“My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous” – 1John 2:1
LIGHT FOR NOW: You are born of the word; knowledge of the word is equivalent to knowledge about who you are.
A vital fact that must be comprehended from John’s submission in his epistles is that sin does not tamper, affect or break a believer’s union, relationship or fellowship with the Father. However, are we believers supposed to live in sin? Without much exegesis, the answer is No. James in his epistle explains this subject, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (James 1:22-24). We are saved by faith in Christ alone. We don’t do good things to make God find favour in us. He wants us to be doers of the word because we are God’s masterpiece created anew in Christ Jesus and he prepared good things for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Staying active in this good work will keep us from becoming lukewarm. So, we should always fan into flames the spiritual gifts God has given us and follow the greatest commandment which is to love. Yes, being a doer of the word makes God’s word visible to other people. We should never grow tired of doing what is good. God is good and we should learn to imitate our Father as little children by doing good works. James 1:22 tells us not to just listen to God’s word. We must do what it says or else we are only deceiving ourselves. This scripture is in the middle of a passage entitled listening and doing (James 1:19-25). The passage begins by telling us we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry because human anger isn’t typically productive. It often causes more harm than good. Then we should take in God’s word because the more we consciously study God’s word, it influences our behaviours, our thinking and then it enables us to take action and follow what God’s word says about us. Jesus also told us to be a doer of the word when he said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). And He also said, “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
Thus, the problem with the believer in any sinful act is not the sin itself; such believer is not acknowledging his realities in Christ. James describes this as the perfect law of liberty in verse 25 of James 1. When your realities dawn on you, your appetite will change. Sinful habits will not go by prayers but by a conscious study of the word of God. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Acknowledge your realities in Christ.
CONFESSION: Father, I allow your word to influence my thoughts, words and my actions. I am a walking nature of God, a dispenser of good works, in Jesus Name. Amen.
QUOTE: The quality of your Christian walk is equivalent to the quality of the word of God you have in your inside.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: 2CHRONICLES CHAPTER 7; EVENING: DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 24
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 