Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Mark 1:14 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
ADMITTING SIN
John's preaching was a call for change in the hearts of people and for a change in the direction of their lives. He wanted them to stop embracing sin and to trust in God to send the Savior He had promised long ago. John said that this Savior was almost there.
The people's response to John's message was good. Lots of people recognized that they were sinners and needed a Savior. They came great distances to hear John preach and to be baptized by him.
Think about what those people were saying when they got baptized. There were making a statement, a public confession that they had a problem, and that problem was inside them. They were sinners who needed the cleansing of God.
That's powerful thing. We human beings sometimes have a hard time admitting that we've screwed up, that something is our fault, that we were wrong. Sure, we can apologize for the little things -- like bumping into someone at the store or mispronouncing someone's name. But when someone confronts us about something bad we didn't realize we had done or when we feel embarrassed by what we've done, our first reaction is to offer some excuse.
But that's not how the people of Judea responded to John's message. The people who came to the banks of the Jordan river were saying, "I'm a sinner, God, save me. I trust in your promise."
We still do this today when we confess our sins together in church or alone in our own prayers. At those times aren't we simply saying, "I'm a sinner, God, save me. I trust in your promise."?
May God help us to always admit our wrongs and to trust in Jesus' perfect sacrifice for our forgiveness and peace.
