Psalm 139:24a
This is a hard one, at least for me. We want to be holy and perfect and pleasing to God. We want to have it all together, but we don't. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 8:28). So here we are, all sinners. Sin separates us from God, and "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:23). Only by grace and mercy can we be forgiven and draw close to God.
We know we are sinners, and God already knows we are sinners. But do we have to talk about it? If God already sees all our flaws, what good does it do to discuss them?
I think it is about the condition of our hearts. Even though we are saved by grace and mercy and Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins, we can still be separated from God. When we have an unacknowledged transgression in our lives or one we have hidden away from the world and ourselves, we are interfering with our ability to connect with God. Does He still love us? More than we can ever fathom. But when we do things (intentionally or unintentionally) that go against Him, it is us who are pulling away. He is still standing there with open arms, waiting for us.
When we admit our failures though, it releases something inside of us. That confession can give us a sense of freedom that wasn't there before. Giving it over to God puts our feet back on the path that leads to Him.
So it is one thing to confess the sins that we are aware of to God. It is another thing entirely to ask God to show you the ways that are offensive. That takes a whole new level of bravery and vulnerability. When King David wrote this psalm, he really wanted to know what God saw in him. I think that may be one reason he was called "A Man After God's Own Heart." He examined himself and invited God to examine him as well.
Today I am inviting you to follow David's lead. Have a conversation with just you and God and confess an area of your life where you have pulled away from Him.
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