Dear Church Family, It’s difficult to take ownership for our sins. I’m amazed sometimes, when I see people confronted with obvious sins, how they can completely ignore the obvious and defend their actions. I know, though, that I can do the same thing. The book of Jeremiah is filled with passage after passage explaining why God is judging the people, so when I came to this verse was surprised: Jeremiah 16:10 (ESV)
“And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’
God warns Jeremiah that the people will be shocked at his accusations, even though their sins are obvious: Jeremiah 16:11-12 (ESV)
then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, 12 and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me.
I thought of two things as I read these words. First, sin becomes less shocking the longer we live in it. The people didn’t jump into sin suddenly, but had been living sinfully for generations. Sin had become normal, so they are shocked when they are called out for it. Second, our hearts are so great at hiding and deceiving. We hide our sin and pretend it’s not there. We also deceive ourselves into thinking it’s not so bad or even convince ourselves that it’s not wrong at all. The hard reality is that healing can only come when we acknowledge and confess our sins. How do you respond when you are confronted? With pride or humility? Pride shoots down the entirety because of one perceived inaccuracy. Humility looks for the shred of truth that can help one grow. Proverbs 28:13 (ESV)
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
What’s Happening at Gospel Life:Elder Training: The next elder training is scheduled for August 8th at 7 pm at the Bronleewes’ house. We’ll be studying through 1 Timothy 2. If you need a copy of the homework from last month, contact Pastor Dave. Church Potluck: Our next potluck lunch will be after the morning worship service on Sunday, August 14th. Please bring one of your favorite dishes to share with the group. | 
