Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Friday, August 24, 2018

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."¹

Before Ansel Adams became famous as a landscape photographer, he studied piano and showed some talent. At one of his first recitals he played Chopin's Nocturne in F Major. "In some strange way," he said, "my right hand started off in F-sharp major while my left hand behaved well in F major. I could not bring them together. I went through the entire nocturne with the hands separated by a half-step. The next day, someone walked up to him and jokingly commented, "You never missed a wrong note."²

I can identify with Adams in that in much younger days I used to play trumpet on a gospel team and one of the first times I played a solo, I was so nervous I was thinking one song and playing another! You can imagine the effect. It was very embarrassing, to say the least.

Such mistakes are easily overcome. But some mistakes we make in life can have long-lasting serious consequences. With these mistakes, however, the good news is that God's mercy is always available to all who confess their sins and failures and ask for his forgiveness.

Have you forgiven all who have ever hurt you? And have you experienced God's forgiveness? If not, why not do that today. For further help be sure to read the article: "Forgiveness: The Power That Heals." It's online at: http://tinyurl.com/dvwh5.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that 'You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness,'³ and that you forgive all my sins and trespasses when I genuinely confess them to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Psalm 51:1-2 (NIV).
2. David Roper. Cited in KneEmail. To subscribe send a blank message to: kneemail-subscribe@welovegod.org
3. Nehemiah 9:17 (NIV).

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