Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
A wise writer wrote a stupendous statement: "The books of heaven record the sins that that would have been committed had there been opportunity." This at first sounds like bad news. The Lord must have a lot against us; but no, that's not the meaning of the statement. It is really very good news.
Proverbs 28:13 says that "whoever confesses and forsakes [his sins] will have mercy." Wonderful! That "mercy" is what we all need so much. But how can you "confess" and "forsake" your sins if you don't know what they are?
That's why the Holy Spirit is so full of mercy when He convicts us of our sins; Jesus says that is His first work: "When He [the Comforter, the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin" (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit loves us just as much as the Father loves us, just as much as the Son who gave Himself for us, loves us.
What to do is simple: The moment He convicts you of sin "confess" it; don't wait. Tell the Lord, "It's true! I can't deny it!" And then, at that moment forsake the sin. If it is something that is dear to your heart, forsake it; do exactly what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane when He cried out to His Father, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; … not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39).
The Lord never asks you to do anything difficult on your own, by yourself. You are always invited to do it with Jesus; you are never left on your own, alone! You are joined to the Son of God by a "yoke" that binds the two of you together. He says, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). The greatest, the most joyous adventure, any human can have!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 14, 2008.
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