Lent Day 30
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a story about a young man who as a teenager was involved in shooting a gas station attendant. He got away with it for years. He became a Christian, got married, had children, and even became a Youth Minister. But he had a secret that was eating him up. He confessed to his wife what he had done as a teenager and then he confessed to his church. He turned himself in and it was all over the media. He did a few years in jail and when he got out, the church would not hire him back and he became a plumber. I asked him if he regretted confessing to the murder and he said no, not at all. He knew God wanted him to come clean and that confessing what he did gave him so much more freedom.
Confession is freedom. But in life there are consequences for our sins.
Today I was reading Mark 14 and 15, and it reminded me of the consequences of sin. Jesus was arrested, beaten, whipped, and went to the cross as an innocent man. Why did he go to the cross as an innocent man? Because I have sinned against God. I challenge you to read Mark 14 and 15 with the viewpoint that it was your personal sins that put Jesus on the cross. There are consequences for sin, even if we don’t feel it. Sin separates us from God, but because Jesus went to the cross, He is now our advocate to the Father.
1 John 1:9, 10. — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession is freedom.
Today, reflect on these questions. How much of your prayer time is devoted to confession? Are you satisfied with that? What could you do to make your times of confession more specific and meaningful? How might meditating on Christ’s sacrifice change your confession? Who do you trust enough to confess your sins to?