Hennie Symington

I took the burdens off your backs let you put down your loads of bricks. Psalm 81:6

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we lived our lives one hundred per cent according to God’s will! Alas, there is none, not even one of us, who can pride ourselves on a clean slate. Yet there is always a second chance when it comes to God. When we confess our sins we are weighing up our lives in the light of God’s standards. Who can hope to measure up? All we can do is to place our bundle of sin on the scale and watch the needle inch up to the top – a terrifying experience for most of us. It’s like going to the greengrocer and watching each potato we add, weighing down the scale. What will the final price be?

But as you’re loading your sins onto the scale, a miracle occurs. Your side of the scale is getting lighter, while the other side gets heavier. On the one side of the scale lies your sins and wrongdoing and on the other side God’s forgiveness. Suddenly your sins become as light as a feather because God’s grace weighs much more than your sin.

But why confess your sin? Because sin spoils your relationship with God and your fellow human beings. When your sins have been forgiven, you are bound to forgive others (2 Corinthians 2:7-8). And when you’ve been forgiven try to stay out of trouble in gratitude towards God who has lifted the load. If you need to change your attitude to overcome certain sins, do it. If you should avoid certain situations to keep you from stumbling, do it. If your tongue gets you into trouble, button your lip. You’d be surprised at how much less trouble you’ll get into just because your relationship with God and others are in order.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you know how difficult it is for us to stay out of trouble. We so much want to live a life where we are not constantly confronted with our sins. Thank you Lord that we can throw off the burden, because you have placed your Son’s life on the scale. Amen