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Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
There is a cancer update at the end of this message. CHIP STAM STEM CELL DRIVE: BE THE MATCH www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive ===================================== HAITI RELIEF: Please send a generous contribution for Haiti's earthquake relief. If your trusted friends, church, or denomination can't help you with the choice of an agency, I would be happy to make a suggestion. There are lots of good options. carlstam@aol.com ====================================== We know how wonderful it feels to pay off a loan—or, better yet, to have a debt completely forgiven. When it comes to sin against God and forgiveness of sin there is a terrible ditch on each side of the road: One error is to fail to acknowledge that our sin against God is really a problem; the other is to fail to find our full forgiveness through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. In today’s WORSHIP QUOTE, we read what the psalmist thought about the forgiveness of his sin debt against God. CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS (Psalm 32:1-7) Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. SELAH I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. SELAH. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the midst of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. SELAH — Psalm 32:1-7, English Standard Version, Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001. [For the psalmist, this holy routine of confession and forgiveness, this discipline of spiritual cleansing was a regular occurrence. Perhaps there are many Christians who would be greatly blessed by an increased emphasis on this discipline. Surely those "shouts of deliverance" are shouts of joy. See also Proverbs 28:13; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9] ==================== THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 1 (Ed Willmington): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-05 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 2 (Carl Stam): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-12 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 3 (Donald Hustad): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-19 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 4 (Ron Man): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-26 ==================== Blessings to all! Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Ministries The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.wqotw.org www.sbts.edu/icw ===================================== HEALTH UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST FOR CHIP STAM, CANCER PATIENT www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive ===================================== Dear Praying Friends, Here is the best place for information about the Chip Stam Stem Cell Drive: www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive. Maybe you or someone in your circle of acquaintances would be willing to "get a kit" or "give a kit" in order to SAVE LIVES. Longer journal entries about my cancer treatment and several new photos are available at www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam (click on "journal" or "photos"). THINGS CHANGE QUICKLY I went to the cancer clinic for routine lab work at 7:30am on Tuesday, April 20, expecting nothing but low, stable blood levels such that the next chemo round might start on Monday, April 26. Well, in addition to the normal lab work, the doctor ordered the next "deeper" level of blood "chemistry" so that they could check what is known as the LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase). This test measures non-specific tissue damage and helps the doctors know if the cancer is once again on the move. My LDH levels have been creeping up over the last few checks, so Dr. Herzig decided to start my next round of chemo Wednesday, April 21. Yesterday was chemotherapy all morning, and I will be in the hospital on Friday and Saturday for the chemo drug that requires 24/7 monitoring of the patient. We are somewhat relieved that the chemotherapy ball is once again rolling. Thanks for your prayers for the success of this treatment even though my blood counts are low. They may be giving me platelets each day. The PET scan, which will show specific information about my lymphoma, will likely occur in about two weeks. We continue to fight this terrible disease. Please keep praying with us; pray for success of the current treatment; pray for a very wise decisions by my doctors about the donor and for protection from Graft vs. Host Disease. Don't forget to care for the cancer patients in your families, churches, neighborhoods, and places of employment. Pray that our stem cell drive will provide many, many cancer patients with life-saving options for their treatment. Resting in the wisdom and goodness of God, Chip Stam www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam =========================== WORSHIP QUOTE OF THE WEEK: To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view a complete index of worship quotes, please visit http://www.wqotw.org. =========================== |