Fresh Start Devotionals

Fellowship “but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” John 1:7 God created us to be in fellowship with Him and it pleases Him when we are, but we cannot walk with Him if we live sinful lifestyles. Verse 6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;” John must have known some pretenders—people who walk in darkness all week, yet act like their lives are all together on Sunday. There’s something very right about coming to Church on Sunday, even if you haven’t lived an exemplary life during the week, but only if you are honest about it. The church is a place where people find healing and forgiveness, but they cannot if they don’t admit their sinfulness. John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (John 1:8) Being real is essential for healing. We must be real about our sinfulness and ourselves. The only way we will ever get help for our sin is to admit we have it, but knowing we have a problem isn’t enough; we must be motivated to make the necessary changes in our behavior. The bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (John 1:9) Someone with a dark heart can walk in the light with Jesus if she continually confesses her sins to God. The confession here is not a one-time event, but a lifestyle. We confess and continue to confess our sins to God and He forgives us and cleanses us. God is pleased with us when we worship Him together at our weekly gatherings and He is pleased with us when we walk beside Him throughout our week. Neither is possible unless we confess our sins and are willing to receive the forgiveness and cleansing He offers. Jim L. Wilson, Fresh Start Devotionals (Fresno, CA: Willow City Press, 2009).