August 23 Daily Devotional

28 Jul August 23 Daily Devotional

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

ALL OF YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN

Colossians 3:13-14  “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

What would happen if you journaled all of your sins?  It would be quite a task to try to determine every time you break one of the Ten Commandments.  It is perhaps easier to keep track of your sins of commission.  You would simply need to look at all you do and say, compare your behavior with the Ten Commandments to see if you had sinned.  Yet, this is not truly the case because there are all of those “grey” areas in your life.  When is what you say truly, in every way, beyond any doubt the complete truth and when have you “fudged,” if even so slightly.  God requires 100% truthful speech.

The more difficult sins to identify and record would be sins of omission.  These occur when you fail to do something God requires of you in the Ten Commandments.  As an example, Luther’s explanation of the 8^th Commandment says this Law of God requires you to “speak about your neighbor in the kindest possible way.” (Small Catechism)  You would be pressed to weigh everything you say about every person you speak about on a daily basis.

Colossians 2:13-14 says God “. . .forgave (you) all (your) sins, having canceled the charge of (your) legal indebtedness, which stood against (you) and condemned (you) . . .” You don’t need to keep a “sin” journal.  You don’t need to make certain how many sins nor the type of sins you have committed.  What sins should you confess?  The Small Catechism’s answer is, “Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer.

An excellent model for you to follow if found in David’s confession in Psalm 51:1-12:  “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. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so, you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

God has removed from you the guilt of your sins through the death of Jesus.  He has taken them away, nailing them to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Prayer:  Create in me, O Lord, a clean heart and a right spirit through Your Son Jesus, my Savior.  Amen.

From the depths of woe I cry to Thee, In trial and tribulation;

Bend down Thy gracious ear to me, Lord, hear my supplication.

If Thou rememb’rest ev’ry sin, Who then could heaven ever win

Or stand before Thy presence?

Thy love and grace alone avail To blot out my transgression;

The best and holiest deeds must fail To break sin’s dread oppression.

Before Thee none can boasting stand, But all must fear Thy strict demand

And live alone by mercy.

Therefore my hope is in the Lord And not in mine own merit;

It rests upon His faithful Word To them of contrite spirit

That He is merciful and just; This is my comfort and my trust.

His help I wait with patience.

And though it tarry through the night And till the morning waken,

My heart shall never doubt His might Nor count itself forsaken.

O Israel, trust in God your Lord, Born of the Spirit and the Word,

Now wait for His appearing.

Though great our sins, yet greater still Is God’s abundant favor;

His hand of mercy never will Abandon us, nor waver.

Our Shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free

From all their sin and sorrow.

(LSB 607)