My Thoughts and Reflections

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed." James 5:16a (NASB) As followers of Jesus Christ, we know that we need to confess our sins to God, which provides us with assurance of forgiveness since he has promised us that would do that (1 John 1:9). When I confess my sins to God, it often seems like it is too easy for me since I know that God already knows my offenses and he has promised to forgive me when I confess to him.  Confessing to God may seem easy, but it is taking confession to a whole new level when I involve a fellow brother or sister in Christ into the mix.  James encourages us to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other so that we can be healed. When I confess my sins to my chosen brother in Christ, it makes the sin in my life that much more real. I am forced to share the burdens of my sin with someone else and allow someone else to see the dark parts of my life. When I confess ...

Lord of Heaven and Earth!   Your love for the world caused you to send your one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world so that he could die for our sins.  Thank you that he not only died, but that he also rose again to life.   Thank you that you provided over five hundred witnesses to your resurrection so that on account of all of the evidence we find in the Bible, we can come to believe that Jesus is the Christ and that he is the Son of God.   Lord, bless us this week with boldness as we proclaim, "Christ is Risen!" to our coworkers, family, friends, fellow students, and to all other people that we meet this week.  Give us boldness as we bring the good news of the gospel to all those who have not hear and accepted it yet.  Give us the words to say when it is time to say them.   We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior.  Amen!