Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever
makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been
sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:7-8
This afternoon, I continued with my listening/reading of a Christmas/Advent devotional from John Piper. Today's entry focuses on 1 John and what it says about what Piper says are the two purposes of Christmas. First, "Jesus came into the world to enable us to stop sinning." 1 John 3:8 certainly makes this clear, but Piper points us to 1 John 2:1 for additional context and support for the first purpose. 1 John 2:2 then provides the second purpose, which is that Jesus came to give us forgiveness from sins. Piper encourages us to avoid using this forgiveness as permission to sin. Instead Piper writes, "[t]he aim of the death of Christ for our sins is not that we relax our battle against sin....The upshot...is the freedom and power that enables us to fight sin not as legalists, earning our salvation, and not as fearful of losing our salvation, but as victors who throw ourselves into the battle against sin with confidence and joy, even if it costs us our lives."
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who enables me to battle sin with confidence and joy! Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving how You help me - certainly not deserving of my salvation. I sin constantly...including worry. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as you love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
