There's no denying when we do wrong. In fact, 1 John tells us that anyone who doesn't confess that they are a sinner is a liar. Perhaps we can deny our wrong-doing in front of others, mere humans who do not see our every action let alone hear our every thought. But God sees all and knows all from actions to deeds to motives... there's no denying it.
Wrong Actions
1 Kings 11:1-12:33
"The Lord appeared to Solomon twice, but the king turned away from following the Lord, the God of Israel. The Lord was angry with Solomon, because he had commanded Solomon not to follow other gods. But Solomon did not obey the Lord's command." (1 Kings 11:9)
Solomon had many wives. Most people know that little bit of trivia, but do they recognize that was what caused his downfall? He took wives who convinced him to start worshipping idols and other gods. And Solomon, who prayed such a beautiful prayer before, calling out to God for wisdom, is now found 'turning away from following the Lord.' We need to always be on guard not to worship other gods. And while we may claim that there is no threat of worshipping other gods, we must also question: what about the god of money, status, popularity, etc. God must always be the central focus of our lives. Lord, You are my all in all, every day.
Wrong-Doing
Psalm 69:5-12
"God, you know what I have done wrong; I cannot hide my guilt from you." (Psalm 69:5)
My Uncle Rod preached a sermon on guilt the other week, and I think it's a message that we all need to hear. While I was at YAC and unable to be present, I asked for a breif synopsis which has helped me a lot. We should indeed recognize when we've done something wrong. We should confess that to our brothers and sisters, our neighbors who we've impacted as well as God who we've hurt. But, when God forgives us, as He does faithfully, we must also forgive ourselves. If we are asked to forgive others 7x70, we should also forgive ourselves. If our Lord God whom we should imitate has forgiven us, we should learn to forgive ourselves. We should forgive and forget. Forget it completely. "It's just gone- pum!" my Uncle Rod stated as he made a swishing motion with his hand behind his back. We're all really too hard on ourselves, but (to use Paul's rhetorical style) if God who is God has forgiven our sin, how much more ought we to forgive our sins.
Wrong Motives
John 12:1-19
"Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' followers who would later turn against him, was there. Judas said, 'This perfume was worth an entire year's wages. why wasn't it sold and money give to the poor?' But Judas did not really care about the poor; he said this because he was a thief. He was the one who kept the money box, and he often stole from it." (John 12:4-6)
'But Judas did not really care about the poor.' This part of this passage has always stuck out to me as very important. It seems to me that at least John believes that Jesus' response has to do with the fact that Judas was the one who brought this concern to light. Judas, the money stealing, not-caring-about-the-poor Judas. If he had been stealing from money box, perhaps he was lamenting the fact that he could in no way reap the profits of this gift to Jesus. The money had been spent and the perfume spilt. But Jesus knew Judas' motives for his false concern and they didn't cut it. It's not enough just to be a Christian on the outside, wrong can also be done hidden deep within our hearts, and God knows our hearts... so there's no denying it. There is only to confess our sins, try to improve and follow Him more closely, and forgive ourselves the wrong we have done.
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