Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash
Before I commit a sin it seems to me so shallow,
that I can wade through it dry – free from any guilt.
But when I have committed the sin, it often seems so deep
that I cannot escape without drowning.
It feels like I am always in the extremes,
either my sins are so small that they don’t need any repentance
or so great that they cannot be forgiven!
Lend to me, O Lord, a reed out of your sanctuary,
that allows me to measure the dimensions of my offenses.
But, oh! as you reveal the extents of my depravity,
reveal even more of your mercy.
Thomas Fuller, 1608-1661, English churchman and historian
2000 Years of Prayer freely modified
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If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
prayer & verse 