Do you, like I, sometimes loose sight of the magnitude of sin? Do we take for granted the grace extended to us when Jesus took all of our sin upon Himself?
I am not talking about beating ourselves up for our failures - I did that for years, have the bruises and scars to prove it, and my relationship with God is none the better for it. No, what I mean is truly acknowledging our sin - the "sinfulness of sin" as this prayer puts it. I tend to give half-hearted confession, simply assuming forgiveness without ever really grieving what I have done wrong. I need to "repent of my repentance".
Take your time reading this prayer - it took me several times through it to really understand it. Allow it to wash away any debris that stands between you and God today.
Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace to you,
Bruce
O God of Grace,
You have imputed my sin to my substitute, and have imputed his righteousness to my soul, clothing me with a bridegroom's robe, decking me with jewels of holiness. But in my Christian walk I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.
I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for you always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, "Father, forgive me," and you are always bringing forth the best robe.
Every morning let me wear it, every evening return in it, go out to the day's work in it, be married in it, be wound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.
Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace.
from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett
 | Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address. Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know. |
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