“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”
Psalm 51:3-4
Some of my friends tell me I’m too hard on myself. They say I berate myself too much. But I know the truth. I know when I’m vying for attention or when I’m shading the truth or hiding the facts. I know when I’m deliberately ignoring the Spirit’s direction. I know the times when I switch the subject to avoid my husband’s scrutiny or when I turn my back in anger to punish him or make him feel guilty.
As the psalmist says, I know my transgressions. Sensitivity to one’s sin is not a curse but a blessing. It’s maturity to know the evil you are capable of, to realize the depths of your depravity. And to a sensitive conscience, pain on account of sin ought not to be an occasional thing but intense and permanent. Praise God if, like the psalmist, you are able to say, “My sin is always before me.”
Mercy is defined as kindness in excess of what might be expected. And for the multitude of your sins, God has a multitude of mercies. Tender mercies they are, compassionate kindness far in excess of what you deserve. Where sins abound, grace abounds. To know your transgressions provides an opportunity to confess and receive abundant mercy, compassionate grace.
How sensitive are you to the sin in your life? Does your Spirit-sharpened conscience warn you when you shade the truth? Do red flags wave when you backbite with gossip? Know your transgressions, for when you do, His tender mercies are there to forgive.
Father, make me aware of every sin, hidden and exposed. And thank You for Your tender mercy that forgives.
