Groundhog Day
WATCHWORD:
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:8-10
Meditation:
The Loophole
But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done. 1 John 1:9 The Voice
Did you get that, He is faithful and just ? He lives up to his side of the bargain, but in the transaction, there is an expectation; if we are going to follow Him, it’s with everything we have; all of it, not 90% not 99.9%, all of it, with everything that our lives contain, right down to and including your ‘favorite sin’.
My Confession: Years ago, I made a decision to violate a vow, a vow I had made many years before in the presence of God and witnesses, to go my own way because “I knew better “. Over the years I have never forgotten that transgression; I lived my life, was happy, perhaps accomplished some things, and yet there sat, my sin without remorse, without redemption. It was like Ground Hog Day, the remembrance of that broken vow, lilttle things, even amidst my loving family, the ‘little harms’ of that sin returning, time after time
But God is faithful, his memory is flawless; my transgression still lay, along my life-path, waiting. I was reminded of it recently when God spoke my name, telling me “You broke my heart “. Yes, it was the voice of one I had harmed, but those were the words of God, my broken vow caused my Lord the pain of betrayal. The time of my confession to the Lord had arrived; and I confessed. In my faith I know that God has forgiven me, and I have prayed for peace for those I harmed.
Every time we lose ground in our fellowship with God, it is because we have disrespectfully thought that we ‘knew better’ than Incarnate God, Jesus Christ. We have allowed the cares of this world to enter in while forgetting the ‘much more’ of the gifts given by our Heavenly Father. (Matthew 13:23)
This kind of indiscretion may have happened to you; different forms, different characters, different situations. Still, God is faithful and just and he forgives our sins, and he cleanse us from unrighteousness; but our role is in that first part of Verse 9, if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive. The choice is ours; the decision is ours.
There is the loophole, you understand, an escape clause. a way to righteousness. The time of confession will come, and it will be our choice. Choose rightly, choose righteousness, that is the loophole, the escape clause, the get out of the prison of God‘s wrath. Is it time to confess? It is the way, the truth, and the life. So be it.
Groundhog Day:
It’s not by accident that this meditation was posted on Groundhog Day. We all know the story of the movie featuring Bill Murray, a reporter who is plagued to repeat a day over and over, making adjustments with each repeated day. In a real sense it’s the nature of our transgressions and our ‘bruised’ relationship with God. We may try to forget some of the wrongs we have done, but they keep coming back, keep being replayed until we come to that time of confession to God. It’s there that we have our own ‘do-over’, a time of redemption and restoration of peace in our relationship with God. May it be so with each one of us. Amen.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, on this ‘ground-hog day’ help us to find hope, renewal in your divine presence during these dark cold winter days and weeks. Give us strength to face personal struggles and fears and express our gratitude for all the grace that you shower upon us. Open our hearts and minds in anticipation for the coming spring, reminding us to be present and loving in following Your will for our lives. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
