Daily Devotion for June 1st

Truth, Mercy, and Freedom
Read Isaiah 55:6-7
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
-Proverbs 28:13 (NRSV)
SITTING in front of the parole board, hoping to gain my freedom, I was asked this question: "In addition to the offenses for which you were caught, how many others did you commit?" I immediately thought, If I acknowledge concealed offenses, I will hinder my chance for freedom. However, I opted for the truth, and I was paroled.
Thinking about that experience, I asked myself some similar questions: In addition to the sins I have confessed to, how many others have I committed? Can I confess my sins that have had no immediate consequence - the concealed ones?
Scripture assures us that no matter how great our sin, if we opt for truthfulness and wholehearted confession to God, we will find mercy. Indeed, giving an account for all our sins leads to spiritual growth, transformation, and freedom.
Charles P. Axe (Pennsylvania, USA)

O God, help us to understand our need to confess to you our sin, and in confessing, to receive your mercy. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."* Amen.

Thought for the Day:
Full confession brings full freedom.