Almighty God, we acknowledge and confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; we have not loved you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. Deepen within us our sorrow for the wrong we have done, and for the good we have left undone. Lord, you are full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy; there is always forgiveness with you! Restore to us the joy of your salvation; bind up that which is broken, give light to our minds, strength to our wills, and rest to our souls. Speak to each of us, and let your word abide within us until we are changed into your likeness. Amen.
Psalm 103:8-12
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide us, nor will He keep his anger forever.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
Showing posts with label confession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confession. Show all posts
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Monday, April 9, 2018
Confessing Sin
[The following is an excerpt from Disciplines of a Godly Man, by R. Kent Hughes]
While understanding that confession should happen spontaneously, our discipline of devotion ought to involve systematic confession as well. First, we must confess what we are, the ontological reality that we truly are sinners. Romans 3:9-20 is the text I have found most helpful on this point, for it repeatedly affirms that we are sinners -- that, in fact, our entire being is tainted with evil. It is most important that we regularly make this confession because, as regenerated men who are making some progress in spiritual growth, it is sinfully natural to falsely suppose we are rising above our condition -- a delusion which testifies to our very depravity.
Second, we must confess our specific sins. I would suggest making a list of our sins, for the act of writing them out helps materialize this personal reality for us. C.S. Lewis said, "We must lay before him what is in us, not what ought to be within us." This done, we should confess each sin by its ugly name, and then thank God for his forgiveness through the blood of His Son.
The importance of confession for the devotional life cannot be overstated. "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18; cf. Proverbs 28:13). Unconfessed sin makes the heavens seem like brass. But confession not only opens the heavens, it also enhances our intimacy with God, as Francois Fenelon urged:
While understanding that confession should happen spontaneously, our discipline of devotion ought to involve systematic confession as well. First, we must confess what we are, the ontological reality that we truly are sinners. Romans 3:9-20 is the text I have found most helpful on this point, for it repeatedly affirms that we are sinners -- that, in fact, our entire being is tainted with evil. It is most important that we regularly make this confession because, as regenerated men who are making some progress in spiritual growth, it is sinfully natural to falsely suppose we are rising above our condition -- a delusion which testifies to our very depravity.
Second, we must confess our specific sins. I would suggest making a list of our sins, for the act of writing them out helps materialize this personal reality for us. C.S. Lewis said, "We must lay before him what is in us, not what ought to be within us." This done, we should confess each sin by its ugly name, and then thank God for his forgiveness through the blood of His Son.
The importance of confession for the devotional life cannot be overstated. "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18; cf. Proverbs 28:13). Unconfessed sin makes the heavens seem like brass. But confession not only opens the heavens, it also enhances our intimacy with God, as Francois Fenelon urged:
Tell [God] all that is in your heart, as one unloads one's heart to a dear friend....People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversations; they do not...weigh their words, because there is nothing to be kept back. Neither do they seek for something to say; they talk out of the abundance of their heart -- without consideration, just what they think....Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.
Friday, March 9, 2018
Hebrews 4:14-16
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of God. Let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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