Conviction of sin is best described in the words:

My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.

Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.

The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.

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December 7, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, just before I began the mechanics of assembling the devotional this morning I caught a glimpse of this quote from Charles Spurgeon,
“You cannot sin so much as God can forgive. If it comes to a pitched
battle between sin and grace, you shall not be so bad as God shall be good. I
will prove it to you. You can only sin as a man, but God can forgive as a God.
You sin as a finite creature, but the Lord forgives as the infinite
Creator.”

Father God, this quote made me stop and consider just how  amazing You are. Your overwhelming grace and mercy just stops me in my tracks  sometimes. Your love goes beyond anything I can imagine. Thank You for the  reminder.

And God says…” I went  to great lengths to show My love and grace in a way that demonstrates  just how far I will go to have a relationship with You. There are no limits or  boundaries on My love and grace. You will never be able to out run, or “out-sin”  my love, grace and forgiveness. There is no limit nor can you ever be separated  from My love and the goodness I have for you. Trust in Me with all your heart  and do not rely on your own understanding….and revel in my grace and love.”