Demonstrate an Open and Honest Life
Week 41 Day 5
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
1 John 1:5-11 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Reflect:
When two people (or more) walk together in the light, then they have fellowship with one another and they experience the ongoing beauty of continually renewed relationships with one another. In all human relationships two things are necessary. One is that they are going in a common direction. You cannot “walk” with someone if you are going one way and they are going another. Of course, you can still be friends with people who do not share your life purpose. These friendships can be deep and meaningful, but in the end, if they do not ultimately value what you hold most valuable, the friendship will have something of a hollow core. The other necessary factor is that as the two walk together on a common path they will need to continually forgive and be forgiven. There is just no way for people to live life together and not sin against one another. So, the common denominator in this common life is Jesus. He is the purpose for our lives; he is our common path. He is also the reason we can continually forgive and be forgiven. Jesus is the light and the path we walk and it his blood that cleanses us from all sin. Open and honest lives are not about demonstrating perfection in every action, but rather perfection in overall direction. We walk with him together and we give and receive his grace together when we fail him and one another. The light is terror to those who do not want to live in open and honest relationships. The light exposes what has been hidden and what wants to remain in the dark. The light is pure joy to those who desire open and honest relationships. It exposes what is a threat to relationship so that it can be dealt with and not hidden away. If you have a subtle or not so subtle fear of being exposed, will you ask God to help you love the light? Will you trust God enough to trust others to truly know you? You are as healthy as your secrets. Bring the light into the dark places so that, over time, there are no more dark places in your heart and life.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.