Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 38:1-8
Ps 38:1-8
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2 For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. 3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. 4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. 5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. 6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. 7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. 8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.
1 John 1:8-10
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
There is nothing more depressing than a guilty conscience. It causes us to lose our energy, to feel deserted and hopeless. Many times we may not recognize the cause of our problems or we may know deep down and just not admit it. We may try to blame others or things beyond our control but we will not rid ourselves of the problem until we rid ourselves of the guilt. But this is harder to do than it is to say because we may be addicted to our sin or we may be in so deep we can’t see a way to escape. We find ourselves in a hopeless downward spiral.
When we have sinned and our heart burns within us, our energy is gone and we are sick in our souls, the only remedy is to get rid of the sin, admit our guilt and ask God to forgive us. This can only be accomplished when we are in Christ and his blood has covered our sin. As a Christian, we can confess our sin and know without any doubt that God has forgiven us. A popular saying (not in the Bible but very true) is that confession is good for the soul.
There is no sin so dark, so deep or so wicked that God cannot and will not forgive us if we come to him in Christ. He has promised and he is faithful. He does not just forgive superficially but purifies us from all unrighteousness – all of our sin. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
O God, my heavenly Father, I thank you for your love, your mercy and your grace that allows me to be forgiven of my sin. The suffering and death of Jesus brings me great pain but at the same time, it gives me great joy to be forgiven and to know that my fellowship with you has been restored. Thank you for allowing me to know others who have been forgiven also and to have fellowship with them in serving you. Use me to reach those who do not know Jesus and who are lost in their sin so I can show them your salvation. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
