•3:01 PM
By: Tom Smith, Wooddale Church of Christ
Psalm 51:2,13 Cleanse me from my sin. . . . Then I will teach transgressors Your ways.
If Christians were more honest about their own sinfulness, they would be more effective in reaching nonbelievers for Christ.
A prostitute, sick and without food, asked a "Christian" worker for help.
When he suggested that she should go to a church, she replied, "Church! Why would I go there? They'd make me feel worse than I already do."
We who go to church regularly tend to put on a happy face or look pious on Sunday morning. This may give the impression that we never struggle with temptation or fall short of the high standard we profess. No wonder many street people or down-and-outers who visit church get the feeling that they are the only bad ones there.
This is not to suggest that we should make public all our sinful thoughts and actions. Rather, the solution to this situation begins with total honesty about ourselves like that expressed by David in Psalm 51. If we admit to ourselves our own sinful tendencies and recognize our own capacity for evil, we will not convey a holier-than-thou attitude. Down-and-out sinners will sense this, and God will then be able to use us to teach transgressors His ways (Ps. 51:13).
Father, help us to be honest about our sin and our need of Your grace.
Help us to be the kind of people who draw others to You.
In Jesus name, Amen
To know the potential for sin in our own heart gives us a more sympathetic heart for sinners.
