Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Confession

Suggested Bible Reading
The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
-James 5:15-20 (NRSV)

 

Today's Scripture

When you realize your guilt . . . you shall confess the sin that you have committed.
-Leviticus 5:5 (NRSV)

 

WE know we are supposed to confess our sins and seek forgiveness. But imagine finding not a forgiving God but a judge who is about to sentence us to life in prison. How would that change our outlook on confession?

 

 

The answer to the question is: it doesn't have to. Having accepted Christ into my life six days after my arrest, I stood before the judge knowing that I could not both stand for Christ and lie on the witness stand. So, I confessed and, according to the penalty prescribed by law, was given a life sentence. Confessing was one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but ironically it was also the most rewarding. God took the small faith I had when I told the truth in court and began a work that has sustained me for over 20 years in one of the world's toughest prisons. I do not think this would have been possible had I refused to confess my sin and to live for God.

 

 

By confessing our sins before God and people, we also confess our total reliance upon God's grace and mercy. The measure of mercy we receive depends on our willingness to admit our shortcomings. Our reward is a closer, more intimate relationship with the One who someday will judge the world.

Richard Ryan (Ohio, U.S.A.)

Prayer
Lord, help us to lay our sins at the foot of the cross and to humbly seek your face. Grant us your loving mercy. Amen.
Thought for the Day
Even when we fear our sins, we can confess them and find forgiveness.

 

Prayer Focus

For courage to confess our sins