Day 2: Offense Of Sin

No one likes to be dirty. Soap, hand sanitizer, scalding hot water; we like to be clean! Did you know that because of sin, we are not clean before a holy God? 

But what exactly is sin? As Pastor Brian teaches us, sin is missing the mark. God’s standard is absolute perfection and we fall way short of that standard. Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever wanted something that someone else had? If you answered yes to any of those things, then you’ve missed the mark. Know this, you’re not alone. Everyone on this planet has sinned! Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God’s standard is based on His character, and the fact that we can never meet those standards is why we need Jesus to intervene on our behalf.

You may be thinking, “but I think I’m a pretty good person.” However, it is not about being a good person. You would have to be a perfect person, and that just simply isn’t possible. 1 John 1:8 tells us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us of our sin and stirs our affections for Jesus. He also empowers us to live a holy life, because we cannot do this on our own. When we understand that we truly are sinners, we can feel defeated. However, there is some really good news for you today. Jesus took your sin upon Himself on the cross and exchanged His sinlessness for your sinfulness. Because you have placed your faith in Christ alone, His blood covers you and you are now clean. You no longer have to identify yourself as a sinner. You will read more tomorrow about how Jesus’ life and death are sufficient. Placing your faith and trust in Jesus allows you to become a child of the Most High God.

Pray:

God, You are good and perfect. I know that I have sinned and that I cannot come before you on my own. Thank you that I get to have a personal relationship with you because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Give me strength to put You first today, in Jesus’ name, amen.