I’m pretty sure time stopped moving for just a little while last night. Pastor was reading from 1 John 3 and expounding on the scriptures. Though he read from a different version, I was following easily from my TLB, right up until I read this, “But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God. And you know that he became a man so that he could take away our sins, and that there is no sin in him, no missing of God’s will at any time in any way.” (v.4,5)
Bam, smack! Yes, I’ve always known and believed Jesus was sinless, but it was the clarifying of that word that hit me so hard- no missing of God’s will at any time in any way. How do I do that? If I am to be like Jesus, to imitate Him, how am I to do that- follow God’s will as completely as Jesus did? All I could do is read it over and over again, crying, wishing I could be just like Him that way, yet knowing…
Jesus lived sinless for about 33 years, three of it while in the stress and rigors of being in ministry in the limelight, and under constant persecution of the religious elite. How did He not fail once? How did He not put off God’s will just once? Lord, I don’t know how to do this, to be in Your will all the time, in all my ways. Well, I’ve never even come close by my standard anyway. I don’t want to ask what You think, because I know I’m hurting You all the times I’m out of Your will. I don’t want to hurt You; You don’t deserve that after all You’ve done for me. Tell me… please… help me. It’s tearing me up.
I only have one hope; one hope while in this wicked, sinful flesh that can’t even go one day without sin (1). My hope is in You Lord, because without You I am lost- forever, eternally lost. Your blood poured down the cross at Calvary for my sins, all of them; for my disobedience and penchant for doing my own will instead of Yours (2). Only You can give me hope for an everlasting life where sin won’t be an issue anymore. Only You make me a new man (3) and can give me hope for today- that You will keep on working in my life to change me until I am more like You (4).
Only You
Only You
You are my only Hope!
(1) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Gal. 5:17
(2) …and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1Jh. 1:7
(3) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2Cor. 5:17
(4) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2Cor. 3:18