Confession – Repeat

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.

Apparently – some folks had trouble reading this post on February 1. WordPress blocked many who hadn’t signed up by email for my blog post. This was not of my doing – but – if they do it again – you can simply sign up for delivery by email.

If we confess our sins – God is faithful and will forgive our sins. What does that mean to you? For some – it merely means they need to go through some ritualistic practice and continue on with their lives. What does confession mean to you – dear readers?

Confession – one definition I found says this – a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime. Sin can be seen as a crime against God.

Confession – here is another definition I found – a disclosure of one’s sins in the sacrament of reconciliation. Some religious orders see confession as part of a sacrament.

Confession – here is yet another definition I found – a formal statement of religious beliefs – like a creed. Here – the term confession – is seen as a statement of faith – a confession of what we believe.

Today – let’s stick with confession as part of what we are called to do – concerning our sins. First – what is sin? Sin is to be a willful transgression of God’s will or a known law of God. When we sin – it is our willful choice of our desire over God’s – a choosing to please self rather than God.

Confession

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The Devil Is Real

2 Corinthians 11:14

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

In High School – there were several High School teams we got up for above all the rest. They were our rivals – so to speak. Severna Park and Arundel were those teams (I attended Annapolis High School). There was no South River and no Broadneck High Schools in those days and Southern rarely gave us a scare in football (basketball yes – but not football).

In High School – whole schools get up for that week’s opponent – that week’s enemy. School colors were/are all over the stadium – pep rallies – and other events often precede contests with the number one foe. You don’t need to tell a High School student which schools are the arch rivals! They know it. They’ve heard about the rivalry well before they arrived at High School.

The School Year Begins Again

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

With school starting again (college – public and private schools) – I am reminded of this post from not too long ago. Our children (mostly) are facing the world without us. All of our lessons – we hope – have been instilled in them as they venture out into the world around them. My wife would send our girls off with this ringing in their ears each morning as they headed to school. Make good choices – listen to the Holy Spirit – and be aware of your surroundings. As the years mounted and technology increased – she added – and remember everything goes on YouTube.

Our children grew as they developed their character – and now our grandchildren. The decisions they made each day put another building block on their character. Hopefully we have helped to shape their character over the years – and now our children are helping to develop their children’s character. But – our influence seems to be less and less as they get out into the world.

How would you define character? I believe that the best definition I ever heard for character is this – character is what you do when no one is looking. The things we do when we think no one is looking or when we think no one will find out – define our character. Let me give an example.

What is on your computer you wouldn’t want anyone else to see? Ouch – was that someone’s toe I stepped on right there? I’m not talking about your bank account information or things like that – but rather your browser history – or your bookmarked sites – or your e-mails – or your Facebook account or other social media account. Who have you been in contact with you shouldn’t have been in contact with lately? If someone had access to your computer – would they see things you wouldn’t want them to see? Think about it? How about your cell phone – your pad or other type of device?

If character is what we would do if no one were watching – is there anything on our personal or work computers or devices we wouldn’t want anyone to know about? If married – does our spouse have our password for our e-mail? For our Facebook account? To even get onto our computer/pad or cell phone? If not – why not? Are we trying to hide something from them?

Character: We Should Desire Good Character

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

How would you define character? I believe that the best definition I ever heard or read for character is this – character is what you do when no one is looking. The things we do when we think no one is looking or when we think no one will find out – define our character. Let me give an example.

What is on your computer you wouldn’t want anyone else to see? Ouch – was that someone’s toe I stepped on right there? I’m not talking about your bank account or things like that – but rather your browser history – or your bookmarked sites – or your emails – or your Facebook account or other social media account. Who have you been in contact with you shouldn’t have been in contact with lately? If someone had access to your computer – would they see or read things you wouldn’t want them to see or read? Think about it? How about your cell phone – your pad or other device?

If character is what we would do if no one were watching – is there anything on our personal computer or devices we wouldn’t want anyone to know about? If married – does our spouse have our password for our email and other accounts? For our Facebook account? To even get onto our computer/pad or cell phone? If not – why not? Are we trying to hide something from them?