For when I kept silent, my bones wasted

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”

“O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.”

Psalms 103:3  who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

Psalms 32:1-5    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. Selah  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. Selah

Isaiah 43:25     “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Luke 7:47-48     Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Ephesians 1:7     In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Psalms 38:1-7   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!  For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.  There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.  For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.  My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.

Numbers 21:7-9     And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you.

Exodus 15:26     saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

Isaiah 53:5     But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Jeremiah 17:14     Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

If our sin was exposed so all could see, what would people see?  If our sin were heavy weights and tied to our backs would we even be able to walk? If our sin was a brick tied to our feet and we were cast into water over our head would we ever be able to reach the surface for a breath?  If our sin was a sickness would we need life support?  The answer to these metaphoric questions depends on our ability to see our sin.  Many times I think we use a comparison approach to sin.  We look for someone else who, in our eyes, has worse sin than us.  We use this to look away instead of looking inward.  This is a lie fed to us in heaping measure by satan.  We easily latch on to this instead of seeking to know what is in our heart, mind, and soul that is offensive to God.  David wrote it this way: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” He asked God to reveal His sin to him so that he could live in such a way that honored and glorified God.  Start your day today asking God to reveal that which is not right in your life.  Then run with arms wide open confessing them to Jesus Christ and seeking to honor, glorify, worship, and praise Him for salvation and forgiveness of sin.

Momentary affliction

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

Psalms 38:1   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.  My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.  I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.  O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.

Hebrews 12:5  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Proverbs 15:10   There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.

We do not have to walk long on this path with God to experience His hand in our life.  Blessings, one after another.  I wonder if we count His discipline as a blessing.  We should but sometimes we have wondered away and He loves us so much that He disciplines us to get us back on path.  Staying close to God is always a blessing.  What is it that is pulling you away from this closeness?