LeRoy Eims
"If we confess our sins,he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9
There's a saying in business: "It's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission." This same attitude seems to be prevalent among some Christians. The problem with this approach is that every time we take God's forgiveness for granted, we are more likely to tolerate what we've done, and less likely to see it as sin that needs to be repented of.
There's a saying in business: "It's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission." This same attitude seems to be prevalent among some Christians. The problem with this approach is that every time we take God's forgiveness for granted, we are more likely to tolerate what we've done, and less likely to see it as sin that needs to be repented of.
Apparently this is what happened to the city of Nineveh, and the prophet Nahum had a message for them about God's judgment. About a hundred years before, Jonah had gone to the city. The people turned to God and the city was spared. Later, the people of Nineveh turned back to their old ways and became worse than before. In Nahum 3:1, the prophet says, "Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!" In the midst of Nineveh's violence and deception, God sent a prophet to tell them He would not always strive with man.
While God is good and merciful, it is dangerous to presume upon His goodness. It is the goodness of God that should lead us to repentance, but if we persist in our sin, God will respond in judgment. Christian, if you are acting like the people of Nineveh, figuring that you'll get forgiveness later for deliberate wrongs today, there's only one solution. Confession! To confess means to say the same thing about sin that God says. When we agree with the Lord about the sin in our lives, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to restore our fellowship with Him
Prayer
Prayer
Lord, show me how I take Your goodness for granted, and help me turn from my sin of presumption. Amen.
To Ponder: What does God's goodness mean to me?
To Ponder: What does God's goodness mean to me?
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Dear Heavenly Father: I come to You today confessing my own sin. Help me never to hide or justify my sin, but to see it as the offense to You that it is. I humbly repent before You and thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning. Thank You for forgiving the truly repentant heart. In Jesus' Name. Amen and Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father: I come to You today confessing my own sin. Help me never to hide or justify my sin, but to see it as the offense to You that it is. I humbly repent before You and thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning. Thank You for forgiving the truly repentant heart. In Jesus' Name. Amen and Amen.
