[Before Cain killed his brother Abel, the Lord warned him:] "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

   [Moses told the Israelites:] "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you . . . Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, Who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to His face . . . He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them." [The Lord says:] "O Israel, if you will truly return to Me and absolutely discard your idols, and if you will swear by Me alone, the living God, and begin to live good, honest, clean lives, then you will be a testimony to the nations of the world and they will come to Me and glorify My name." [They answer:] "Yes, we will come to You, for You are the Lord our God. Surely the idolatrous commotion of the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. From our childhood we have seen everything our fathers had - flocks and herds and sons and daughters - squandered on priests and idols. We lie in shame and dishonor, for we and our fathers have sinned from childhood against the Lord our God; we have not obeyed Him."

   [David wrote:] "There was a time when I wouldn't admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. All day and all night Your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, 'I will confess them to the Lord.' And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Many sorrows come to the wicked, but abiding love surrounds those who trust in the Lord." If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Taken from Gen. 4, Deut. 6, 7, Jer. 4, 3, Psa. 32, I Jn. 1, The New American Standard,
The Living Bible and The New International Version. For free Lifescope book,
write to Box 1575, Carlsbad, NM 88221. Please send $1.00 for postage and handling.