Lent Week 1: Faithful and Righteous
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10
The Beginning of Lent
This week the season of Lent starts with Ash Wednesday, a day to grieve our sin and repent before God. I think in our world today, we don’t often use our time to grieve over our sin. More often, we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and underestimate the level of holiness that God calls us to walk in. God alone is truly good. All of us have sinned and do continue to sin.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
All fall short
We all fall short of His glory, His call, His holiness. This week, as we begin the season of Lent (If you don’t know what Lent is all about, I was in the same boat a few years ago! Here is what I learned in the introduction to a past series for Lent: https://www.devotioninaction.com/what-is-lent-anyway/), let’s take some moments to examine our own lives and grieve over the sin we find there.
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24
The ashes on Ash Wednesday are a sign of grief over our sin and repentance in our hearts. Sackcloth and ashes was an ancient sign of mourning and repentance, often referenced in the Bible.
Get up from grief
We do need to take time to grieve the sin that caused Jesus to suffer on the cross, but we don’t have to stay in that posture of grief. The Bible promises that when we repent and ask God for forgiveness, He is quick to forgive and we are made righteous through Him. When we are forgiven, we can get up from the grief of our sin and live in the joy of the Lord.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
God is Light
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.” 1 John 1:5
God is Light – no darkness at all can be in Him. If we continue to walk in darkness, then we are not living in Him. We are just lying if we say we are. Let’s expose the lie this week and get made completely clean by God’s amazing gift of His righteous. We cannot earn it by good deeds or merit it through our own striving. We all fall short.
He is faithful
However, He is faithful. Faithful to forgive us when we repent over our sin. Faithful to cleanse us from our unrighteousness. Faithful to bring us into relationship with Him.
Lent Week 1 Action Step:
Take a few moments and ask God to search your heart and reveal areas of unconfessed sin. Grieve over how that sin is offensive to a perfectly holy God. Repent and ask for forgiveness and His righteousness. Start off the Season of Lent with a clean slate and a heart ready that is focused on the weight of Christ’s sacrifice for us.
Share your thoughts in the comments on this post or under the Lent Week 1 post at www.facebook.com/devoinaction – we’d love to hear what you think and see pics of your Bible journaling!
Lent Week 1 Prayer:
Dear God, thank you that we do not leave us where we are – trapped in sin and separated from You. When we acknowledge our sin and repent, you are faithful to forgive. We want to be in right relationship with You and clean from the sin that lurks in our hearts. Please search us and help us see our need for Your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you want to see other posts in this series, click here for the series overview page: https://www.devotioninaction.com/lent-journey-to-jesus/
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