How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  1 John 3:1
 
 
Love has all sorts of implications. Love can feel warm and fuzzy or it can be a choice to act lovingly despite our feelings to the contrary. Love is complicated because relationships are messy. Yet love in its most radical form is God’s grace, His unconditional love for us despite our behavior. We don’t earn His love and we don’t deserve it. God freely gives His love despite the fact that it cost Him something – the life of His precious Son, Jesus. In 1 John 3:1, we learn that He not only extends His love to us, He lavishes it on us! Lavish implies a profusion of love or an excessive amount of love. It’s really mind-boggling to think that God loves us that much!
 
In the midst of busy lives and difficult circumstances, keeping this lavish love in the forefront of our minds can be challenging. We need a reminder that because of His great love for us, we can experience blessings right now. God’s unconditional love for us has implications for our lives every day.
 
Lately, I’ve been pondering this concept of love overflowing from God’s heart to mine. I realize His great love permeates every fiber of my being, making it possible for me to live life joyfully, contentedly, and peacefully. My new motto is “Because I am loved by God…” Each day, I make it a practice to fill in the rest of that sentence. Here are some of my fill-in-the-blanks:
 
Because I am loved by God, I can experience joy in the midst of hardship.
Because I am loved by God, I don’t have to be afraid.
Because I am loved by God, I can have His supernatural strength for today.
Because I am loved by God, I can be content despite my circumstances.
Because I am loved by God, I can trust Him to meet my needs.
Because I am loved by God, I can be true to myself.
Because I am loved by God, I can love others as God has loved me.
Because I am loved by God, my past doesn’t define me. I am set free.
Because I am loved by God, I can have hope for tomorrow.
 
I’m amazed at how God’s love transforms me. No longer regretting the past or fearing the future, I can live fully in the present knowing I am loved by God.
 
 
Dear God, thank You for Your great love that You have lavished on me and on all who believe in You. Thank you for reminding me each day how much I am loved by You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photo copyright © 2016 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved. Photo of sunset from Pacific Grove, California.
 
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of Zondervan.  All rights reserved.

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
 
 
During all the Easter services and festivities recently, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are quick to say that “Jesus died for our sins” or that “Jesus took on the sins of the whole world when he died on a cross”. While both of those statements are true, sometimes I think we gloss over the word “sin”.
 
In today’s culture, we make light of the word “sin”. In the news and in pop culture, when someone is caught in wrongdoing, they often do not admit they’ve done anything wrong and chalk their behavior up to a misjudgment, a mistake, or an unfortunate situation.
 
Do we as Christ followers do the same? The word “sin” is not popular and probably not part of our everyday vocabulary. What do we really mean by the word “sin”? Sin is anything that separates us from God. Certainly breaking the Ten Commandments is considered sin – lying, stealing, murder, and the like. (See Exodus 20.) We consider those to be the “big sins”. But what about the little everyday sorts of crimes we commit against God, ourselves, and others?
 
Sin can be in our thoughts, attitudes, and words, not just our actions. Sin is not just telling an out and out lie: it is stretching the truth, even a little bit, perhaps to make ourselves look good. We may not commit murder, but we do “kill” others with our words, wounding them deeply in a split second with a sharp and spiteful tongue.
 
Perhaps our sins are thoughts that judge others. Even when we don’t voice these thoughts, they creep into our relationships and destroy. Our selfishness and pride can also be a source of sin when we think more of ourselves than we ought to and treat others accordingly. Perhaps we use our words and actions to shame and blame others as we seek to control and manipulate. Sometimes our sin is harboring resentments and past hurts as we refuse to forgive. The person we hurt the most when we are unforgiving is ourselves. Sin can also be in the “keeping up with the Jones” mentality that pervades our society. It’s all too easy to literally buy into a culture that promotes materialism and living beyond our means - to focus on what we can get rather than what we can give.
 
Sins come in all shapes and sizes. Thankfully, we don’t have to carry around this burden of sin that weighs us down and isolates us. Celebrating Easter is coming to terms with Christ’s work on the cross – taking all of our sins, whether big or small, and nailing them to the cross forever, so we can live in peace with God and with others.
 
When was the last time you confessed your sins? It’s not too late to start now. As our key verse says, all you need to do is to stop and reflect, asking the Holy Spirit to show you where you’ve sinned against God, others, and yourself. Confess and turn from those sinful behaviors into the light of God’s love, grace, mercy, and peace. Jesus’ death on a cross makes it all possible. Thanks be to God!
 
 
Heavenly Father, I thank You that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for me, for my sins, even before I’ve confessed them. Help me be quick to confess and turn from my sinful thoughts, attitudes, words, and behaviors. Thank You that You are ready to cleanse me and restore me into a right relationship with You, by Your mercy and grace. Amen.
 
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Copyright © 2016 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™