2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Hosea 10:1-14:9 ESV, Jude 1:1-25 ESV, Psalm 127:1-5 ESV, Proverbs 29:15-17 ESV
Daily Verse: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,” (Jude 1:24 ESV)
AMOMOS (299): “As an adjective, means “without blame.” Unblemished, unblameable, without spot, faultless, without fault.”[1]
Without blame.
As a kid, whenever an “incident” happened, mom always wanted to know what I did wrong. A wise woman, she knew getting in trouble takes two, never one person’s fault entirely. And so, she looked for my guilt first when the note came home from school.
Life with Jesus frees us from our misdeeds. When the note gets sent home to God, He only sees Christ standing before us, defending our actions.
But Jesus does more than forgive our sins; He shows us how to change our ways, so we don’t get any more notes sent home. Following Christ helps us not make the same mistakes twice. When we stumble, Jesus allows us to do it over.
Learn the lesson.
When we falter, and we all do, learn the lesson God’s trying to teach you. Instead of blaming someone else for your actions, ask God how He’s trying to grow you in the circumstances.
Just like when my mom wanted to know my part in whatever misdeed happened, God wants us to acknowledge our sins. By doing so, we can do better the next time around. And God always gives us the next time.
As I grow in Christ, He teaches me the most through my relationships. God convicts me of my critical spirit in a myriad of different ways. At a recent church service while out of town, when the solo singer started playing music from her phone to accompany her, I immediately thought, “Great, this will be painful.”
But instead, I listened to one of the most poignant renditions of “We All Need Jesus” I ever heard. Immediately, God convicted me of my critical spirit and jumping to conclusions, which led to repentance and a contrite heart.
God considers us blameless when we place our faith in Jesus. Christ helps us walk in the light by correcting us when we head down the wrong path. The closer we walk with Jesus, the sooner we receive the corrections we need and the better we’ll walk in stride with Him, blameless in Christ’s eyes.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 18) Thomas Nelson
