14th - 20th October 2024
In my early teens I used to spend most Thursday evenings out on the streets of Rathcoole with some others from my local church, knocking doors and seeking to start conversations with people about Jesus.
Winter nights were always challenging because they were dark, cold and normally wet or at best damp! Not the most encouraging conditions to head out onto the streets. Often streets lights would not be working or we would have to walk through an entryway that was dark and it was difficult to see.
I used to love getting a chance to enter the flats in Rathcoole. There were a number of reasons, not least that you came in from the dark, cold and damp. The first thing you would always do as you entered was to turn on the entrance light which illuminated the hallway, the doors on the ground floor and the staircase to the other flats. There was something warm and comforting about coming out of the darkness, turning on the lights and seeing clearly again.
One of the verses that was shared often on the doors with those who were open to talk about their faith was 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
These words are written within the context of what it means to walk in the light, to be seen, not hidden in the darkness. I often remind myself of the importance of this truth in my own life and also encourage others to reflect on this truth, that we cannot have fellowship with God or one another if we are hiding sin, if we are refusing to confront sin in our lives, if we are not willing to step out of the shadows and into the light so nothing can be hidden.
I am thankful for the constant reminder my parents gave me as a child to keep short accounts with the Lord. To pray every day, admitting my failings, my natural sinfulness, my need of forgiveness, to share my desire to know real joy in my life through growing in my knowledge of who God is and all that he has accomplished for me. Encouraging me to walk in the light and not to live a hidden life in the dark.
This week we will take time to allow 1 John 1:4-10 to lead us in our prayers. I trust you will find that walking in the light is much more enjoyable than hiding in the dark!
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
We write this to make our joy complete.
1 John 1:4
Heavenly Father, thank you that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Thank you for your word, for those who faithfully passed it on, wrote it down, translated, made it available for me to read. Thank you for organisations such as Wycliffe Bible Translators and Biblica that continue to ensure your word is being translated and made available to those who have never had a bible in their own language. Thank you it is in knowing you that we can experience real joy, joy that is complete. Help me to experience the inner, spiritual joy that is mine through Christ. Thank you for our current series in Ephesians and what it is teaching me about who I am in Christ and how much I am loved. Thank you, Father, for sending Jesus to be the Lord of life, the light that illuminates and the giver of real joy. Amen.
TUESDAY
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5
Heavenly Father, thank you for the good news of the gospel. Thank you for … (if you know the names of people who shared the gospel with you – thank God for them). Thank you that they took the time to share the gospel message with me. Thank you that I have been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and placed into the kingdom of your Son. May I shine for you this day, may the light of Christ’s life and his love be seen through my actions and attitudes today. Help me to shine for Jesus today. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
1 John 1:6
Dear Lord, help me to guard my heart today because there are times when it has been divided and I know that darkness and light cannot walk together. Father in heaven, keep me close to you today, help me to lean into you, to trust in you, to acknowledge you in all that I do. I come to you this day and admit my need of you, I confess my sinfulness and ask that when temptation comes to me you will help me find the way of escape, so I do not move into the darkness but rather I stand firm and stay with you in the light. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THURSDAY
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
Heavenly Father, I praise you for who you are and I thank you today for the blood of Jesus, your one and only Son, which cleanses me from all my sin, the past, the present and the future. It’s so hard to comprehend the depth of your forgiveness and love. I pray that I would have a greater understanding of this truth in my life. Thank you that because I am your child I am also part of your family. I am your child and this means I can enjoy the benefit of fellowship with my brothers and sisters … (think of Christian friends and thank God for them). Help me to develop a more intimate fellowship with you and also with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me to see and love them as you do. Thank you for loving me and making me a part of your incredible family. Amen.
FRIDAY
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8
Heavenly Father, thank you for my new life in Christ. Sometimes, because I have known you for many years, I forget that I had an old life and now I have a new life in you. Help me to live my life for your praise and glory. Thank you that my sins have been forgiven and the power that sin has over me was defeated at the cross. Help me in the power of the Holy Spirit to resist the devil, help me to be alert to the reality of the spiritual battle that is raging every day. Help me not to be complacent about my faith and my need to stay close to you. Help me to remember that I am still broken, still sinful at heart. Help me not to be deceived into thinking I can live life in my own strength, but rather help me to grow in my knowledge of who you are and what you have accomplished for me because of Jesus. Help me to live in your strength. Amen.
SATURDAY
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Heavenly Father, you are the almighty God, the one who forgives all our sins. Thank you that I can trust your word because you are faithful and just. Thank you that you keep your word and when I confess my sins I know that you hear me and forgive me. Help me to accept that I am cleansed, purified, that I do not have to live with the guilt of my wrongdoings but rather live in the freedom that your forgiveness gives me. I love you, Father. Amen.
SUNDAY
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:10
Heavenly Father, I pray that your word may dwell richly in me, that it would be a light to show me the way to live for you. Help me to take time to read your word. As we journey through the book of Ephesians on Sundays, in home groups and in our private devotions, will you reveal yourself and help us to know you better. May your word penetrate my mind, may it reveal my sin, may it help me to recognise my dependency on you for everything. Help me to be honest with you, help me not to try and hide from you and live in darkness, help me to live in the light and in the freedom that has been purchased for me through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Amen.