Daily Devotional

I don’t think anyone likes the feeling of being wrong, or the feeling of guilt having done something wrong. So much so that often our first instinct when confronted about something we have done is to deny it, even when we know we did it, and sometimes when we know that everyone else knows too. It just seems easier to deny, play dumb, and shift the blame somewhere else. And that is our reaction to other fallible humans who are no better or worse than we ourselves are. But we are held up against a much higher standard than our fellow man. God Who is perfect calls us to also be perfect as He is. Moreover, the consequences for not measuring up to that standard are far heavier and eternal compared to the comparatively silly consequences of the things we often do to each other.

Given this high standard, and our proclivity to deny and defer responsibility to our fellow humans, it’s no wonder that when confronted with the reality of our sin we often try to justify ourselves by thinking we are a pretty good person, or I’m not nearly as bad as those people over there. Some are even as bold as to think they don’t sin at all. However we choose to deny it, we are all guilty. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 3:10 says “There is none righteous, no not even one.”

The good news though is that God knows we are fallen, that we are helpless in our sin, and has provided a way for us to be made righteous in His sight. And the amazing news is that it doesn’t cost a fortune, it doesn’t require years of manual labor, or punishment in a prison to atone for our sin. Because of His mercy, if we simply acknowledge our sin, and confess it, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from our unrighteousness. But notice we have to fight that instinct in us that says deny and deflect and all will be ok. No, God wants us to acknowledge our failures and thus our dependence on His mercy, He wants a broken and contrite heart. When we fail, when we fall, when we mess up, when we don’t measure up, all we need to do is run to Him, confess our sin and He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us. Praise God!

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New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.