Bible Study Verse
I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)
Thoughts
When I was a young boy, my buddies and I found this lake that no one else knew about . . . of course it was on private property.
It was separated from direct access to the public by a barbed wire fenced pasture that had a horse in it. If we were to get to the lake, we had to cross the pasture. We checked out the horse which was on the other end; he was just grazing, paying no attention to us.
We slowly crawled through the barb wired strands and started across the field, checking the horse every so often. About half way across the pasture, the horse started coming toward us at a gallop. We turned tail and ran as fast as we could to the fence we had just come through!
Everyone made it back through the fence except me. I was stuck halfway through the fence. One leg was on one side and my remaining side was on the horse's domain. The horse kept coming. I just knew he was going to take a chunk out of my posterior that was stuck on his side. I could already feel the pain!
But, he didn't. He stopped within inches of me, snorting and checking me out, but never touched me. Slowly I freed myself from my predicament and we both stood there looking at each other.
(Tom B)
Action Point
I was in that horse's pasture where I should not have been; I had intentions on crossing the fence to get to the lake where I did not have permission to be on. Guilty as charged on all counts. But, Jesus forgave me for my trespass and the horse didn't bite me.
Corrie Ten Boom was fond of quoting Micah 7:19 that reads, "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea," Often she would add that He had put up a sign that reads "NO FISHING."
As Christians, we know that God has forgiven our sins. But for some reason, we keep fishing them up. So often we keep reliving the embarrassment and humiliation, the horror of those old sins - over and over again, burdened by guilt and regret.
First John 1:9 clearly tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness," (NIV).
Satan tries to keep us in bondage to the sins of our past, filling us with guilt and despair. But this is one time when we've got to forget our feelings and focus on what the shed blood of Jesus did for us. We've been forgiven. We've been set free.
When you find the sins of your past flashing through your mind today, resist the urge to go fishing. Instead, immediately start praising God for His amazing grace and give Him glory for the forgiveness that is yours in Christ.
"Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned," Psalm 32: 1 (GNT).
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
Since that eventful day in my early youth I found it's always easier and less stressful to gain access to a lake or stream by asking permission. Abide by the owner's rules and make sure you tell him thank you when you leave. This common courtesy might allow access on a regular basis.
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