Dear SCC & Friends,
If we confess… ~1 John 1:9
Reflection #319
Making a good confession is a sign of strength even though it may seem like weakness… Forgiveness is always free. But that doesn’t mean that confession is always easy. Sometimes it’s hard… incredibly hard. It’s painful to admit our sins and entrust ourselves to God’s care. ~Lutzer~ Our confession doesn’t make God aware of our sins since He is omniscient. Rather, He brings awareness to us regarding our sin (missing the mark) and our need for forgiveness… I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. ~Ps. 32:5 Confession is far more than a passive acknowledgement or mental assent that we are not perfect. It’s a visible outer action that is verbally expressed and essential to our salvation. …if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ~Rom. 10:9-10
Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. ~Thomas Merton~ When we make a good confession, we are affirming our genuine faith and trust in God. It moves us from darkness into the light… from brokenness and disconnect to wholeness and reconciliation… Confession is to be a normal part of our ongoing relationship with the Lord and one another. It is the primary means the Lord has given us to cleanse, restore and reconcile… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~1 Jn. 1:9 The elements of a good confession are sincerity, personal integrity and humility… No excuses – No blame shifting – It is a fight, but it’s a good fight undergirded by our good confession… Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ~1 Tim. 6:12 We can do this… Keep up the good work!
Made for these days,
Kevin