“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalm 32:5, NLT)
Thirty years ago this month, the street we lived on underwent major renovations. Over three months, workers tore apart the aging concrete along a half mile of road, even pulling up the sidewalks. They installed new water and sewer lines, leveled the roadway, and poured new concrete and sidewalks. The new street looked beautiful!
Just two days after the new concrete was poured, our basement flooded. After contacting a company to fix the problem, a plumber came to our house. He discovered a blockage of the house sewer line within a foot of the road. Worried that something was wrong in our connection to the new sewer under the new road, I contacted the jobsite supervisor of the new street. I told him that the workers must have made a mistake with our sewer as the connection was blocked. He told me that we were wrong; his crew and inspectors had done everything by the book. He threatened that the city would charge me $10,000 to tear up that new concrete in front of our house to prove he was right. He said I was making a stupid mistake that was going to make a mess of his new concrete roadway.
The next day, a backhoe tore up the perfectly formed street, putting a hole in that new concrete. Believing I had made a huge mistake that was going to be very costly, ten men from the road crew and the company that put in the sewer line along with the city supervisor, a lawyer, and other major dignitaries were present. The jobsite supervisor complained in front of all the “suits” that I was seriously mistaken, and he was going to charge me thousands.
Ten minutes after digging up a sixteen square foot section of that new road down to the sewer line, they found that the workers had indeed failed to hook up our house to the new sewer. Not only did the sewer line crew make a mistake, so did the inspector. The job site supervisor also missed the error. In the end, the construction company and city inspectors had to pay all the costs and damages associated not only to the road but to our house. It cost them $130,000 dollars to fix this one little mistake.
You should have seen the disgusted looks when they realized their error. I thought the jobsite supervisor was going to have a stroke as he yelled and screamed at the road crew. The construction company had to replace all the carefully placed sewer lines, put in a new roadbed, and patch the hole with asphalt. Six months later, they had to dig out this asphalt patch to replace the concrete. Along a half mile of perfectly poured brand new concrete road was sixteen square feet of rotten looking asphalt patch.
On the day the street was opened, the job site supervisor was so upset at the patch on the road that he forbade news crews from filming at the site. For six months, that patch on the road stood out to all who drove by. Neighbors talked about it for a long time. Not only was the road stained by the asphalt patch, but the error by the construction crew was also evident to all who passed by our house. It was an eyesore that persisted… for weeks and months.
As I think about that awful looking patch of road, I am reminded today of those whose beautiful lives have been stained by a sinful act. For days and months after, the residue of that sin persists. Like the new street by my house hid a fatal flaw in the sewer line, hidden sin masks a soul that has been disobedient to God. In the same way that our beautiful new street had to be torn up to fix a small error, sometimes a sin will force a person to dredge up old memories or face dire consequences. Sin leaves a residue, a stain on one’s life. Covering it over by hiding it may cost you even more in the long run.
Today’s scripture from Psalm 32:5 explains how sin can leave a dark stain, an evil residue, a blot on one’s life. Written by David, this psalm states that when David “finally confessed all his sin and stopped trying to hide guilt”, things with God changed. David’s sin was forgiven. His “guilt was gone”. By confessing his sin, David uncovered the error of his ways. He was willing to face the consequences in order to make things right with God.
Many people do not recognize how sin leaves a residue on one’s life. Just like the black asphalt patch from a mistake in construction ruined the perfect look of my new street, the residue from a sin can darken your mood, cloud the view of your past, remind you of poor choices, or cause guilt to hang around. Until you are completely forgiven and atone for your sin, guilt will stain your life in ways you aren’t even aware. The consequences of your sin will bring sadness or regret. You might even find it difficult to look in the mirror!
However, if you confess your sin before God and are willing to uncover your bad judgment, God is more than willing to forgive you. With God’s forgiveness comes healing and wholeness. The guilt should leave. The residue of sin should fade. That is why scripture often describes confession and forgiveness as a “washing away” of sin, where the residue of sin is “cleansed” by the action of God in Christ (Psalm 51:4-7; Jeremiah 33:8; Ezekiel 36:33; 1 John 1:7; etc.).
Don’t be surprised when a sin that is unresolved brings consequences. The residue of sin is often present long after the initial act. Resentment, guilt, irritation, and other emotions can linger for long periods after your error in judgment. Sin carries a burden. It leaves a blot on your conscience. It will drag you down. You might want to cover it up or explain it away. This won’t help to get rid of the stain, the residue, the consequences of your action. If anything, this will make matters worse. When you sin, it is best to “come clean” with God before the stain becomes permanent.
A woman stood by her washing machine, holding up a blouse. As she looked at that newly washed blouse, she saw the faint stain from wine spilled three nights before. As she viewed the stain, she was determined to wash it away. The stain carried with it more than just residue from spilled wine. It reminded the woman of that night; of her argument with her husband, of the harsh words spoken, of her sinful resentment toward him. Try as she might, she couldn’t remove the stain in the blouse. It had faded with washing, yes. Others may not even see it, but the woman knew exactly where it was. Like the wine stain could not easily be removed from her blouse, the fight with her husband could not be easily cleansed from her memories.
Sinful actions leave sinful residues. If you find yourself with saddled with guilt, come clean with God. Open your heart to Jesus. Seek forgiveness and grace. Let God wipe away the sin and cleanse your heart of guilt. There is no other way to find peace and wholeness in heart and soul.
Is there any lingering residue from past sin casting a shadow over your days? Work it out with God. Seek forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Make it right. Fix that mess!
Just two days after the new concrete was poured, our basement flooded. After contacting a company to fix the problem, a plumber came to our house. He discovered a blockage of the house sewer line within a foot of the road. Worried that something was wrong in our connection to the new sewer under the new road, I contacted the jobsite supervisor of the new street. I told him that the workers must have made a mistake with our sewer as the connection was blocked. He told me that we were wrong; his crew and inspectors had done everything by the book. He threatened that the city would charge me $10,000 to tear up that new concrete in front of our house to prove he was right. He said I was making a stupid mistake that was going to make a mess of his new concrete roadway.
The next day, a backhoe tore up the perfectly formed street, putting a hole in that new concrete. Believing I had made a huge mistake that was going to be very costly, ten men from the road crew and the company that put in the sewer line along with the city supervisor, a lawyer, and other major dignitaries were present. The jobsite supervisor complained in front of all the “suits” that I was seriously mistaken, and he was going to charge me thousands.
Ten minutes after digging up a sixteen square foot section of that new road down to the sewer line, they found that the workers had indeed failed to hook up our house to the new sewer. Not only did the sewer line crew make a mistake, so did the inspector. The job site supervisor also missed the error. In the end, the construction company and city inspectors had to pay all the costs and damages associated not only to the road but to our house. It cost them $130,000 dollars to fix this one little mistake.
You should have seen the disgusted looks when they realized their error. I thought the jobsite supervisor was going to have a stroke as he yelled and screamed at the road crew. The construction company had to replace all the carefully placed sewer lines, put in a new roadbed, and patch the hole with asphalt. Six months later, they had to dig out this asphalt patch to replace the concrete. Along a half mile of perfectly poured brand new concrete road was sixteen square feet of rotten looking asphalt patch.
On the day the street was opened, the job site supervisor was so upset at the patch on the road that he forbade news crews from filming at the site. For six months, that patch on the road stood out to all who drove by. Neighbors talked about it for a long time. Not only was the road stained by the asphalt patch, but the error by the construction crew was also evident to all who passed by our house. It was an eyesore that persisted… for weeks and months.
As I think about that awful looking patch of road, I am reminded today of those whose beautiful lives have been stained by a sinful act. For days and months after, the residue of that sin persists. Like the new street by my house hid a fatal flaw in the sewer line, hidden sin masks a soul that has been disobedient to God. In the same way that our beautiful new street had to be torn up to fix a small error, sometimes a sin will force a person to dredge up old memories or face dire consequences. Sin leaves a residue, a stain on one’s life. Covering it over by hiding it may cost you even more in the long run.
Today’s scripture from Psalm 32:5 explains how sin can leave a dark stain, an evil residue, a blot on one’s life. Written by David, this psalm states that when David “finally confessed all his sin and stopped trying to hide guilt”, things with God changed. David’s sin was forgiven. His “guilt was gone”. By confessing his sin, David uncovered the error of his ways. He was willing to face the consequences in order to make things right with God.
Many people do not recognize how sin leaves a residue on one’s life. Just like the black asphalt patch from a mistake in construction ruined the perfect look of my new street, the residue from a sin can darken your mood, cloud the view of your past, remind you of poor choices, or cause guilt to hang around. Until you are completely forgiven and atone for your sin, guilt will stain your life in ways you aren’t even aware. The consequences of your sin will bring sadness or regret. You might even find it difficult to look in the mirror!
However, if you confess your sin before God and are willing to uncover your bad judgment, God is more than willing to forgive you. With God’s forgiveness comes healing and wholeness. The guilt should leave. The residue of sin should fade. That is why scripture often describes confession and forgiveness as a “washing away” of sin, where the residue of sin is “cleansed” by the action of God in Christ (Psalm 51:4-7; Jeremiah 33:8; Ezekiel 36:33; 1 John 1:7; etc.).
Don’t be surprised when a sin that is unresolved brings consequences. The residue of sin is often present long after the initial act. Resentment, guilt, irritation, and other emotions can linger for long periods after your error in judgment. Sin carries a burden. It leaves a blot on your conscience. It will drag you down. You might want to cover it up or explain it away. This won’t help to get rid of the stain, the residue, the consequences of your action. If anything, this will make matters worse. When you sin, it is best to “come clean” with God before the stain becomes permanent.
A woman stood by her washing machine, holding up a blouse. As she looked at that newly washed blouse, she saw the faint stain from wine spilled three nights before. As she viewed the stain, she was determined to wash it away. The stain carried with it more than just residue from spilled wine. It reminded the woman of that night; of her argument with her husband, of the harsh words spoken, of her sinful resentment toward him. Try as she might, she couldn’t remove the stain in the blouse. It had faded with washing, yes. Others may not even see it, but the woman knew exactly where it was. Like the wine stain could not easily be removed from her blouse, the fight with her husband could not be easily cleansed from her memories.
Sinful actions leave sinful residues. If you find yourself with saddled with guilt, come clean with God. Open your heart to Jesus. Seek forgiveness and grace. Let God wipe away the sin and cleanse your heart of guilt. There is no other way to find peace and wholeness in heart and soul.
Is there any lingering residue from past sin casting a shadow over your days? Work it out with God. Seek forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Make it right. Fix that mess!