Monday, November 9, 2009

Staring Down Sin

Suggested Bible Reading: Psalm 51

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Psalm 51:3

Growing up I heard fantastic “personal” testimonies. At every evangelistic service there would always be a speaker who mesmerized me with stories of their “life of sin.” My life seemed utterly boring by comparison. I loved hearing how God had reached down and pulled them out of their pit. Somehow it gave more meaning to my understanding of being “saved.” I loved Jesus, but I hadn’t really done anything from which I need to be “saved” from! At least that is what I thought.

Acknowledging our sin is usually the snag that trips us up when we follow Jesus. If we’ve lived a pretty “good” life it becomes particularly challenging. When we’re told to “confess our sins” what exactly do we confess?

It’s easy to focus only on sins “biggies” when faced with confession. But reading the Bible carefully, we discover that the “biggies” aren’t mentioned nearly as often as those things we don’t always consider “sin”—bad tempers, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk and lying (Colossians 3:8-9a The Message). Any one of these “sins” we can find an excuse for that seems plausible. But, no excuses are available for these or any sin.

When faced with “no excuses” sin there is no escaping confession. Whether they are conscious or unconscious sins, confession opens the door to a brand new life,

Thought for the Day: What sins do I make excuses for in my life?


Generous in love—God, give grace!
Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
my sins are staring me down.
Amen. (Psalm 51:1-2 The Message)

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