray for you. Your friends. Your family. Your church leaders. Get your name on every prayer list available. And, most of all, pray for and, if possible, with your spouse. Ask the same God who raised the dead to resurrect the embers of your love.

Be grateful.

Be grateful for those who love you. Be grateful for those who have encouraged you to do what is right and applauded when you did. Do you have people like that in your world? If so, you are doubly blessed. Be grateful for them. And be grateful for your Father in heaven.

From A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado
Used by permission

Question: How do you feel about the word “love” today?

About the Author: Max Lucado

There was an emptiness in my heart that could not be filled.

I grew up knowing God but had no real connection to Him. Growing up was different for me than most other children because I never knew my earthly father. My family always did the very best they could for me, but they could never fill the emptiness I felt in my heart.

I led a good life and strived for perfection in everything. I thought by trying to do everything perfectly, there would never be a reason for anyone to pass unfavorable judgment on me. On the outside it looked like I had everything, but on the inside I was bitter and empty.

When I met my father for the first time it filled the void in my heart but it also created a new longing.

In 1997, God gave me the one thing I had always desired: I met my dad for the first time. Meeting him not only filled the void I felt in my heart, but it also caused me to seek a personal relationship with Jesus. I had never really paid a lot of attention to God before other than to get down on my knees with a wish list.

Through an advertisement in the newspaper, I learned about and started attending a ladies’ church group. One day while reading my Bible, I recognized I owed everything to God and prayed to receive Jesus into my life. After this I didn’t immediately feel like a changed person, so I thought I had done something wrong.

A banner advertising a website caught my attention and began a surprising series of events.

In January 2001, I noticed the “Power to Change” banners on some of the churches around our neighborhood and I connected with Power to Change online.

When I logged on to their Christian chat line, the chat hostess engaged me in a conversation. We talked about my spiritual life and I told her I wasn’t sure that I was even a Christian because I hadn’t been going to church. The hostess responded by walking me through the process of how to receive Christ, which I indicated I had already done.

So she began sharing with me how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s when I came to realize that even though I had accepted Jesus into my life, I was still living the life of a defeated Christian. I prayed to give control of my life to God. I believe the Lord made a divine appointment that night on the chat session and the very goodness of God is what led me there.

The next week, I returned to the chat room. Amazingly, I learned that the hostess and I lived in the same town! She referred me to a local church where I got involved in the ALPHA discipleship program.

Since then my life has been completely transformed. I am now truly at peace with God.

That is not to say nothing ever goes wrong, but now I draw on the power of the Holy Spirit. There is now purpose in everything I do. God has been so good and I am thankful for the incredible work He has done in my heart.

Now, today, I’m back in the Christian Women Today chat room, but this time, I’m serving as a volunteer hostess. I get to encourage women like I once was—searching the Internet for spiritual answers.

A verse that is particularly meaningful for me is: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Is this the life for me?

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised. Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.