1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
Yesterday we talked about the assurance we have that God has forgiven us. We have this in Christ. It is our joy! When I look at my life, I do not only see a corrupt, selfish fool. I hope that as we examine our lives we also see some good. To paraphrase Bart’s encouragement of Homer in The Simpsons: “you don’t suck that bad.” Is this some spark of inner good or are we seeing something else? I know I’m tempted to say that it must all be bad and at one level that’s right (even the correct things we do can be done with a bad or inappropriate motives, meaning that they are still sinful). On the other hand, looking at our lives and despairing that it is all bad does show that there is yet another blind spot. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world. As a Child of God, He is at work in me. There should be evidence of this in my life. Practicing righteousness is the Spirit working in and through us. As I look at my own life and consider my thoughts, words, and deeds, I find a lot that needs to be taken in confession to God, but I can also rejoice in seeing good things. This verse points out that our hearts will not only condemn us if we examine them, they will also point out the confidence we have in God. Our hearts can be in step with God and we can be assured that he is abiding, remaining, with us. Remember verse 2? It started “Beloved, now we are children of God.” We rejoice that we do not have to be perfect before we become God’s children. He is at work in us, and we should rejoice as we see His work bearing fruit. As we look at our lives and consider how we are practicing righteousness and loving our brothers, ask: where have I seen God at work in my life? How am I responding to His mercy and grace? Let’s take time to rejoice in your adoption! The good news is for us, as well as for the world.
Luke 2:10-11
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
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