Thoughts for another day

October 9, 2006

Today's verse: Ezr. 9:6. And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. (KJV)

The ‘grief’ of man on the sins he has committed is a pleasant offering to the Lord.

In our lives we so very often offend God that it is remarkable He allows us to be. Of His mercies, we are not consumed and we live to see another day. But it doesn’t mean that pardon for our sins is granted. Pardon can be granted only when we acknowledge our sins and confess them humbly before God.

In the context of today’s verse, the Israelites had offended God terribly and God had punished them. Yet they did not learn and kept on doing the same things. When Ezra heard about it, He was sore displeased and overcome by woe. He was afraid; very afraid of what would happen now. For, He knew about the wrath of God. But he chose to debase Himself absolutely before God and in doing so; He kept the wrath of God at bay.

With us too there are many sins that keep us away from God. Once in a while we need to take stock of our own lives and work on righting it before God. We need to do it, not because we are in a way faced with the impending wrath of God but because He loves us too dearly and we owe it to Him, not to mention of course the fact that in His presence, when cleansed, we experience the greatest delights we can.