1 John 2:1-2
My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Happy New Year! I hope yours is off to a great start (and includes some black-eyed peas, greens, pork – and maybe big ole piece of cornbread!!!). Sweet tea is optional!
Okay, enough about our Southern traditions...but I do have a point in sharing them. I saw a meme on Facebook this morning that offered an explanation for why we eat these foods on New Year’s Day. Rather than go into detail about each dish, let me just say that the collective reason is – HOPE! We hope that these foods will bring us good luck in the coming year. Yes, it is a “superstition”…and okay, maybe it’s ridiculous. But what is NOT silly is hope in Jesus…and that’s where these verses from 1 John 2 come into play.
When Jesus takes away our sins, we all know that this doesn’t mean we will never sin again…right? We surrender our hearts to Jesus…He washes us clean…and we make every effort to stay that way. But scripture tells us over and again that, as human beings, we will never be completely free of sin or a sinful nature. Only Jesus can claim this perfection.
BUT...because of Jesus, we can humbly acknowledge our failures and shortcomings, and ask forgiveness...and Jesus will petition God on our behalf. Because of Jesus, we always have hope. HE is the assurance that we are claimed and sanctified before God…that our seat at the Heavenly Table is forever secure.
Just as I will probably never stop eating peas and greens on New Year’s Day, I will never stop depending on Jesus to stand in the gap for me and ask God to continually forgive my sins. And He will do this for you – and all of the world’s people – just as surely. All you have to do is genuinely and humbly surrender your sinful nature to Jesus…to beg His forgiveness and accept His generous gift of Salvation. THEN…you must make every effort to live a holy and acceptable life…to serve Jesus and share His Good News with others.
Because we have the promise of salvation and an Eternal Home…we are free to live with hope and confidence…and encourage others to do the same. Will this be the year that you fully let go and let God have control? Will you live in expectation that Jesus has your back? I pray that this is the case.
Old habits die hard, so I’ll probably keep eating peas and greens on New Year’s Day. But I know that with Jesus standing in the gap for us, anything and everything is possible…with no “good luck” meals required!
©2017 Debbie Robus
My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Happy New Year! I hope yours is off to a great start (and includes some black-eyed peas, greens, pork – and maybe big ole piece of cornbread!!!). Sweet tea is optional!
Okay, enough about our Southern traditions...but I do have a point in sharing them. I saw a meme on Facebook this morning that offered an explanation for why we eat these foods on New Year’s Day. Rather than go into detail about each dish, let me just say that the collective reason is – HOPE! We hope that these foods will bring us good luck in the coming year. Yes, it is a “superstition”…and okay, maybe it’s ridiculous. But what is NOT silly is hope in Jesus…and that’s where these verses from 1 John 2 come into play.
When Jesus takes away our sins, we all know that this doesn’t mean we will never sin again…right? We surrender our hearts to Jesus…He washes us clean…and we make every effort to stay that way. But scripture tells us over and again that, as human beings, we will never be completely free of sin or a sinful nature. Only Jesus can claim this perfection.
BUT...because of Jesus, we can humbly acknowledge our failures and shortcomings, and ask forgiveness...and Jesus will petition God on our behalf. Because of Jesus, we always have hope. HE is the assurance that we are claimed and sanctified before God…that our seat at the Heavenly Table is forever secure.
Just as I will probably never stop eating peas and greens on New Year’s Day, I will never stop depending on Jesus to stand in the gap for me and ask God to continually forgive my sins. And He will do this for you – and all of the world’s people – just as surely. All you have to do is genuinely and humbly surrender your sinful nature to Jesus…to beg His forgiveness and accept His generous gift of Salvation. THEN…you must make every effort to live a holy and acceptable life…to serve Jesus and share His Good News with others.
Because we have the promise of salvation and an Eternal Home…we are free to live with hope and confidence…and encourage others to do the same. Will this be the year that you fully let go and let God have control? Will you live in expectation that Jesus has your back? I pray that this is the case.
Old habits die hard, so I’ll probably keep eating peas and greens on New Year’s Day. But I know that with Jesus standing in the gap for us, anything and everything is possible…with no “good luck” meals required!
©2017 Debbie Robus
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