Being Contrite
Most people today, do not even know the definition of contrite, much less remember the last time they were contrite. It has been lost in our culture. I am afraid, it is not even practiced by many believers or many churches today. However, God requires that we be contrite over our sins, or He will not forgive us. Therefore, it is essential for us to know this word and that we are contrite when we sin. The people of Judah were not contrite after all of their sins, and God gravely punished them. (Jeremiah 44:9,10) We, as believers, need to seek to avoid their mistakes and to learn just how to be contrite.
Many people just try to forget their sins, so that they do nothing about them. They feel if they can put them out of their minds, they will not have to deal with any of the consequences. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When we sin, God convicts us of our sins, and He expects us to grieve over how we have hurt Him and how we have hurt others, as well as ourselves. When we grieve over our sins, and we are truly sorry for what we have done, we are contrite. If we are really contrite, we will ask God to give us the power not to commit those sins again. We will change our lives, and we will begin to do the right thing, instead of continuing to bring destruction to our lives through sin. That is why He gave us His Word. It contains His laws and statutes, as well as spiritual principles that guide us in every part of our lives. If we will be contrite for our sins, and begin to follow His way, He will forgive us, and we can walk in His favor again.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 46-48.
Many people just try to forget their sins, so that they do nothing about them. They feel if they can put them out of their minds, they will not have to deal with any of the consequences. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When we sin, God convicts us of our sins, and He expects us to grieve over how we have hurt Him and how we have hurt others, as well as ourselves. When we grieve over our sins, and we are truly sorry for what we have done, we are contrite. If we are really contrite, we will ask God to give us the power not to commit those sins again. We will change our lives, and we will begin to do the right thing, instead of continuing to bring destruction to our lives through sin. That is why He gave us His Word. It contains His laws and statutes, as well as spiritual principles that guide us in every part of our lives. If we will be contrite for our sins, and begin to follow His way, He will forgive us, and we can walk in His favor again.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 46-48.