Appointed To Bear Fruit: A 90 Day JourneySample

Confess Your Sins 

Even though Peter had been struggling with pride, he was finally learning to listen to the Lord’s words. This time, He didn’t correct what Jesus said about the meaning of the washing. Instead, he finally got it and embraced Jesus’ ministry with great enthusiasm. Yet, the result was the same. Peter gave orders to Christ. “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” What a sight that must have been. Imagine Peter stripping down to his underwear during the meal, with all the other disciples watching him take a bath. After hearing Jesus say that He must wash their feet, Peter immediately wanted to supersede the Lord’s command. His devotion to God was so great that he was always trying to do more than what was desired. Peter once again fell into the same problem. First, he rejected to be served by Jesus. Now, he was telling Jesus how to serve Him. Peter continued to position himself higher than Jesus.

No one can tell God what to do, so don’t deceive yourself. As a leader, it’s easy to think that because you have authority to tell others what to do, you can also do the same with God. Once you start down that path, it won’t be long before you believe that God’s job is to serve your needs instead of the other way around. Humility means that you desire to be made into God’s image so that His name is made holy and is respected.

Jesus corrected Peter by saying, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.” Here, Jesus revealed the secret of washing. Once you have been made clean by the blood of Jesus, you don’t need to receive Jesus a second time. Your sins have been forgiven for all time. And, you don’t need to be baptized more than once. (Baptism is the sign of repentance: a sign that you have been made clean by the blood of Christ.) Bathing and washing are different. Those who have been bathed are clean. But, throughout the day, dirt gathers on parts of our bodies and needs to be washed off. In the same way, we who have been made clean through repentance still commit sins. We desire to live holy lives in accordance with God’s plan, but we are not fully able to. That’s where humility comes in. When we sin, we need to humbly come before God and confess our sins.

Some of us refuse to accept responsibility for our sin. Instead, we live in denial or blame it on someone else. On one occasion, a man came to us wanting to join our ministry. He had been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a woman and was subsequently dismissed. In his interview, the man explained how the whole thing was a misunderstanding and that he was falsely accused. His explanation seemed reasonable so he joined our ministry on a probationary status. It wasn’t even three months before he was involved in another inappropriate relationship. It’s troubling how people can so easily deny their sins instead of humbling themselves and confessing their sins. None of us can play with God. In the same way that Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with leaves, so too we try to cover our nakedness before God with flimsy excuses. These excuses merely point out our problem with pride. 

You need to be responsible for your own actions. Instead of defending yourself and blaming God or others, a humble disciple will confess their sin saying, “Lord, I have sinned today. Wash me clean, for my feet are dirty with sin.” 

Application:  What sins do you need to confess today?