The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 10 April 2024
Daily Fountain Devotional 10th April 2024 TOPIC: Walking In The Light
TEXT: 1 John 2: 1-6(AMP)
2:1. MY LITTLE children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God’s law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father–[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action].
2:2. And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
2:3. And this is how we may discern [daily, by experience] that we are coming to know Him [to perceive, recognize, understand, and become better acquainted with Him]: if we keep (bear in mind, observe, practice) His teachings (precepts, commandments).
2:4. Whoever says, I know Him [I perceive, recognize, understand, and am acquainted with Him] but fails to keep and obey His commandments (teachings) is a liar, and the Truth [of the Gospel] is not in him.
2:5. But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:
2:6. Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.
DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL 10TH APRIL 2024 STUDY:
One thing is clear, God does not want his children to sin; He does not want his children to live in sin or practice sin. In fact, no true Christian wants to sin and no sinner (one who perpetually sins) is a Christian. Yet, we must fight with sin, the devil and the world. We fight all day long as temptations and trials come our ways. John’s words are instructive, “I write this to you so that you will not sin.” In fact, this is what the whole gospel is all about.
Jesus brought us out of our slavery to sin and into a new life in him where sin is no longer our master, so that we obey its desires no more. Unfortunately, occasionally we fall to sin’s temptation and feel dirty until we bring that sin to God for cleansing.<br /> Well, John immediately comforts us in the same breath that he exhorts us not to sin. He says that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
When the prodigal son came to his senses, his conviction led him to repent and rise to seek his father. Of course, his father was still his father. There is nothing sweeter than the knowledge that though our relationship with our Father is broken by sin, we have a father who is always ready to<br /> forgive and receive us back into fellowship with him. And when we walk in the light of His word and live by his truth, our hatred for sin grows. Therefore, let us always strive to walk in the Light of God and confess our sins whenever we fall.
PRAYER: Lord help me to live upright always and whenever I fall, to repent and return to You!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: God says “I have raised you up with Christ to sit in heavenly places. Ephesians 2:5-6