Subject: How are honesty and deception defined? |
Bible Note: SeekingHelp: God has an infinitely greater capacity to forgive than we do to forgive others or even ourselves. All we can do is ask God's forgiveness and, where applicable, man's forgiveness for wrongs committed. We can pray that God will give us strength to overcome our weaknesses, whatever they may be. And even though our past sins may be remembered and unforgiven by our fellowmen, "if we confess our sins, (to God) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) God so thoroughly forgives that He blots out our sins (Acts 3:19) and remembers them no more. We have all of us done things in the past that we should not have done, but we are to forget "those those which are behind" and reach "forward to those things which are ahead." Like Paul, we are to "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3: 13,14) Few of us have a more sordid past than did the apostle Paul, who zealously and openly persecuted the very church of Christ for which he later became one of its greatest ambassadors. Memories of his past life may indeed have haunted him but did not deter him from serving the Lord Jesus Christ in a most vigorous way. You can, in spite of your past, with the help of Almighty God, "let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) No one could have been more remorseful or more haunted by sin than David was in the wake of his terrible sins of adultery and murder ("my sin is always before me" Psalm 51:3). His inspiring prayer of repentence in Psalm 51 is a pattern for all who need forgiveness, and that is indeed all of us. "Hide not your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquites," David prays. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." You might wish to read and study all of this wonderful Psalm 51. It is nourishing food for the spirit. God's rich and abundant blessings to you. --Hank |