10.20.2019 – “1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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[b] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:1-10
Have you ever refused to forgive someone even after they’ve asked for forgiveness? Have you struggled with the desire to hold on to a grudge or had the urge to continue punishing someone who hurt you even after the person tried to make amends? God hasn’t. And that’s great news for all of us, because we have all offended him.
God is faithful! His forgiveness isn’t dependent on his mood, or on whether he’s able to let go of a grudge. When you come to him with sincere regret for something you’ve done, acknowledging your sin, you can walk away knowing your relationship with him has been restored completely.
