A Good Cup of Coffee
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 (NIV)
I so enjoy that first sip of coffee in the morning! If it were not for the creamers, I’d never, ever imbibe. Love the smell of coffee brewing but just plain black coffee—nope, I can’t do it. Am I covering up the taste of the coffee? Maybe! We tend to cover up a lot of things we don’t like by adding something to make it “sweeter”. Grace Fox (Mornings with Jesus) has a great message for all of us.
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My mornings seem incomplete without coffee, so I knew I was in trouble on the day my coffeemaker failed. I flicked the off/on stitch several times, and it lit up as it always had, but nothing else had happened.
Checking the machine’s various parts led me to the root issue: the pod I’d inserted had broken and spilled grounds everywhere they didn’t belong. I could have tried to fix the problem by polishing the machine’s exterior, but of course, that wouldn’t have worked. I had to address the real issue and resolve it with a thorough cleaning. Within minutes my coffee maker was restored and brewing a cup of my favorite drink.
I savored my coffee that morning with new appreciation and thought about my relationship with Jesus. He is my everything—my source of strength, peace, hope, and joy. Allowing sin to creep into my life restricts those blessings. Gossip, envy, ingratitude, and unforgiveness jam my connection with Jesus and diminish my effectiveness as a reflector of His love and light.
I could try to resolve the problem by increasing my God-honoring activities to make myself look good on the outside, but that doesn’t work. Sin is the root issue, and only one solution fixes it: confession. True to His Word, Jesus forgives and cleanses me. He restores me to a right relationship with Him so I can once again live to please Him and fulfill my potential as a Kingdom builder.
FAITH STEP: Sip a cup of your favorite hot drink and invite Jesus to show you anything that is hindering your relationship with Him.
Gracious Father, we thank You for the grace that covers our sins. Please help us not to sugar-coat our sins but to face them head on at Your Throne where forgiveness abounds. AMEN.