March 11
“And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Continuing from yesterday, this knowledge, that our righteousness, our forgiveness, and God’s good opinion of us only come about on the basis of what Jesus did for us and our trust and faith in Him, will produce in us two results that will lead us to confession and repentance. First, it should lessen our confidence in ourselves and our own righteousness. It should serve as a reminder that we have no righteousness within ourselves apart from Christ. I should humble us and remind us that every obedience and everything good that we do to please God is enabled and empowered by Christ, and apart from Him it is nothing and meaningless in God’s sight. This knowledge should bring us back to Christ time and again for grace and help, and it should encourage us to repent of our pride and self-reliance and any “I’m better than the other guy and not as bad as so and so” thoughts that we might have in our hearts.
The second result that this knowledge will have is that we will recognize that as much as we are ashamed of ourselves and may feel unworthy and disgusted with ourselves because of our sin, it is not about us. Not sinning is a good thing, don’t misunderstand what I am saying, but turning to God, confessing our sins, repenting and seeking Him in spite of our sinfulness and unworthiness brings Him glory. It’s about Him. He is pleased by our faith.
Remember Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Which do you think is more pleasing to God, not committing sins but not believing and seeking Him by faith, or committing sins and by faith confessing them, repenting, and seeking His forgiveness? I think the latter.
No matter what your sins are, no matter how ashamed and unworthy you feel, just focus your attention on the worthiness of Christ, His love for you, the fact that none of us are worthy apart from Jesus and that He wants you to have His worthiness, and the fact that faith in Him along with confession and repentance glorify Him. You may even have to force yourself to get past your feelings of unworthiness, but by confessing your sins to God and asking for His ability to overcome our sins for good, even if it is the seven hundredth time, we acknowledge His ability, His goodness, His love, and the worthiness of Christ.
No matter what, don’t let your sins of pride and self-loathing keep you from regularly confessing your sins to God and pleading with Him for a changed life.