Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 28


CATCHING UP
WITH US

READ:
psalm 32:1--5
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When I kept silent, my
bones grew old through
my groaning.
__Psalm 32:3
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A pastor told this story on himself in his local newspaper. He was chatting with an older man to whom he had just been introduced. "So, you used to work for a utility company," the pastor said, naming the organization. "Sure did," the man responded. The pastor remarked that when he was a kid the cables from that company ran across his parents' property. "Where did you live?" the man asked. When the pastor told him, the man said, "I remember that property. I had a tough time keeping the cable warning signs up. Kids were always shooting them down." When the pastor's face flushed with embarrassment, the man said, "You were one of the shooters, weren't you?" And indeed he was. The pastor labeled his confessional story: "Be sure your signs will find you out," a clever play on Moses' words in Numbers 32:23: "Be sure your sin will find you out,"

Old wrongs have a way of catching up with us. And old sins that have not been dealt with can lead to serious consequences. As David laments in Psalm 32: "When I kept silent; my bones grew old." But confessing our wrong restores our fellowship with the Lord: "I acknowledged my sin to You ...and You forgave the iniquity of my sin" (v.5). Through confession, we can enjoy God's forgiveness. __Dave Branon

`````````````````Dear Lord, it's time to come clean with You.``````````````````
`````````````````I've held on to ______________for too long.``````````````````
`````````````````Thank You that this sin is under the blood of``````````````````
```````````````````Christ. Restore me to fellowship with You.`````````````````
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Christians can erase from their memory
what God has erased from the record.

*******************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 32:1-5**********************

1 Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man to
whom the LORD does not
impute iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no
deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my
bones grew old through my
groaning all the day long.

4 For day and night Your
hand was heavy upon me;
my vitality was turned into
the drought of summer.

5 I acknowledged my sin to
You, and my iniquity I have
not hidden. I said, "I will
confess my transgressions
to the LORD," and You
forgave the iniquity of
my sin.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Psalm 32 is one of seven penitential psalms (Ps. 6,32,38,51,102,
130,143)__Psalms that speak of confessing sins and turning to the
Lord for His mercy and forgiveness. After repenting from his sins of
adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, David penned
Psalms 32, David speaks of the blessedness of confession and
repentance. He celebrates the forgiveness that he has received (vv.1.
2), and encourages sinners to seek the Lord and repent lest they too
receive discipline from the Lord (vv.3-6). Those who repent will have
their guilt replaced by joy and their groaning replaced by rejoicing.
The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the repentant sinner (vv.10-11).