If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
We are in the season of lent, a time when we remember Jesus fasting for forty days in the wilderness. We make a sacrifice, if God prompts us to do so, and hope that we will keep up our renunciation for a term matching that for which our saviour abstained from eating.
I decided to give up coffee for lent. I was going to give up vaping instead, but being on a hospital ward that would have been harder. It’s important that when we observe lent we remember that we are not competing with Jesus, we are only trying to imitate Him, in some small way.
We will inevitably slip up. We are sinners, whereas Jesus was sinless. But we can find comfort knowing that Jesus suffered for our redemption and justification, and that God will therefore not be angry with us when we make a mistake.
The Christian walk is a walk of freedom, we don’t sin on purpose but we don’t have to worry about condemnation when we do slip up. I stupidly took a sip of coffee today without giving it a second thought, such is my fallen sinful nature.
God will not forsake His saints, so we thank our heavenly Father for His faithfulness even when we do things that defy reason.
Peace, grace, and mercy from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Reflections 