All Access - Day 17 - May 2

Read – 1 John 3:1-10

Let’s be honest: living a pure life is challenging. There is so much in our culture to lead us astray. It’s easy to read this passage and feel the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit. After all, followers of Jesus contend with sin every day.

When you read verse 6, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning,” if you’re like me you’re left thinking, “I still struggle with sin. Does that mean I am not living in Christ?” The subtle distinction in this verse is between someone who commits a sin and someone who cherishes a sin.

We all commit sins and, when we repent of that sin, confessing it to the Father we receive grace and forgiveness. What John is talking about here is unrepentant sin for which a person is not sorry and does not seek forgiveness. It is sin that is nurtured and loved too much to be rejected in favor of holy living.

The only way to experience victory over the stubborn sin that you struggle to uproot from your life is to 1) rely on the Holy Spirit within you as you read and apply God’s Word, 2) to know what situations tempt you and to stay away from them and 3) to find Christian brothers and sisters who will help you overcome your weaknesses.

That’s why it is so important for us to understand that, when our willpower runs out we have access to God’s

All Access - Day 16 - May 1

READ – 1 John 2:15-29

Even when we know we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the things of this world compete for our allegiance to Christ. The “…craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions,” all compete for our affection.

John tells us that the things of this world are passing away. All that really matters are eternal things. And yet we chase the possessions, power and pleasure that this world dangles in front of our hungry eyes despite the fact that they’re all temporary and only serve to lead us astray.

The antidote to the allure of worldly affections is to live life according to the Holy Spirit. John writes,

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

Living in Christ is not automatic. Like any other relationship there has to be ongoing communication and interaction. The only way your relationship with Christ will grow is by spending time with him. When you do, the Holy Spirit’s influence in your life grows, too, giving you confidence, “…so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.”

All Access - Day 15 - April 30

READ – 1 John 2:7-14

The Apostle John writes more about the topic of love than any other bible author. His words in the gospel of John are perhaps the most famous in all of scripture: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

His biography of Jesus concludes with a command to live out the love we have for him by feeding his sheep, that is, to care for our fellow Christ followers.

John picks up his familiar theme in the first letter that he wrote to the earliest Christians, telling them “to love one another.” This love for each other is a sign that you have overcome the evil one, and that you are living in the light of Christ. It is a sign that God is at work in your life, whether you are a new Christian or a mature Christian.

Just as we have access to his willpower when ours runs out, when you aren’t sure that you’re able to love that difficult co-worker, that thorny relative, or that troubling classmate, you have access to God’s love, through Jesus.