God's Grace

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 yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by 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 has no place in our lives.

1 John 1:5-10

Yesterday I talked a little bit about my experiences as a dental hygienist and what it was like dealing with clients that told me how well they take care of their teeth, only to find out the truth when I had to do a proper inspection.  Then the consequences of not properly taking care of their teeth, often leading to drilling out the cavities and fillings put in place. 

Then I compared that to what it's like for anyone of us to tell ourselves what we think is true spiritually about ourselves, but when God's light is shone on our lives, we see the truth for what it really is.

Today I want to highlight something we should all be eternally grateful for, and that is God's grace.

To be clear:

• God is light
• In Him there is no darkness at all
• The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin
• If we confess our sins
• He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Now imagine if you are in the dental office and it turns out that you need a cavity drilled out and a filling placed in, then the dental hygienist says to you and the dentist, "I'll sit in the chair and take the drill and filling in your place.  You don't have to feel the pain and discomfort."  In fact you can leave the office, you don't have to feel the needles in your gums; feel the medicine being injected and the resulting numbness, or hear the sound of the drill, smell the rotten cavity being removed, or feel the pressure of the filling being put in its place.  Yet, YOU somehow miraculously get the benefit of having the cavity removed and filled without having to go through the experience.

Would you accept the offer?  Wouldn't you be thankful for the sacrifice for your benefit?

That is similar to what Jesus has done for you.  He took your place and took your cavity (sin) upon Himself, and you get to walk away free.  That is grace.

In Romans 8 it tells us that "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because...Jesus...set me free..."

Today walk in the light as He is in the light and feel the freedom He has given to you.  

Oh, and by the way, unlike the dentist, there is no charge for His services. :)