taking care of business
July 1, 2009
O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to You. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens (v.6).
READ: Ezra 9:3-7
Some well-meaning residents of the Philippines tried to update standard procedure in the Catholic Church by text-messaging their confessions to church officials. In response, one church leader commented, “We are encouraging Catholics to confess their sins—but the confession has to be personal. . . . They should ask pardon with a contrite heart.”
When it comes to ’fessing up, there’s no shortcut to the place where we “humble [ourselves] under the mighty power of God” (1 Peter 5:6). Our prayers of confession should involve an earnest encounter with God—anything less is just taking care of business.
It wasn’t simply business as usual for Ezra when it came to addressing Israel’s sin. Although God had warned the nation not to intermarry, the Israelites insisted on continuing their enormous episode of The Dating Game—marrying foreign women.
When Ezra heard this, he said, “I tore my cloak and my shirt, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked” (Ezra 9:3). Ezra wasn’t looking for a quick fix of forgiveness—he modeled true remorse over the sin, and reflected God’s heart in his response.
Ezra’s sorrowful reaction led to his humble confession. He prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to You. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens” (v.6). Ezra didn’t offer excuses and didn’t downplay the offense. His hope was that God would “not reject a broken and repentant heart” (Psalm 51:17).
Reading Ezra’s confession made me realize that sometimes I bounce back too easily from sin. If you’re like me, your prayer life might sometimes include a quick “Oops, Lord,” by way of confession. But that’s just taking care of business, when the situation calls for much, much more. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
When is the last time you sought forgiveness from God for a specific sin? Why is confession important in the life of a believer?
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how do I have sorrow for sin?
I believe one of the ways in which we’ve sorrow for sin is when we learn to see sin from God’s perspective–to learn to call a spade a spade and not by some other name (eg. a weakness, a slip of the moment).
Then, it is to agree with God about it and to confess sincerely.
how do i hate sin?
When you love someone, you wouldn’t want to displease that person, right? God hates sin because He is holy. If you love God, you would want to please Him. And when you accept Jesus in your life, He gives you a new Spirit. He puts His nature in us. So just fall in love with Him. The rest will follow. Jesus, though He is God, came down to the earth, lived among us, took our sins on Himself and died to pay for them. Isn’t this a perfect expression of His love for us? Know Him, you will definitely love Him.
The more you love God, the more you hate sin.
wow! thanks