“HE WHO CONCEALS HIS SINS DOES NOT PROSPER, BUT WHOEVER CONFESSES AND RENOUNCES THEM FINDS MERCY.” – Proverbs 28:13

There is an old calendar hanging on one wall in the room where I do my work. Actually I should say the remains of a calendar.  I cannot tell you how old the remains are, but when I look at the remains of the calendar, I see a beautiful sailing boat with an island in the background.

When you take the calendar off the wall you can see that the beautiful picture covers marks on the wallpaper.

Marks on the wallpaper!

Marks in our life!

Marks that are there, but should not be there. There are things we have done and we know that we should not have done them. The Bible calls those things transgressions. That are the sins in my life and that are the sins in your life. You probably know that already, but let me say here that death entered the world through sin. We die because we are sinners.

There are three things we can do with our sins:

WE CAN  COVER OUR TRANSGRESSIONS.

But people who are trying to conceal their sins do not prosper. People who are trying to hide their sins are not successful. People who are denying that they are sinners are not successful.

WE CAN  CONFESS OUR SINS.

We must confess our transgressions in order to find mercy!

WE CAN RENOUNCE OUR SINS

And not only that. In order to obtain mercy we must renounce our sins. We must forsake our sins in order to find mercy.

What is mercy? Mercy is forgiveness. When we act in kindness we show mercy. God promised us kindness. We are reading that in Luke 1:54,72. The saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of his kindness. And that is the mercy of God.  (Titus 3:5-6; First Peter 1:30