In the first edition of the WEEKLY DEVOTIONS for 2006 we talked about, "Be Reborn again, Put on the New Man, get rid of your old evil nature and its wicked deeds!!!!!!!"
Keep on praying, this world is in great need of it. "Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
In the second edition of the WEEKLY DEVOTIONS let us look at:
SIN, REPENTANCE, FORGIVENESS and LOVE.
Presenting the second edition for 2006 of the WEEKLY DEVOTIONS:
In the first edition we talked about starting a new year with a resolution to build on Jesus Christ the R.O.C., to clean up our act and to put on the New Man. Sin blocks our path to God and His Word. Who can remove this roadblock called Sin??? Only One can do this, put your faith in the only One who died on the Cross for our sins and was resurrected, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Sin
Sin masks itself through: Anger, rage, hate, slander, envy, gossip, filthy language from your lips, lying, God-haters, insolence, arrogance and boastfulness, cheating, deceit and malice, sexual immorality, perversion, debauchery, impurity, lust, adultery, stealing, coveting, murder, drunkenness, orgies, indecent acts, dissension and jealousy, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry only to mention a few.
Before we can come to God we must first admit that we are Sinners. Then come in Faith, humbly and peacefully to the throne of God through His Son Jesus Christ. Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Tell Jesus you are sorry for your sins and ask Him to forgive you of all your sins no matter what they may be and then repent; that is turn away from your sins and make a promise and a pledge to Jesus to commit them no more. You will feel an inner peace and you will begin a new relationship and fellowship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.
Repentance
…'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:6-7
Forgiveness
A voice of one calling in the desert, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him." "And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Mark 1: 3-5
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. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:8-10
Ask Forgiveness and Forgive others
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22
LOVE
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Romans 13:8-14
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:16-21
New life through Christ Jesus
In that way, no man can be proud as he stands before God. God Himself made the way so you can have new life through Christ Jesus. God gave us Christ to be our wisdom. Christ made us right with God and set us apart for God and made us holy. Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from our sins. 1 Corinthians 1:29-30 …..so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15.
