“If We Confess Our Sins, He Is Faithful”

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 and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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 is not in us.

1 John 1:5-10

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:1-2

Have you ever had to bounce back? It could be a family, work, health, or financial issue. All of us must cope with defeat.

The feeling of failure after an athletic loss mirrors our greater self-condemnation following a spiritual collapse. How can we recover from grieving God and others, along with disappointing ourselves?

God’s pardon sets us free to begin again and focus on today’s opportunity rather than yesterday’s defeat. His faithful cleaning allows us to start over with a pure heart. Today, God invites and enables us to bounce back.

Instead of living in the shadows of yesterday,

walk in the light of today and the hope of tomorrow.

Our Daily Bread – July 1, 2013