Monitor your heart daily to avoid wandering from God’s wisdom.

日日省察内心，免得偏离上帝的道路。

I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant. Psalm 119:176

我如亡羊走迷了路，求祢寻找仆人。-诗篇119篇176节

My friend Norm Cook sometimes had a surprise for his family when he arrived home from work. He would walk through the front door, and shout, “You’re forgiven!” It wasn’t that family members had wronged him and needed hisforgiveness. He was reminding them that though they doubtless had sinned throughout the day, they were by God’s grace fully forgiven.

有时候，我的朋友诺曼下班回家时，会试着给他的家人一个惊喜。他进了家门之后，会大声喊着说：“你们得到赦免了！”其实，他的家人并没有做错什么事，需要诺曼的原谅。他只是在提醒他们，尽管一天当中难免会犯罪，但他们却因上帝的恩典，得着完全的赦免。

The apostle John supplies this note about grace: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin [no inclination to sin], we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7–9).

使徒约翰曾在约翰一书中提到上帝的恩典：“我们若在光明中行，如同上帝在光明中，就彼此相交，祂儿子耶稣的血也洗净我们一切的罪。我们若说自己无罪[没有犯罪的倾向]，便是自欺，真理不在我们心里了；我们若认自己的罪，上帝是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义。”（1章7-9节）

To “walk in the light” is a metaphor for following Jesus. Imitating Jesus with the Spirit’s help, John insists, is the sign that we have joined with the apostles in the fellowship of faith. We are authentic Christians. But, he continues, let’s not be deceived: We will make wrong choices at times. Nevertheless, grace is given in full measure: We can take what forgiveness we need.

“在光明中行”是跟随耶稣的象征。约翰表明，当我们靠着圣灵的帮助效法耶稣，就显明我们与历代圣徒有相同的信仰根基，都是真正的基督徒。然而，他也劝我们切勿自欺：我们也会做错误的选择。尽管如此，上帝已赐下丰盛无尽的恩典，我们都能得着所需要的赦免。

Not perfect; just forgiven by Jesus! That’s the good word for today.

愿今日我们都能谨记，基督徒并非完美，只是蒙了耶稣的赦免！

Lord, I know I’m not even close to being perfect. That’s why I need You and Your cleansing in my life. I’m lost without You.

主，我深知自己极不完美，

因此我需要祢，需要祢亲自洁净我的生命。
若没有祢，我将迷失方向。

1 John 1New International Version (NIV)

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our^[a] joy complete.

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[b] sin.

⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

整理：于姊妹