What Are We Practicing?

Day 337: 1 John 3:7-24

“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” - 1 John 3:7-8 ESV

Bad habits have a good way of haunting us. The roots of the habitual run deep. They entangle our hearts, propelling us to focus on the things that we hate.

We will all make isolated mistakes. How we react after those missteps reflects for whom we are actually living. One act of sin doesn't define us, but it becomes dangerous when we let it bloom into a lifestyle. This is when the devil has his way with us.

How do we protect ourselves from these destructive lifestyles?  We refuse to stay down when we slip. We get up. We shake it off. We re-fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). We hit our knees in prayer, confessing our ignorance, defiance, and pride. We soak ourselves in God's word, letting Him re-remind us of who we are in Christ. We serve the poor and the forgotten. We stubbornly love and forgive our family, no matter how they act toward us.

Wherever you are, stop and read the following verses from Micah 7:7-9, 18-19 (NLT):

As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.
Do not gloat over me, my enemies!
For though I fall, I will rise again.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.
I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against him.
But after that, he will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies.
The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness.
Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.
Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

“John is emphasizing this great truth because some were in danger of being led astray by the gnostic teachings that sin was not a reality. They needed to be told that forgiveness and cleansing from sin are vitally important to all of them. Paul faced this same problem, and he deals with it in Romans 6:1ff. He asked them ‘Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?’ to which he answered, ‘By no means!’” - Marcus M. Womack