19 May | Teens
«I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.» Psalm 32: 5
Psalm 32 tells us about something very special: God's forgiveness. But, do you know what divine forgiveness is? It's when God erases our mistakes, as if we've never done anything wrong. How wonderful! To receive this incredible forgiveness, we need to confess our sins: “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.” Confessing means telling God exactly what we did wrong, not just asking for forgiveness in general. When we pray, we are tempted to say, “Forgive my sins, in Jesus' name, amen.” I imagine God hearing our prayer and asking, “What sins, my child?”
When we confess, we are being honest with God and with ourselves about our shortcomings. And the Bible promises us that, when we do that, God forgives us and gives us another chance. “But I do a lot of things wrong, I may not remember to ask for forgiveness for everything every day.” It is for this reason that in our church we have a very special time: Communion service and the Ordinance of Humility, where we renew our covenant with Christ and receive His forgiveness for the sins we forget to confess. If you are more mature and understand this, plan to participate in the next one!
Take Action
Take a few minutes for a moment of personal confession. Each member of the family can go to a quiet and private place to talk to God. Confess your sins, whether big or small, and ask for forgiveness. Remember, God loves us and is always ready to forgive us when we confess our mistakes sincerely.