WATCHWORD:
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5
Meditation:
Self-Confession
This morning, in the midst of my morning readings and meditation, this thought occurred to me: how do I deepen my knowledge and understanding of Jesus? How do I get to know Him better? As I thought about this, another thought came to me, maybe I would know Him better by knowing myself better. Maybe I would know Him at a deeper level if I were to understand better my own frailties, my own sinful nature, my own tendency not to follow His word.
Could that be the answer? Do I come to know Jesus at a deeper level when I strip away all my pretense, when I leave all my biases at His feet? But, how do I do that? How would that change my life to know Jesus at a deeper level, follow Him more closely?
I heard a sermon years ago, in the early stages of my faith journey, where the pastor was relating our maturity as Christians to Erikson’s eight stages of human development. As a psychologist, it made a lot of sense to me. As I considered my own faith, at that time, I decided I was between early and middle childhood in my development. The glow of my ‘born-again’ experience was still fresh, but as I considered the mentors in my small prayer group, I knew I had a long way to go just to get to adolescence, let alone, adulthood in my walk.
Faith adulthood would seem to require resolving that original question; How do I follow my Lord, more closely so that I can mature as a Christian? It’s easy to say I will strip away all pretense and my biases, and to actually do it. So, help me out here, how do I do it. How do I take my tendency to judge others, wrap that up with my pride and all my many biases, stuff them all in a garbage bag and set it out to the street to be disposed of?
I thought about that second voice I heard early this morning, you know, the one that suggested knowing myself better would be a start. I considered that idea, and realized that knowing myself better would require my being honest with myself. It would require a kind of self- confession, you know, where you tell yourself “you’re judging”, “your pride is getting in the way of reality”, “your tinge of arrogance is coloring your Christian thought and action”, etc.
In his book, Give It All to Him, Max Lucado makes a convincing argument that Jesus want all of those burdens that weigh us down, that separate us from Him. So, how do I get to know Him better? Lay all that junk of ours at the foot of Jesus, and say, “Here, Lord and Savior, please take these away from me, and help me walk closer to you. Thank you. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee
Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be
Closing Prayer:
Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is nothing good in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to Your promises declared unto men in Christ Jesus our Lord. Grant that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life; to the glory of His name. Amen. The Book of Common Worship, 1946
