All of us should remind ourselves regularly that we are sinners. We have and continue to face and fall to sin at some level even after we are on the right path on a lifelong journey with Jesus Christ. Jesus reminds His disciples in teaching them to pray that they should ask forgiveness and remember to forgive others daily.
12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
We should be careful never to conclude that we no longer sin. Our sin problem will only be fully solved when we go to be with the Lord in heaven when we die or when He returns.
In the meanwhile, we must remain vigilant and humble, asking the Holy Spirit to convict us of wrong doing so we can admit we are wrong, repent and change our behavior and attitude, ask God’s forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ, and turn toward doing things His way.
What wonderful news that we can never make too big a mistake to be forgiven! David was a man after God’s own heart… not by his own claim, but by God’s.
21“Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22“After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’
Even David sinned, and sinned big from time to time… adultery, murder, and more. But when David was confronted with his sin he would consistently repent and ask God forgiveness and then change his ways. It was not that he stopped making mistakes, but he was humble enough to admit it and take the right action to fall before God humbly and genuinely seeking forgiveness. We can all learn a lot from David in that regard.
Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.
A Psalm of David, for a memorial.
1O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath,
And chasten me not in Your burning anger.
2For Your arrows have sunk deep into me,
And Your hand has pressed down on me.
3There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
4For my iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5My wounds grow foul and fester
Because of my folly.
6I am bent over and greatly bowed down;
I go mourning all day long.
7For my loins are filled with burning,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am benumbed and badly crushed;
I groan because of the agitation of my heart.
9Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.
11My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen stand afar off.
12Those who seek my life lay snares for me;
And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction,
And they devise treachery all day long.
13But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15For I hope in You, O LORD;
You will answer, O Lord my God.
16For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.”
17For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18For I confess my iniquity;
I am full of anxiety because of my sin.
19But my enemies are vigorous and strong,
And many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20And those who repay evil for good,
They oppose me, because I follow what is good.
21Do not forsake me, O LORD;
O my God, do not be far from me!
22Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
For all of us who are far from perfect… and yes, that is all of us… we can take great comfort in knowing that God is not surprised by that. God does not expect us to be perfect. He expects us to commit our heart to Him fully. When we make mistakes, small or large, we are not to deny or rationalize them but rather admit our sin and accept the consequences. We ask Him for forgiveness and repent, turning away from sin and toward God’s way of doing things. There is no sin to big for God to forgive through Jesus Christ! This is always good news.
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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.