The Answer Is Jesus – April 24, 2021

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.
1 John 1:8,9

The Answer Is Jesus

A while back, there was a piece in a news magazine about a woman who appeared stable and well-adjusted in every way. She held a responsible job. She was nicely dressed. She was gracious and cordial in her demeanor. She held a terrible secret, however. The secret was that she was keeping hundreds of cats in her home. Video footage from the city health department was shocking. The interior was in ruins. Officials reported that the stench was indescribable.

Most shocking of all, though, was the woman’s sense of absolute denial. She had no grasp of the sickening thing she had produced within her home. In fact, during an interview, she even described herself as “a clean freak.”

That woman’s self-deception is a lot like our attitude towards sin. You and I don’t mind admitting that we’re sinful in a generic kind of way. (“Nobody’s perfect.” “We’ve all done things we’re not proud of,”—you know the routine.) When it comes to confronting the real-life failures in our lives, however, you and I often plug our noses and ignore the terrible stench of our own sin.

But the answer is not self-deception. The answer is Jesus. Confess your sins—thoughts, words, and actions that oppose God’s perfect will and make you unclean in his sight. Trust God’s faithful word that through faith in your Savior, Jesus, you are freely forgiven and completely clean before God.

And from now on, no more self-deception.

Prayer:
O Lord, my God, I called to you for help, and you answered me. I thank you for the love you have shown me in Jesus Christ, my Savior. Through him, you have rescued me from the guilt of my sin and given me the peace of forgiveness. Help me fight against temptation, correct whatever wrongs I can, and serve you and those around me with love and good works. Amen.