Psalm 51:3 (confession)

Let's welcome God this morning by reflecting on this short Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which is based on Living Faith. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Psalm 51:3 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "Consider this example of King David who, after having an affair and sending a friend to certain death, sits down to ask God's forgiveness in this most famous of the seven penitential psalms. Few of us commit sins as atrocious as David's. Yet, fearful of condemnation and damnation, we still hesitate to seek forgiveness. Let us remember this example and trust in God's compassion as we confess our errors, no matter how dark we believe our hearts to be." by Melanie Rigney

Rich's comments: Why do I wait so long between confessions? Why do I hesitate to receive God's healing forgiveness and mercy? I have faith that God can forgive me. I have experienced the freedom from being released from my burdens and the joy of being closer to God. Lord, give me the humility and courage to confess my sins now. Welcome me home. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Let's invite others to join the LIFE Group (~200 Christians).

* NEW: Your burdens will not become any lighter by procrastinating. Confess your sins today.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, American Family Association, Priests for Life
* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images)...#1 cause of death in America. Let's courageously share ProLife Truth (John 14:6) to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace...rebuilding a Culture of Life (Matt 5:16) and setting the unborn free!

Feast Day: St. John Mary Vianney was a priest whose reputation as a confessor and director of souls made him known throughout the Christian world.

Faith Quote: “Hearing nuns' confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” - Fulton Sheen

Through Christ our Lord,

Rich

Romans 12:12

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.'

* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, bitterness, being so critical, impatience, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).

* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish' (Blessed Mother Teresa).

* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service.