WE
ARE BLESSED BY GOD’S GRACE!
Psalm
32:6-11
6
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.
7 You
are a hiding place for me;
you
preserve me from trouble;
you
surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I
will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I
will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be
not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which
must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or
it will not stay near you.
10 Many
are the sorrows of the wicked,
but
steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be
glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout
for joy, all you upright in heart!
David
began this psalm by praising God for the mercy He shows to those who repent of
their sins. He knew very well the freedom of knowing for sure that one is
forgiven and the weight of remaining in a state of unconfessed sin.
After
being autobiographical in the preceding verses, David invites all those who
know and love God to be swift to confess sins. David’s example, through the
inspired Word of God, should be a challenge to all of us. I trust that as we
read these verses, we would be reminded of the unnecessary weight we carry when
we do not confess our sin and turn to God for mercy.
1 - True confession and repentance
restores fellowship with God.
Confession
allows us to return to fellowship with God and this brings
the relieving freedom and peace that only God’s children can know. We should
fear for our salvation if we do not feel the weight of sin and have never
experienced the freedom of forgiveness. I am not implying that one can lose his
salvation, but am that such a one has never become a child of God. David speaks
of the instruction God gives His children. As we continue to progress in our
spiritual walk, the Word of God will continue to expose sin. The process of sanctification
in the life of a believer includes regular times of confession of sin. John
reminds us of this in his epistle.
1
John 1:6-10
If we say we have fellowship with him
while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 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. If we say we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2 - We should never believe the lie
that God is ok with our sin.
In
these verses a few truths become clear. Believers do sin, and when they do,
they are not in fellowship with God. Our sin also affects our fellowship with
other believers. The solution is so easy! We must recognize and confess sin.
There are no sins that God cannot forgive and cannot cleanse us from.
3 - Nothing is better than our sweet
fellowship with God.
When
we allow sin to come into our lives, we forget the privilege of resting in
sweet fellowship, trading our relationship with God for temporary pleasure that
brings sorrow and bitter consequences.
The
imagery of this psalm is so vivid: do not become like an animal that has no ability
to obey without being controlled by his master!
4 - Wise men turn to God for
cleansing!
There
are blessings for those who confess their sin and sorrows for the wicked. What
a privilege we have to know and enjoy the unconditional and faithful love of
God.
5 - God’s grace is complete and
amazing.
The
last verse of this psalm is truly astounding. David invites the righteous to be
glad and rejoice in the Lord. The amazing gift of grace is that a person who
commits transgressions, sins, and iniquities can be declared righteous! Even
though we rebel and sin, we can be washed by the blood of Christ and we can be
restored to fellowship with God.
We
should, we must, live differently because we know God. We are blessed! We do
not have to carry the weight of sin! We can hide in the loving care of our
merciful God!
Dear
friend, those who know this love, this freedom, this joy, this peace should
never be slow to confess sin and should be a light to those around them.
Ephesians
2:4-7
But God,
being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved
us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him
and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in
the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
God through the ages has displayed His
grace and love by saving sinners like us! We are blessed!
No comments:
Post a Comment