Sam and I thought we should bow our heads with the rest of you this Thanksgiving and voice a little gratitude for our many blessings. Sam is glad for his warm bed, his toys and his bone. I am especially great full that when I freely confess my sins they are washed away by God’s incredible benevolence and grace.
I don’t know about you, but I struggle with sin, not so much committing a sin, but WANTING to commit it. I apologize if it sounds like I’m preaching at you non-believers, I’m just sharing how things are with me, and boy sometimes I want to commit a sin so badly I can hardly stand it. At those times I don’t even want to ask God for help. It is only through the working of his Holy Spirit within my soul - whether I ask for help or not - that I manage to avoid the sin I want to commit. I can take absolutely no credit for being strong, and even though I’ve resisted asking for help, God knows the struggles of my heart and comes to my rescue.
You know the seven deadly sins (as they are called)? I have committed or wanted to commit nearly all of them, except killing or giving false witness against someone. Here’s what the Book of Proverbs (6:16-19) in the New American Standard Bible says regarding the seven deadly sins:
“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”
And then you’ve got your ten commandments God handed down to Moses: “You shall have no other Gods before me; you shall not make for yourself a craven image (of any other gods); you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain; remember the Sabbath and keep it holy; you shall honor your father and your mother; you shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor; you shall not covet your neighbor’s house (wife, servants, donkeys, etc.).”
I like the way the Nicene Creed addresses sin: “Most merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. Have mercy on me and forgive me.”
I say thank you for things and particularly for forgiveness these days rather than just asking for them because I have discovered what the Bible says about faith is so true: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11: 1).
Thanks be to God for the assurance of help when I desire to sin and for forgiveness when I do. Dear readers I confess to you that even as I write I harbor sinful thoughts in my head and heart. I am like an addict. I will be sorely tempted to fall off the wagon as soon as I finish this blog. Three bags of poop on that!
Happy Thanksgiving one and all! May your hearts be stuffed with God’s grace and your face stuffed with good food. Let’s eat!
I don’t know about you, but I struggle with sin, not so much committing a sin, but WANTING to commit it. I apologize if it sounds like I’m preaching at you non-believers, I’m just sharing how things are with me, and boy sometimes I want to commit a sin so badly I can hardly stand it. At those times I don’t even want to ask God for help. It is only through the working of his Holy Spirit within my soul - whether I ask for help or not - that I manage to avoid the sin I want to commit. I can take absolutely no credit for being strong, and even though I’ve resisted asking for help, God knows the struggles of my heart and comes to my rescue.
You know the seven deadly sins (as they are called)? I have committed or wanted to commit nearly all of them, except killing or giving false witness against someone. Here’s what the Book of Proverbs (6:16-19) in the New American Standard Bible says regarding the seven deadly sins:
“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”
And then you’ve got your ten commandments God handed down to Moses: “You shall have no other Gods before me; you shall not make for yourself a craven image (of any other gods); you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain; remember the Sabbath and keep it holy; you shall honor your father and your mother; you shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor; you shall not covet your neighbor’s house (wife, servants, donkeys, etc.).”
I like the way the Nicene Creed addresses sin: “Most merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. Have mercy on me and forgive me.”
I say thank you for things and particularly for forgiveness these days rather than just asking for them because I have discovered what the Bible says about faith is so true: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11: 1).
Thanks be to God for the assurance of help when I desire to sin and for forgiveness when I do. Dear readers I confess to you that even as I write I harbor sinful thoughts in my head and heart. I am like an addict. I will be sorely tempted to fall off the wagon as soon as I finish this blog. Three bags of poop on that!
Happy Thanksgiving one and all! May your hearts be stuffed with God’s grace and your face stuffed with good food. Let’s eat!
No comments:
Post a Comment