Praise
the Lord!!
“...
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)
Judas
had been the treasurer of the Lord's disciples for over three years. Yet he
"sold" his master for just thirty pieces of silver! It makes us
think, "Did the constant handling of money cause it to become his master,
instead of him becoming its master?” Whatever it is, Judas did succumb to the
temptation of money and committed the shameful act of betraying his Lord. But
when he realized the gravity of what he had done, he became remorse and hanged
himself. How sad! David, on the other hand failed miserably but was still used
by God. What David did was serious. It was not one sin but several. He
committed adultery, he lied, and was instrumental in murdering Uriah. When he
realized what he had done, he was truly repentant. He cried, "Have mercy
on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great
compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse
me from my sin". (Psalm 51:1-2). Peter is another example. At the most
crucial hour he denied the Lord. But when he realized his act of cowardice, he
cried bitterly and repented. So he was forgiven by the Lord and was greatly
used by Him.
Dear
friends, there is a way back to God from the dark paths of sin. There is a door
that is open and all may go in. "It is the door of true repentance and
forgiveness" writes an author. All of us have past failures which we
regret. There is no one who has led a blameless life. The important thing is to
determine not to repeat those sins and misdeeds but to seek the Lord's help to
make amends and atone for them. In Psalm 51:12, David pleads with God to
forgive him, and restore to him the joy of salvation. And the Lord graciously
forgave all his sins. The world sees a murderer, or an adulterer always as the
same, even after he repents. But the Lord sees him as a new creature. So let us
not give room to self condemnation but let us seek God's mercy to receive His
pardon.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I have
sinned against you in the past. I have deceived you, hurt you and grieved you
very much. Let not my sin destroy me. I plead with you Lord to have mercy on
me. Forgive me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.
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