OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY

March 18, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional Message || ODB for Saturday
Read March 18, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional || ODB for Saturday Message

READ SATURDAY ODB DEVOTIONAL, OUR DAILY BREAD 18TH MARCH 2023 WRITTEN BY XOCHITL DIXON (OUR DAILY BREAD MINISTRIES)

TOPIC: Weeding Out Sins

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47

KEY VERSE: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
1 John 1:5–2:2

INSIGHT FOR TODAY
The apostle John reminds us that “God is light” (1 John 1:5) and encourages us to walk in fellowship with Him (vv. 6–7). Elsewhere, Paul reminds us that we “are not in darkness” but are “children of the light” (1 Thessalonians 5:4–5). In 1 John, the apostle challenges us to “not sin” (2:1). But because we’re still not perfected, we do continue to sin (1:8). John assures us that when we confess and repent, God will “forgive us our sins” (v. 9). Our “advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (2:1), “through the shedding of his blood” (Romans 3:25), is “the atoning sacrifice [propitiation] for our sins” (1 John 2:2; see 4:10). The NIV Zondervan Study Bible describes “atoning sacrifice” as what Jesus did on the cross in “removing guilt and purifying sinners (expiation) and appeasing God’s anger toward sinners (propitiation).”

Our Daily Bread Devotional 18th March 2023 MESSAGE

When I noticed a sprig budding next to the garden hose by our porch, I ignored the seemingly harmless eyesore. How could a little weed possibly hurt our lawn? But as the weeks passed, that nuisance grew to be the size of a small bush and began taking over our yard. Its stray stalks arched over a portion of our walkway and sprouted up in other areas. Admitting its destructive existence, I asked my husband to help me dig out the wild weeds by the roots and then protect our yard with weed killer.

When we ignore or deny its presence, sin can invade our lives like unwanted overgrowth and darken our personal space. Our sinless God has no darkness in Him . . . at all. As His children, we’re equipped and charged to face sins head-on so we can “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7). Through confession and repentance, we experience forgiveness and freedom from sin (vv. 8–10) because we have a great advocate—Jesus (2:1). He willingly paid the ultimate price for our sins—His lifeblood—and “not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (v. 2).

When our sin is brought to our attention by God, we can choose denial, avoidance, or deflection of responsibility. But when we confess and repent, He weeds out sins that harm our relationships with Him and others.

REFLECT: How does knowing your sins are offenses against God change your view about repentance? What sins have taken root and need to be weeded out of your life?

PRAYER: Loving Father, please uproot the sins from my life so I can grow closer to You and others.

Our Daily Bread Devotional 18 March 2023 || ODB for Saturday Message . Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet.