Today’s Scripture Reading:
1 John 3:4-7 Key verses, 4 &7
Everyone who
practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5. You know that He appeared in order to take away
sins; and in Him there is no sin.
6. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins
has seen Him or knows Him.
7. Little Children, make sure no one deceives you;
the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteousness.
When I was playing basketball in
college, practice was a daily routine and every moment I had before and after
classes I practiced basketball.
When school was out for the summer, I practiced
some more so that I could be ready for the upcoming season.
When the season finally arrived and I walked into
the gym, people could see the improvements that I made from all the hours of
practice.
I could also see the other players that made practicing a
priority in their lives by the improvement they made in their skill level from
the previous season.
Practice allowed me to take my game to a different
level and failure to practice would have landed me on the bench.
John is telling us the same thing today about
practice but from a spiritual perspective.
He says in 1 John 3:4,
everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is
lawlessness.
In verse 7 he says,
Little Children, make sure no deceives
you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is
righteousness.
My question today is, what are you practicing?
Are you working on improving your spiritual game or
are you practicing sinning more in your life?
God has his own gym, the world in which we live.
This is His kingdom and in order to play in the
game He has organized, you must practice righteousness.
Many of us have not been putting forth the effort
to play on God’s team because we have been practicing sin, and sin is
lawlessness.
If you have been practicing sin in your life, then you
will probably be a bench warmer because God isn’t going to put you in the game.
He is not going to allow you to take spiritual
shots that will cause His kingdom to look bad because you refuse to practice
righteousness.
How do you practice sin?
You are practicing sin if you commit acts on a
daily basis that you know don’t bring God glory.
(Fornication, adultery, stealing, lying, etc)
Furthermore, if you don’t make any effort to
practice righteousness, practice confession, or practice repentance, then you
want to continue practicing sin.
John says in 1 John 3:5-6
You know that He
appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins
has seen Him or knows Him.
The seriousness of practicing sin is highlighted by
the fact that Jesus Christ appeared so that He might take away our sins and in
Him there is no sin.
So if you are practicing sin, then you are not
practicing a life style that represents Jesus Christ because sin is not in
Christ.
The key word in the verse is abiding.
The more time you spend practicing on your jump
shot, the more shots you will make in the game.
The more time you spend abiding with Christ, the
more shots you will hit in your spiritual walk.
John told us that no one who abides in Him (Christ)
sins.
As a believer of Jesus Christ we should not be habitually
sinning.
We should not be practicing living unholy lives.
John concludes in vs. 7 and
says, Little Children, make sure no one
deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is
righteousness.
Listen, when you practice living a holy life daily,
your spiritual game will go to a different level.
Only righteousness springs forth from a righteous
nature.
How do you maintain a righteous nature, by reading and
meditating on God’s word daily so that practicing sin won’t be a part of your
game anymore.
You maintain a righteous nature by
practicing and living out Matthew 22:37 which says,
“You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
I
challenge you today to take a serious look at what you are practicing in your
spiritual life.
How much time do you spend practicing the things
you read in God’s word?
Does your lifestyle show God that you have really
been practicing righteousness?
It is time to change your practice routine.
Nugget For The Day:
If Jesus came to one of your practice
sessions, would He be pleased with your spiritual development?
Pray This Prayer With Me:
Father I know that I have been
practicing things that don’t bring you Glory.
Today I will begin to change my practice habits so
that my spiritual walk will improve.
I don’t want waste time working on things that will
hinder my walk with you.
I love you and give all the glory and honor due
your name.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Living Water (John 4:10-14)
Daily Devotionals To Keep You Thirsty For God
Min. Parnell L. Woods, Jr., (John 3:30, He must increase, but
I must decrease.)
© 2008 By Min. Parnell L. Woods,
Jr.