FCA ResourcesDevotional
We are Truly Sorry
Ready
“If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” – 1 John 1: 8-10
Set
I had a teammate who would apologize, but you knew they didn’t mean it. The person either got caught and was forced to apologize, or they didn’t feel any remorse or need for correction but thought saying, “I’m sorry,” would brush it under the rug and not get them into any more trouble.
I saw this repeatedly happen when that teammate would get in trouble with the coach. Instead of genuinely owning up to their mistake and trying to improve, they would throw out an empty apology and continue doing what they were doing before getting caught. This behavior annoyed me when we played on the same team.
Looking back at our lives, how often is that our response to God when we sin? We are all sinful; there is no way of getting around that, and we mess up daily. When we mess up, Scripture tells us to confess our sins to God, who will forgive us.
How often do we give God an empty apology and continue doing the same behavior? To confess means to agree with God that our actions are wrong, to be convicted, and from that conviction, change our path.
To confess has much more responsibility than saying, “I’m sorry.” God will forgive our sins when we confess to Him and pursue righteousness. God knows our intention; there’s no fooling Him with a half-hearted apology.
If we truly understand His Word and desire to follow Him, we will feel grieved that we have acted against God when we sin. Thus, we must seek God’s forgiveness and learn from our mistakes.
Go
- Is this how you feel when you sin against God, or are you looking for an easy apology out of trouble?
- What do you think confessing your sins looks like?
- Do you believe that God will forgive you?
Overtime
“God, You are the ultimate forgiver of our sins. You desire us to come to You with our sin and lay it at Your feet. Cleanse us today and help us be truly convicted by our sin and not offer an empty apology because it’s what we feel we should do. Let us be examples of Your righteousness in our communities this week. Amen.”
Group