Tag: Disgrace

41.y. “Let My People Go” – 7. Hail

 

 

Exodus 9:13  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.  For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.  But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.  You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.  Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’”  Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,  but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”  Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.  There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.  The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.  Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.  Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.  Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.”  (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.  But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)  So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

 Psalms 83:17-18  Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace,  that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

 Proverbs 16:4   The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

In this bold declaration, God told Pharaoh through Moses that his resistance was being used for God’s glory. If Pharaoh though he was accomplishing anything with his resistance against God, he was completely wrong. All his stubborn rebellion merely glorified the LORD more in the end. God invited Pharaoh and the Egyptians to trust Him by recommending precautions before the plague. Some took God’s invitation and spared their livestock, but others did not. I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked: This sounds like perfect words of repentance from Pharaoh, but true repentance had not worked its way into his heart. Pharaoh was grieved at the consequences of sin, but not at the sin itself. “Moses does not believe that pharaoh will keep his word, yet he grants the request so that pharaoh may be without excuse.”  Hardening the heart against God is sin; failing to repent when God graciously answers our plea is to ignore His rich mercy is to sin yet more. (Guzik)

Moses is here ordered to deliver a dreadful message to Pharaoh. Providence ordered it, that Moses should have a man of such a fierce and stubborn spirit as this Pharaoh to deal with; and every thing made it a most signal instance of the power of God has to humble and bring down the proudest of his enemies. When God’s justice threatens ruin, his mercy at the same time shows a way of escape from it. God not only distinguished between Egyptians and Israelites, but between some Egyptians and others. If Pharaoh will not yield, and so prevent the judgment itself, yet those that will take warning, may take shelter. Some believed the things which were spoken, and they feared, and housed their servants and cattle, and it was their wisdom. Even among the servants of Pharaoh, some trembled at God’s word; and shall not the sons of Israel dread it? But others believed not, and left their cattle in the field. Obstinate unbelief is deaf to the fairest warnings, and the wisest counsels, which leaves the blood of those that perish upon their own heads. (Henry)

A peculiar feature of the plague is the warning (ver. 19) whereby those who believed the words of Moses, were enabled to escape a great part of the ill effects of the storm. It is a remarkable indication of the impression made by the previous plagues, that the warning was taken by a considerable number of the Egyptians, who by this means saved their cattle and their slaves. (Unknown)

The same type of warning can be said given in John 3:16-21  “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Rev. 22:7 And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Rev. 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.”
Rev. 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

There are many warnings in God’s Word to people, and as well, many examples of warnings that were not believed to the harm of those hearing and blessings to those who did listen and acted according to His Word. In Acts it says that no man has an excuse for denial, rejection, and disobedience to God.  The clear warning of eternal Hell and torment or the blessing of eternal life in Heaven is promised and He, the Creator and Author of all there is will indeed carry out what He has clearly stated for judgment and blessing.  Like those in Egypt who denied the warning of God and suffered and died will be those who deny God’s offer of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness.  Jesus will come quickly when He is not expected and those found void will forever be eternally in Hell and torment.  Today is the day of salvation.  Do not wait another second, your eternal destiny is but one breath away.

35.f. ” Your nakedness shall be uncovered”

 

 

 

Genesis 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

 Isaiah 47:3   Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.

 Isaiah 54:4   “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth,

 Jeremiah 6:15   Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says the LORD.

 Jeremiah 17:13   O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.

 Mark 8:38   For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

This is corroborated by the statement contained in Genesis 2:25. “They were both naked, and were not ashamed.” Of nakedness in our sense of the term they had as yet no conception. On the contrary, they were conscious of being sufficiently clothed in a physical sense by nature’s covering, the skin – and, in a spiritual point of view, they were clad as in a panoply of steel with the consciousness of innocence, or, indeed, the unconsciousness of evil existing anywhere, and the simple ignorance of its nature, except so far as the command of God had awakened in them some speculative conception of it. Hence, they were not ashamed. For shame implies a sense of guilt, which they did not have, and an exposedness to the searching eye of a condemning judge, from which they were equally free. (Barnes)

To wit, of their nakedness, as having no guilt, nor cause of shame, no filthy or evil inclinations in their bodies, no sinful concupiscence or impure motions in their souls, but spotless innocency and perfection, which must needs exclude shame. (Poole)

And they were both naked, the man and his wife,…. Were as they were created, having no clothes on them, and standing in need of none, to shelter them from the heat or cold, being in a temperate climate; or to conceal any parts of their bodies from the sight of others, there being none of the creatures to guard against on that account: and were not ashamed; having nothing in them, or on them, or about them, that caused shame; nothing sinful, defective, scandalous or blameworthy; no sin in their nature, no guilt on their consciences, or wickedness in their hands or actions; and particularly they were not ashamed of their being naked, no more than children are to see each other naked, or we are to behold them: besides, they were not only alone, and none to behold them; but their being naked was no disgrace to them, but was agreeably to their nature; and they were not sensible that there was any necessity or occasion to cover themselves, nor would they have had any, had they continued in their innocent state: moreover, there was not the least reason to be ashamed to appear in such a manner, since they were but one flesh. (Gill)

The sense of shame is the shadow which temptation to sin throws across the pathway of purity. (Cambridge)

Mankind’s original purity and innocence of good and evil was a blessed state. Living in harmony with God and unashamed. How far mankind has fallen from their original state.  Knowing good and evil has given mankind a choice to choose one or the other. Many of our choices leave us ashamed in the light of God’s Word and our purpose of Honoring and Glorifying Jesus Christ in all we thing, say, and do; at least it should.

32.u. “So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace”

 

Matthew 12:38  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

 James 4:4    You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

 Luke 11:29-30   When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.  For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

 Ezekiel 16:51-52   Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.  Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

Jesus condemned them for seeking after a sign, especially when countless signs had already happened before their eyes. It is easy to overestimate the power of miraculous signs to change the heart of doubters and skeptics. (Guzik)

Every believer displays a miraculous sign. They are born again. They are a new creation. They are filled with the Holy Spirit of God. This miracle certainly ought to be seen and witnessed in the lives of every believer. Why else would Paul say “to be ready to give an answer to anyone who, when they see the hope in you ask where is it from.”

Jonah spent three days in the belly of a great fish – certainly, he died but after 3 days he was spit up onto shore alive. Jonah was a sign to Nineveh and they recognized it. The Queen of Sheba recognized the wisdom God gave Solomon. The central point to be sure in this is; “you are asking for a sign – I am God’s sign – and you have failed to recognize Me”.  because of this they will, as an example, rise up in judgment against you. Simply put, Nineveh had lesser signs shining in their presence (it was the Word of God spoken by Jonah) and repented. Greater will be the judgment on those who have been given greater signs – the presence of the Son of God doing signs and wonders daily in your presence. This rejection by the religious leaders is indefensible. 

Think about this; Jonah preached for 40 days – Jesus preached for several years. Jonah preached but displayed no miracles – Jesus preached and did miracles, signs, and wonders often. The people of Nineveh repented – the religious leaders rejected a much great witness.

The Word of God has never been so available as it is right now. There is no excuse for not knowing how to find it. There is no excuse for being too busy to find the time to go get your bible – it is in your pocket via your phone. There are hundreds of apps available to help study the bible and hundreds of thousands of resources available with just a click on your screen.  There is no excuse for neglecting it. I wonder if it could be said that these religious leaders efforts will stand in judgment against those who are too busy to take time in God’s Word, too busy to meditate on it, too busy to have little to no application in their lives, too busy to hear what quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit’s leading, too busy to pray, too busy in worship, too busy to help others, too busy to give, too busy to be kind, too busy to praise Jesus, too busy to ……

We should be very mindful of how we spend our time in light of the abundance and availability of God’s Word in our lives. Anytime idleness and busyness are allowed into our lives, Jesus Christ will never be honored and glorified.

26.n. “Help me understand your instruction”

Psalms 119:33  Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes, and I will always keep them. Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart. Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it. Turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest profit. Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways. Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you. Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, your judgments are good. How I long for your precepts! Give me life through your righteousness.

“The general desire expressed in this division is that for guidance. It is not an appeal for direction in some special case of difficulty, but rather for the clear manifestation of the meaning of the will of God.” (Morgan)

We should have the expectation of following God and His word to the end. “The end of our keeping the law will come only when we cease to breathe; no good man will think of marking a date and saying, ‘It is enough, I may now relax my watch, and live after the manner of men.’” (Spurgeon)

Without understanding, the psalmist could not follow the desire of his transformed heart. We need understanding to persevere in the faith. The psalmist had no doubt that God had given His word to us; his only fear was that he would not understand it (or be distracted from it). Yet he was utterly confident that God had spoken and that it could be understood rightly by the prayerful heart and mind. Despite his delight and desire for God’s word, the psalmist knows he cannot walk in God’s path without God’s empowering.

“He is asking God to turn his heart toward the Bible rather than allowing him to pursue selfish gain. For the first time he is confessing a potentially divided mind.” (Boice) 

The psalmist rightly understood that some things, comparatively speaking, are worthless things. They are of no value for eternity and little value for the present age. He prayed that God would empower and enable him to turn away his eyes and attention from such things. Many lives are wasted because people find themselves unwilling or unable to turn away their eyes from worthless things. The modern world with its media and entertainment technology brings before us an endless river of worthless things to occupy not only our eyes and time, but also our heart and minds.  He did not gouge out his own eyes or pray God to do it; instead he wanted to look another way, a better way. The best way to look away from sin is to look at something else. “The prayer is not so much that the eyes may be shut as ‘turned away;’ for we need to have them open, but directed to right objects.” (Spurgeon) 

“As I desire that I may be dull and dead in affections to worldly vanities; so, Lord, make me lively, and vigorous, and fervent in thy work and service.” (Poole)

12.i.”And the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

Habakkuk 2:15  “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.

Jeremiah 25:15    Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

Revelation 17:2     with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.”

Revelation 18:3    For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

We read of drunkenness both literally and metaphorically in Scripture.  When consumption of alcohol is used to dull the senses to the point of affecting reason, this is bad. When alcohol is used literally a person becomes void of reason and allows a person to do what they would normally not even consider doing.  When inhibitions are lost there is a host of sins just waiting to come to life and produce the fruit of the sinful nature.  This sin has no bounds or limits.  How many families do you know of that has been affected by the use and abuse of alcohol?  It is not that alcohol is bad but there is a fine line that can be stepped over very easily.  People say and do things under the influence of alcohol that they would not even dare think or do sober.  It seems alcohol is used to dull senses and replace the need for prayer, reliance on Jesus Christ, and hearing the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit of God.  In this dullness, there appears to be a reprieve of what troubles the soul.  How many TV or movie shows do see where after something bad or taxing has happened they reach for a bottle of whiskey or some other strong drink to calm their concerns.  They would have us believe this is the normal thing to do rather than calling out to God for help.  “Come unto me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest”.  This comes from God alone and not a bottle.

Metaphorically drinking is used to show uninhibited drunkenness with power, luxurious living, and sexual immorality.  People as well as nations fall because of this.  Remember the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the prosperity they drank from the cup of sexual immorality and as well from the cup of the Wrath of God.  When God is removed from the heart and soul a person’s mind will be filled with uninhibited sinful desires.  Some of these will manifest themselves with things we can see and other things we cannot. The cup they blindly choose to drink from is filled with worldly sinful passions and will result in also drinking the cup of God’s wrath. The end result is separation from the One and True God who is able to save, comfort, and encourage us now and throughout eternity.

186. Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard

2 Kings 19:1  As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’

We read this of Hezekiah, “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.”

Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and yet, he and his people are besieged.  The Assyrian king sent his men to overtake Judah.  They mocked Hezekiah and the God he served, trusted, and relied on.

I think it important to note that trouble and trials come to every person under the sun.  We do well to recognize God in and through our troubles and trials.  Never give up hope in His steadfast love, power, and might.  Be like Job when he heard the news of the loss of his children.  Job 1:20-21  “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Do not allow the troubles and trials of the day take you away from trusting God more, relying on God more, and clinging to God more.  In our heart we hurt, in our mind, we become numb and lost, but in our soul, we will find a peace that passes all understanding when we humbly lay our hurts, troubles, and trials at the feet of Jesus and honor and glorify Him through ever increasing trust and faith in him.

Shame and disgrace

 

Psalms 83:16  Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace,  that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalms 9:19    Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you!  Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!

Psalms 9:16    The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

2 Kings 19:19    So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.”

Jeremiah 16:21    “Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD.”

Ezekiel 38:23    So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Isaiah 42:8    I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Daniel 4:25    till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.

These scriptures are directed at those who deny God, His power, might, glory, and holiness.  At some point there will be awareness and shame as they stand before God and see with their eyes and know with their mind.   In this denial judgement and destruction waits.  It is an obvious end for those who reject God.  However believers need to be mindful that God is not to be something of second thought or insurance policy in time of need.  What good does it profit anyone of us to have a form of godliness in our lives but not have any substance.  When scripture speaks of God’s love it is in depth and width both being endless / forever / steadfast.  When it speaks of His power it is in unlimited power / strength / might.  This is the God who is worthy of all praise, glory, and honor.  Serve Him more fully each day.  Learn of Him more fully each day.  Honor Him more fully each day. Listen to whispers of His voice leading more fully each day.  And obey His leading more fully each day.

 

What to Confess

“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

“Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.”

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.”

Psalms 32:1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

Luke 11:28  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Revelation 22:14  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

2 Corinthians 5:19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Jeremiah 31:18  I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.  For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.

Hosea 7:14  They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me.

Lamentations 3:8  though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;

Luke 16:15  And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Jeremiah 2:35  you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.’ Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’

1 John 1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 28:13  Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Psalms 38:18  I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

Psalms 51:3  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

There is much for us to learn about sin.  Throughout our lives we continue to learn how we sin against God.  That is, we do, if we stay in His word and seek to follow Him.  How do we know if we sin if our heart, mind, and soul is focused on what our culture says is acceptable, permissible, and lawful if we are not feeding on God’s word with a desire to humbly serve, honor and glorify Him.  Don’t we sound a lot like those who do not confess, do not acknowledge, try to conceal, or say I am innocent of sinning against God?  Do we think we can plead ignorance when God’s word is so readily available? Certainly not.  Look at those who cry out to God and have not acknowledged their sin before Him.  “He shuts out my prayer”.  Scripture says if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Believing in Christ also means following Him and following Him means we want to know how to serve, honor and glorify Him, and this means we want to know our sin, confess it and do it no more.  Do you want to grow closer to God?  Ask Him to show you your sin while you are reading His  word, while you are thinking about His word, and while you are living out everyday.

 

Not as I will

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work

When I read this passage and along with other scriptures, where the disciples all say they will never leave or deny  Jesus even until death – I have the same thoughts as the disciples.  I will not deny Jesus and not my will but as God wills for my life.  The reality is that there is a battle that goes on everyday with fulfilling these thoughts of fully living for and doing what God purposes.  Throughout each day there are times of being selfish, unkind, greedy, proud, unthankful, lacking faith, not obeying, self seeking …….. My food is more to do with my will than God’s.  I am so thankful for His grace and mercy, for his forgiveness, for never leaving me in this state but rather leading me closer and closer to Him.  Do you know what also helps me in my walk to stay closer to Him? – The encouragement and examples I witness in the walk of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  We all have times of being weak, lacking faith, helpless, proud, self serving, but God does not leave us and He allows us to see His work in others as encouragement and examples – Living to honor and glorify God is also showing hope, love, peace, humbleness, kindness, faith, joy, to those needing encouragement to do His will.  Be a living example today.

Matthew 26:39
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will

Isaiah 50:5
The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
from disgrace and spitting.
But the Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame

John 4:34
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work