Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Incredible Amidst of Struggles
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you
who are upright in heart! (Ps.32:11)
St. Augustine said that the beginning of knowledge is to
know oneself to be a sinner. In order to remind of his depraved sinfulness and
God’s gracious forgiveness, St. Augustine had engraved this Psalm on his
bedroom wall as he lay dying in his bed. He read it all the time and when he
was too sick, he instructed others to recite it for him. Psalm 32 is considered
as one of the penitential Psalm in church tradition and is also classified as a
psalm of thanksgiving and wisdom psalm. This psalm contains the heaviness of
sin, the happiness of forgiveness and the help from God. It includes the
nature and benefits of confession, as well as God’s character as a gracious and
forgiving God.
The
effect of sin:
- The psalmist kept silent about his sin for a while. This silence had affected
him physically, emotionally and spiritually. During that time he lived in
constant misery and physical distress. This is true of many of us. Many
Christians have secret sins. Instead of confessing our sins, we often bury them
or just try to ignore them. Anger and bitterness can come as result of our
unconfessed sin and will eat our inside out. This guilt destroys our
confidence, damages our relationship and keeps us stuck in the past. Living
with the unconfessed sin will miss the mark of God’s perfection.
The
confession of sin: - Confession is more than merely informing God that we
have sinned. But it involves a turning away. The psalmist admitted “I will
confess my transgressions to the Lord”. Then the burden of his guilt was
lifted. The aches of his body left him, his cries turned to joy. Once again he
could straighten up and hold his head high because he had been restored to the
holy position. This is a blessed situation and this psalm refers to the
blessingness of a forgiven life.
This psalm has also been referred to as “Psalm of St. Paul”, because it is
quoted extensively in the Epistle to Romans to establish that we are declared
righteous not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done
on the cross for our sin. So let us say with St. Paul that if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, and the new has come. The key
to Christian life is not our personal holiness, but our repentance before God.
Prayer:- O Son of God, who
died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead, thank you for bearing
our sin and giving us the gift of eternal life. Make us into a new creation you
want us to be. Amen.
Thought
for the day:
- Our God wants to forgive more than we want to be forgiven.
Rev. A. B. Binu, Long Island M T C, N Y.
Theme of the week: Incredible amidst of
Struggles