Psalm 25:18 Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.

David was well aware of the character of God, and he didn’t accuse God of being unfair when troubles came. Rather, he asked for forgiveness for all that he had done to trigger those problems. That’s an example we all need to follow! Modern society seems to train us in the blame game, assigning responsibility for our failures and problems to anyone or anything but us. That’s actually as old as mankind, because when God confronted Adam, he blamed Eve, and then Eve blamed the serpent. Like David, we need to own up to our sins! That’s not at all to say that we are to take our sins lightly. On the contrary, we need to recognize that any violation of God’s laws is worthy of being cut off from Him, which is to say, eternal death. That’s certainly severe! However, nothing less equals full repentance. God is incredibly gracious, to the point that He sent His Son to take the penalty for our sins, but feeling entitled, rather than thankful, for that grace is the most dangerous thing possible. An entitlement mentality is a commitment to spiritual suicide! This is where absolute honesty comes in. We need to be brutally honest about our own failures, so that our hearts may be prepared to receive God’s grace. That’s what the Gospel is all about: not excusing sin, but proclaiming that there is a remedy for it, a salvation that we don’t deserve, but that God has prepared for us anyway, for those who will be humble enough to receive it.

This is something I have struggled with all my life, as I think any contemplative Christian has. My natural tendency is to excuse or dismiss my sins, when God has given us the standard of His Son, who committed no sin at all. I have been tripped up by pride and entitlement and willfulness more times than I could count, and it’s not pretty. Humility and gratitude need to be the keystones of my existence, because nothing less is appropriate. God is incredibly gracious, but I must never cheapen that grace by taking it lightly.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the full day yesterday, and for getting us through it. Thank You that I was able to do everything required of me – except the dishes! Thank You for the opportunity we have for witness today, singing for people who are largely unfamiliar with the Gospel. May Your love and grace flow through us to them, drawing them to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!