DEVOTIONAL 08/27/2018 - 08/28/2018
Proverbs 28 13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Why are confession and restitution to men important? Let's say we steal one dollar from a brother or church fund. We confess our sin with God. That is a must and first step to obtain forgiveness. Being merciful, God forgives us. Are we still guilty? Yes. Though God washes our sin, the person or church we steal one dollar from is still at loss of one dollar. We are still thiefs in front of men. And no thief inherits kingdom of heaven. We have to go back to confess and return the money. That's transparency.
When we say a lie to a brother, even harmless lie, we ask for forgiveness from God. Being merciful, God forgives us. Are we still guilty? Yes, because the brother still believes in wrong information and we are still liars in his eyes if he ever finds out. Will he find out you ask? Yes, there will be no secret thing that will be not revealed on that day (Luke 8 17).
To break it down, restitution categories include
Restitution of stolen goods and money or debts: they could be things we take home from our workplace. Please do restitution. Restitution of wrongdoings, lies and insulting words: any lie, any fraudulent act in exam or job, any heated argument and any cursed or rude word we utter. Restitution of adultery in marriage: we need to confess our unfaithfulness with our spouses and ask for forgiveness. Restitution of sins against the body of Christ: sins, especially sexual immorality, need to be confessed before body of Christ. This need to be handled cautiously by the counseling of holy ministers.
The higher position we are, the more we need to have this transparency. It doesn't matter if we are pastors or elders.
Let no man and no evil excuse us on the day of judgment. We'd rather be ashamed now than wait until that day and it is too late. It can be very tiring to keep track of all deeds, but it is like a watch over our lives so we sin no more because we have to deal with consequences and restitution every time we sin.
Confessing sins to one another is different from asking Catholic priests to forgive. Noone has the power to forgive sins, but God.
Confessing sin to one another that you may be healed (James 5 16). This is also the doctrine of New Testament covenant. No, it is not Satan condemning us with guilt. This is God's mercy to remind us doing restitution because without peace with all men and holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12 14).
Prayer point: My LORD GOD, I sinned against you and against others by doing _ . Please forgive me, and wash me now whiter snow. Please give me a clean heart that I don't do this evil thing any more. I pray to you to give me resources and wisdom and strength to do all restitutions one by one before you come back or before the day i die. I'd better do it now. Lord, reveal to me now all bad things I did and forgot so that I can do restitution. Allow Satan not to hide anything from me to destroy my soul, in Jesus' name. Amen. And start to bless the Lord and give Him thanks for His mercy.
Sam Christian Feel free to share and no attribution required.
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