Jeremiah chapter 3 verses 12-13 (NIV)
Go, proclaim this message toward the north:“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’ declares the LORD,
‘I will not be angry forever.
Only acknowledge your guilt—
you have rebelled against the LORD your God,
you have scattered your favours to foreign gods
under every spreading tree,
and have not obeyed me,’”
declares the LORD.
We know how good and gracious the Lord is when we ask for His forgiveness. If we are sincere He is just to forgive. Sadly, another symptom of modern life is that people find it difficult to acknowledge our guilt and mistakes. We can’t expect to receive God’s forgiveness if we try to justify or excuse our behaviour. In High School, I remember hearing the headmaster joke that the school motto was, “please sir, it wisnae me.” He was teaching us that if we had done something wrong we should freely admit it. How sad that trying to justify our actions means that we miss out on the blessing of God’s forgiveness.
Dear Lord,
Help me to always keep short accounts with You and never excuse my actions if I have done something wrong. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.