Uh, No Way

Uh, No Way


You are not perfect.  We all admit that...to a point.  I mean, there are sins and imperfections that you own and there are sins and imperfections that are yours to keep.  What do you think James means when he writes, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working”?  I suppose we could pigeon hole this verse because it is in the context of when you are sick because of your sin.  So we say that the only times we confess to one another is when our sin leads to sickness.  But is it always possible to know when you are “sick”?  Can we always see the effect that our sin is having on us?  Sure, if you are sick and the doctor’s cannot seem to help and so your suffering causes you to call for the elders of the church to pray over you...that sickness is easy to recognize.  But what about when you are soul sick?  Struggling to care about anything in your life.  Angry at everyone and everything.  Constantly frustrated and impatient.  Are those symptoms of secret sins that you have allowed to eat away at you?  
Of course, this is about your relationship to God alone and it is no one’s business.  But then why does James encourage us to confess our sins to one another?  Is he speaking about going to a priest? No, he is speaking of going to good, godly friends who can help walk you away from those sins.  He is speaking about the fact that those secret sins are sins that have grabbed you in such away that you need help to be released from their grip.  
Have you become comfortable living with sins that are doing damage that you have learned to live with?  Fantasies, hidden habits, hateful or revengeful thoughts, issues of laziness, being a workaholic, running a treadmill to measure up, etc.  Maybe it is time to seek out a friend, a pastor, or family member that will walk with you as you seek to glorify God and be released from sin’s bondage.  It might be the hardest thing you ever did in your life but it is guaranteed, by God, to lead to a life of full joy and a life that is lived more abundantly.
God loves to forgive.  He loves when his children seek to walk closer to him.  He is eager to shower new blessings and new mercies into our lives everyday.  He knows every secret sin that we cling too.  He sees the damage those sins are having in our lives, even when we cannot.  One of the most precious pictures that I cling to is the picture of the father of the prodigal son.  The father sees the son in the distance as the son makes his way home.  He sees him because he has been looking for him every day.  The father, breaking all cultural protocols, races to meet and embrace his son.  Long before he hears the full story of the son’s sin, he throws a party to welcome him home.  God is not looking for penance or to get his pound of flesh.  He is eagerly waiting for us to turn toward home.  He is looking for us and he will not roll his eyes or give us a snide comment.  He will run to us and embrace us and rejoice that we are home.  Today is the day to choose to do something about that sin that so easily besets you.  Find support.  Turn to him and rest in his full embrace.