confession

3140) Prayers of Confession

Psalm 32:1-5:ย  Blessed is the oneย whose transgressions are forgiven,ย whose sins are covered. ย Blessed is the oneย whose sin the Lord does not count against themย and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent,ย my bones wasted awayย through my groaning all day long. For day and nightย your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sappedย as […]

3140) Prayers of Confession Read More ยป

3040) Open Your Heart (3/3)

Painting above:ย  Paul and the Jailer ******************************* ย  ย  ย (…continued) ย In his book Radical Son, David Horowitz confessed his sins to the whole world– but how about to God?ย  Did Horowitz ever pray that prayer of the tax collector, โ€œGod be merciful to me a sinner?โ€ ย  ย  ย It doesn’t look like he did.ย  Horowitz

3040) Open Your Heart (3/3) Read More ยป

3039) Open Your Heart (2/3)

Painting above:ย  The Pharisee and the Publican, James Tissot, 1894 ******************************* ย  ย  ย (…continued) ย There is still another factor to add, and that is the influence of God and the devil. ย โ€œI canโ€™t help it,โ€ said a popular comedian many years ago, โ€œthe devil made me do it.โ€ ย The Bible does indeed talk about how

3039) Open Your Heart (2/3) Read More ยป

3038) Open Your Heart (1/3)

ย  ย  ย David Horowitz died on April 29th of this year at the age of 86.ย  It was the end of a most interesting life. ย  ย  ย Horowitz told his story in his 1998 book Radical Son.ย  Sixty years ago he was a central figure in the revolutionary student movement in the United States. ย He

3038) Open Your Heart (1/3) Read More ยป

3037) Why Do I Need to Repent?

From The Word for Every Day, by Alvin Rogness, page 63, ยฉ 1981 Augsburg Publishing House ย ย  ย  Let me say at the outset that I donโ€™t always feel the need to repent and be forgiven. ย I believe I need to be; I know I do, because the Scriptures say very clearly that I do.

3037) Why Do I Need to Repent? Read More ยป

2922) A Prayer for Self-Examination and Confession

ย  ย  ย Todayโ€™s meditation is brief, but it requires a slow and prayerful reading. ย It is taken from the bookย A Diary of Private Prayerย by John Baillie (1949). ย This book contains 62 prayers, one for every morning and evening of the month. ย It is one of the resources I use every day in my own personal

2922) A Prayer for Self-Examination and Confession Read More ยป

2790) What Are You Carrying Around?

By Fred Craddock (1928-2015), Craddock Stories,ย ed. by Mike Graves and Richard F. Ward, 2001, Chalice Press, pages 101-102. ————————- ย  ย  ย I remember the first time I went to a minister to talk about something personal; it was tough as toenails. ย It was hard to go and talk to a minister. ย  ย  ย I had

2790) What Are You Carrying Around? Read More ยป

2700) Deathbed Confession (b)

ย  ย  ย (continuedโ€ฆ) ย  The next day one of the nurses saw her pastor who was visiting one of his parishioners in the same hospital. ย She asked if he would stop in to see the woman, and he agreed to do so. ย He went into her room and introduced himself and asked if she wanted

2700) Deathbed Confession (b) Read More ยป

2699) Deathbed Confession (a)

ย  ย  ย I heard this story from another Lutheran pastor. ย I will tell it as I remember it, filling in the conversation a bit as I goโ€“ but this was the gist of it. ย  ย  ย A middle-aged woman was dying of cancer in a big city hospital. ย She received no visitors, and she was

2699) Deathbed Confession (a) Read More ยป

2029) God Does Not Forgive ‘Buts’

By Scott Hubbard, posted July 3, 2019, at:ย  http://www.desiringgod.org ย  ย  ย Very few of us fail to learn, at some point in our growing-up years, the fine art of the fake apology. ย  ย  ย We have spoken a careless word to a friend, for example.ย  Conscience lays a millstone of guilt upon our shoulders, but

2029) God Does Not Forgive ‘Buts’ Read More ยป