With His love, mercy, and forgiveness overflowing for those who confess, repent, and place their faith in Jesus Christ, I can’t even fathom how the Lord God almighty grieves at the pride of man for refusing to say these simple words. “I am wrong. I messed up. I have sinned. I am struggling. I need help. I can’t do this by myself. I can’t seem to stop. Will you help me. I have hurt someone. I went against your Word. Will you forgive me?”
But are words enough? They are not. The Bible speaks of “godly sorrow.” Some might say I have too much of it. I know better. I do not. I simply am so in awe of God that I can’t help but feel sickened, repulsed, horrified, humbled, desperate, when I fall once more into sin. I don’t stay down for long. I know too much. I know sin leads to death – if not physical, by all means spiritual. And would I give up one breath too many of beautiful fellowship with my Lord for lacking the courage to confess? I would not!
I love the Lord too much to hide in the shadows. To lurk in the darkness. To cower in the dungeon. To curl up in a ball in the moldy basement. To grovel at the feet of the devil. Do I fall short? Always! Never do I go a single step without believing in some way I have fallen short of my God’s glory. I have. I do. I will. So human I am! Yet still I know how to find my way to the foot of His throne, bruises, scrapes, cuts, and every other result of yet another tumble and fall upon my aching body, still I go to Him – even crawling. Courageous perhaps not with as much as I would like, and aspire to be, and someday will be I pray, but courageous enough in this.
I know who my Lord is. I know who my redeemer is. I know who holds mercy in His hands. I know who has the forgiveness I surely must have. I know who offers me fellowship that nothing else can even come close to. My God! My Lord! My merciful Father.
Why, I wonder, no, I grieve, why do people refuse to confess when God awaits? Why when He has everything we need would they remain in darkness? Worst of all, why would they project to the world that they are living in the light when they are stumbling around in the dark? Why? I know not.
I only know this. I said to a young man not too long ago who looked at me dumbfounded when I asked the question. “Are you ready to repent, or are you going to wait until it’s too late?”
If Jesus comes tonight, my friend, what will you say?
“I would not confess because – ?”
When you stand before the Lord of this universe, what then will you say?
Some would tell you that you are headed for hell. I, myself, would ask you this.
“Do you know what you missed on this earth because you did not have the courage to confess?”
You missed Him.
The very best of all. The One who sat on His throne with His mercy overflowing – while you clung for dear life to the sins you refused to confess.