Thought for Monday, 9 January 2023

 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful

and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Forgiveness, something we all look for more often than we like to admit. Not a day passes for me when I don’t find myself praying for forgiveness, either for something I have done or for something I have not done. Usually both are involved.

I cannot speak for you but so often I will be looking back at what I have done during my day when I think about something and realise I may have been able to help in a certain situation but didn’t think of it at the time. More to the point is when I think about when I said something and immediately regretted it. Unfortunately, words cannot be taken back once they are said, no matter how much we apologise, once we have said something, it stays said.

However, when we are praying we need to be honest, with God and with ourselves. There is no point in asking forgiveness for something then giving excuses for why we committed the sin. How can we ask forgiveness for something without taking full responsibility for it? I know God freely forgives but I don’t think that works if we are not truly sorry for the sin we are guilty of.

In Psalm 51: 17 David speaks about a broken spirit with a broken and contrite heart as a sacrifice for his ‘very great sin’.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon used to tell this story:

“A certain duke once boarded a galley ship. As he passed the crew of slaves, he asked several of them what their offenses were. Nearly every man claimed he was innocent. They laid the blame on someone else or accused the judge of yielding to bribery. One young fellow, however, spoke out, ‘Sir, I deserve to be here. I stole some money. No one is at fault but me, I’m guilty.’ Upon hearing this, the duke seized him by the shoulder and shouted, ‘You scoundrel, you! What are you doing here with all these honest men? Get out of their company at once!’ He was then set at liberty while the rest were left to tug at the oars.”

Are we going to be with those tugging on the oars? Or worse are we going to be sent to the left with the goats when Jesus comes to separate them from His sheep? (Matthew 25).

We need to be honest in our prayers for forgiveness, admitting our failings and accepting that without the grace of God’s forgiveness we are completely lost.

 

Prayer

Almighty Father, we thank You for the grace and mercy You have bestowed on us, sinners though we are, You see past our sins to what is in our hearts. We know that You can see a broken and contrite heart when we are sorry in truth for those things we have done wrong. Help us to know temptation when it arises and to be able to reject it when it happens. May we be an example to others each time we are able to turn away from the temptations of this world. We come to You in Jesus wonderful name, amen.