A Daily Devotional with Pastor Doug Crouse  February 5, 2018  

Our Faithful Forgiver   Scripture Reading – 1 John 1:9 - 10 (NLT)

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”  

What is our God like? I suppose if we had to choose one word to describe His essence it would be, loving. For He sent His one and only Son, planned even before the foundations of the earth to provide that once and for all sacrifice for the sins of the world. Do you get that? The sins of the world! Yes, friends each and every one of us need to experience the love, grace and mercy of God from Jesus Christ, ‘Our Faithful Forgiver’.

Whenever a person thinks that somehow they are good enough, or do not need this once for all sacrifice and forgiveness that Christ alone can provide, they are in a state of spiritual blindness and we need to pray that God will open their eyes that they would see their need of Christ and receive the gift of everlasting life that He alone can provide. For those of us who have come to know the grace of God in Jesus precious name, we too need to walk in a state of humility, thankfulness and confession before our loving Father in heaven. For sure the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all of our sins, and we stand as the adopted daughters and sons of God as a testimony to His great love.

But none of us has yet arrived. In all of our lives there are those sins of commission – those things that we have thought, said or done that we should not have. But there are also those sins of omission – those things that we have not done that our Father had purposed for us to do. These are the reasons that Jesus taught us to pray that we would be forgiven of our sins, in the same way that we forgive the sins of others.

So today, may we walk in the awareness of the grace of God in our lives, and continue to perfect holiness out of our fear of God, walking in those ways that are most pleasing to Him. For as we do, not only will we experience the freedom for which Christ died, but our lives will shine brightly as a testimony to our living and loving Lord Jesus Christ causing others to find life in His name.  

Prayer Father I thank-You that I am accepted in the love of Jesus and can come before You today as one of Your children. Holy Spirit, search my heart and life, cleanse me from my sins, and fill me to walk in the ways of life that have been purposed and purchased for me through Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord I pray.  

Memory Verse:  Matthew 7:12 NLT “___ to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”