Title: Love and Forgiveness (1 John 01:9)
Content Sin destroys human pride and brings self-blame caused by shame. Because of this, the person who has sinned has no choice but to lose respect for himself and lead a painful life. Damage to self-esteem is directly related to damage to happiness.
It is self-esteem that makes human beings human. When a person has this self-esteem, he is happy no matter what situation he is in. However, when a person loses self-esteem, even if the environment is rich, he cannot help but feel a dark misery on the inside. For this reason, there are often cases around us where people who have lost their self-esteem do not hesitate to commit atrocities while falling into desperation.
For humans, self-esteem is the last bulwark. Sin inevitably destroys this last bastion. But the blood of Jesus restores pride and keeps it strong. Any sinner can attain righteousness by relying on the blood of Jesus and live vigorously with a noble view of self before God.
We see countless instances of such hardened and condemned people who, after believing in Jesus, change in a wonderful way and practice holy deeds. Do you know why? It is because they restored their self-esteem by obtaining righteousness from God. Except for the blood of Jesus, there is nothing that can restore human pride. Because damage to self-esteem is directly related to sin, and it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us of that sin.
After our family is renewed by the blood of the Lord, we should live our lives while respecting and loving our neighbors. Humans are generous with themselves, but have a habit of terrifyingly condemning and judging others. Humans are indeed hypocrites and cowards when we recall that there are no perfect personalities. What can clear this evil habit that is entrenched in the human heart? Only the blood of Jesus. When we gain righteousness through the blood of Jesus, we have a responsibility to understand and forgive others. All Christians are debtors. We owe love and forgiveness. Through Jesus, we become God's people, loved ones, and eternal beings. Because we are like this, we need to understand and forgive the difficulties and mistakes of others.
However, we cannot do this understanding and forgiveness on our own. When we are given the power of the blood of Jesus, we are moved by that forgiveness and love, so that we can understand and forgive any enemy. No religion, ethics, or morality of man can set man free. Only the blood of Jesus can set people free. Only the blood of Jesus sets people free, restores pride and charity, and makes them eternally God's people. Therefore, the greatest value in this world is the blood of Jesus. We Christians are to thank, praise, and testify of this supreme value every day.
Prayer: We thank God for renewing our family. We confess that our family is living day by day with God's love and grace. Forgive me the sin of betraying and rebelling against God's love. They want to live a new life as a new creature. Help us and increase our faith. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Congregational Prayer: The Lord's Prayer for Family Peace