“It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, to declare Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night, on an instrument of ten strings, and on the lyre, on the harp with a solemn sound.” Psalm 92:1-3
It is indeed good to continually thank and praise the LORD our God — with our voices and with musical instruments — for His mercy and for His faithfulness toward us in Christ Jesus, our Savior!
“We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator, in grateful devotion our tribute we bring; we lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee; we bless Thy holy name, glad praises we sing.” ( Tr. Julia B. Cory, 1902)
[Scripture quotations are taken from the Barbour Simplified KJV, copyright 2022, 2025. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc. Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.]
“But whoever keeps His word truly has the love of God perfected in him. By this we know we are in Him. Whoever says he remains in Him ought to walk as He walked. “ 1 John 2:5-6
If we truly know God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, it will move us to keep the word and teaching of our Lord Jesus. It is evidence that we trust in Christ Jesus as our Savior if we, as a fruit of faith, seek to walk as He walked.
O Holy Spirit, work through Your Word and grant me true faith in Christ Jesus and move me to live as he lived. Amen.
“By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:3-4
If one is a Christian — if he is truly sorry for his sins and looks in faith to Christ Jesus and His cross for pardon and forgiveness — he will then seek to keep Jesus’ commandments and live in accordance with God’s Word. One who claims to know Jesus Christ and trust in Him but disregards His commandments is a liar and not a true believer.
Grant that I truly repent of my sins and look to you in faith, Lord Jesus, that I may have forgiveness for all my sins and walk in accord with Your Word. Amen.
“My little children, I am writing these things to you, so that you do not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2
Why can we confess our sins and look in faith to God for pardon and forgiveness? How can a holy God be faithful and just in forgiving us all our sins? It is because our Advocate, Jesus Christ, who lived a righteous and holy life in our stead, made full atonement for our sins and the sins of all when He suffered and died on the cross.
O gracious and merciful God, forgive my sins and grant me pardon for the sake of Christ’s perfect righteousness in my stead and His perfect sacrifice for my sins. Amen.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9
If we deny the truth that we are sinners and guilty under God’s law, we are only deceiving ourselves. If we agree with God’s Word and acknowledge our guilt and sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness for the sake of the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, in our stead.
I am sinful and unclean, O God. Pardon my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross in my stead. Amen.
