Live by the truth and Come into the Light!

Psalm 32:5 says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

What is confession? To confess our sin is to agree with God, acknowledging that he is right to declare what we have done as sinful, and that we are wrong to desire or to do it. It is to affirm our intention of abandoning that sin in order to follow him more faithfully.

I had a close friend from college call me Sunday after our study. He was driving to the hospital in Madison hospital. He suddenly broke down in crying and said, “One of my good friends from college is dying tonight! He has had some swelling of the brain that started a couple weeks ago and doctors had to do surgery and open up his skull to relieve pressure. They told us that he was doing better! Then I just got a call today saying that things have taken a turn for the worse and he is not going to make it through the night!! Russ he is only 1 year younger than me (24), how can this be happening? Why is this happening? He’s too young to die!

This is not an easy thing for anyone to deal with. It does make me think instantly about the gospel! I had to ask, “Does he know Jesus as Lord and Savior?” Was this life a testimony to who God was in this young man’s life? and how to I use this situation to bring to light the truth of the gospel?

It’s interesting how and what we think about when we are faced with death, either our own or someone that is close to us. We suddenly have a realization that we are not invincible and that everything in this world is dying. We are struck with fear of potential unknowns and anger toward people or God.

After talking with my friend and praying for him and everyone in the situation, I almost feel that there is a sense of urgency to stand on the truth even more than I do! My devotions Monday morning was reading John chapter 3.

To start this chapter, Christ is talking with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a man of high stature and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He had come to Christ with the question in verse 4, “How can someone be born again when they are old?” Stop here for a second and think of what it means to be born. When I think of being born, I think of something new to the world around them. Their eyes are just opening they are hearing for the first time, and they are held in the arms of their parents and shown unconditional love. If we think of being born again, we should see that we are suddenly new in a world that we don’t understand. We need a parent to guide and teach us. We need Jesus Christ to show us His unconditional love!
Christ responded to Nicodemus’s question by saying in verse 5, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Jesus then goes on saying in verse 8, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” I believe the Jesus is saying that we can’t see the wind; we can only see its effect. Similarly, we can’t see any physical change in a person born of the Spirit, but we can see the effect of the Spirit at work in someone. We may not understand how the Spirit works, but the effect of the Spirit in the lives of believers is evidence of God at work.

I think to capitalize on the fact that there should be evidence of the working of Christ in our lives. In verse 21 Jesus capitalizes on this point! “But whoever lives by truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

How awesome is this to think about, “But whoever.” The word whoever is defined as, whatever person, or anyone or no matter who. So there is not getting out of this aspect of our faith in Christ! He is saying WHOEVER, everyone who “lives by truth comes into the light.” So once again truth is an actual statement of fact or reality, and Jesus says in John 14:6a, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” So we know that Christ is truth and now if you live by that truth, it says that you “come into the light.” John 1:1-5 says “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Now we are not only believing that Christ is truth, but we are living in light that is Jesus Christ. One we are living by truth and have come into the light(Jesus) now we have no option but to allow, “it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” Now we are to the point that everything we do is in the light of Christ and that those things will be seen plainly by those around you that it is God who is at work in you!

So back to my starting point of a different devotion, Psalm 32:5 says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
What is confession? To confess our sin is to agree with God, acknowledging that he is right to declare what we have done as sinful, and that we are wrong to desire or to do it. It is to affirm our intention of abandoning that sin in order to follow him more faithfully

If we confess our sins before God and we then come into the light of truth and our lives should show that God is at work in us!

My challenge to you! Do you believe in the truth of the gospel of Christ in such a way that the light of Christ is shinning out of you so much, that everyone around you sees that it is God that is at work in your lives?

We do not live but for a millisecond in the realm of eternity, and I cannot explain why someone is dying at 23 years old, except for we live in a dying world that has not hope without Jesus. If I can say for even that millisecond I am alive, that I strived to see God glorified and I strived to live a life worthy of the cause. Then God can say as he does in Matthew 25:23, “'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'