The Joy Of Forgiveness

What joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

Psalm 32:1-2

GOD IS NOT SHOCKED BY OUR SIN. Nor does it disqualify us from His love. We may feel that way sometimes, but it’s not true. Oh, the feelings of guilt when we’ve done wrong and not confessed it are real enough. In fact, our guilty feelings can be the gracious work of the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sin. When we’re convicted, the best thing to do is confess our sin immediately and repentantly and then, by faith, receive God’s forgiveness. Otherwise, we may find ourselves feeling a little like David: “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat” (Psalm 32:3-4).

Sounds pretty miserable, right?

Thankfully, David didn’t stay miserable, and we don’t have to either. “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone” (Psalm 32:5). For some reason, there are times when we would rather conceal our sin, rationalize it, or suppress it instead of simply coming clean and confessing it. We may even attempt to give ourselves a probationary period before returning to God. That never works, though. Confession is the surest path to freedom and joy. Honesty with God is always the best policy. We can’t hide anything from Him anyway, and forgiveness is freely available to us.

BOTTOM LINE

Learn to make the connection between confession and joy. God forgives our sin on account of Christ. It’s not too good to be true. Confess your sins daily.

Moment of Strength: Psalm 32