Confession of sin restores peace with God and others
Enjoying again William P. Smith’s Caught of Guard–Encounters with the Unexpected God.
It’s probably helping me the most this morning because I just had to endure (endure sounds like too strong of a word) … experience (??) an embarrassing (but necessary! and loving, gentle, gospel-infused!) confrontational conversation with Fred.
He has observed a sin in me and has been praying about how and when to talk with me about it. And this morning was the time.
I was and am so ashamed. Ahhhh–but this is good shame. Godly shame–conviction!–that leads to repentance and faith and helps me to a) SEE; and b) TURN AWAY FROM sin.
But as loving and gentle and God-centered and redemptive and HOPEFUL as it was, this conversation was still a DRAG. Who likes to face her sin? NOT ME! Who enjoys having her husband confront her? NOT ME! Who is mortified? ME ME ME.
But most of all … I am GRATEFUL.
Grateful that Fred loves me enough to help me.
Grateful that God does not give up on me–and neither does Fred.
Grateful that rather than condemning me (which I deserve!), Jesus intercedes for me.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-38
NOT EVEN MY SIN.
No.
Nothing can separate me from God.
Thank You, Lord!
And thank you, Fred.
Back into our day! Ballet this afternoon! Fun fun.
Trust God!
Yours,
Tara B.