How Do You Plead?
Theme of the Week: What's to Confess?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
 1 of 1
Who Said It … Mark Galli
Mark Galli is a pastor turned editor. His pastoring occurred in Mexico City and Sacramento, California. He came to Christianity Today International 20 years ago, first editing Leadership then Christian History & Biography. Since 2000 he's been managing editor of Christianity Today. Mark plays golf and loves fly-fishing with his son Luke, now graduated from college. And in good weather, he rides his motorcycle to work. What He Said … How Do You Plead?
I wish I could foist this repentance business off to the beginning of the Christian walk, as if pagans are the only people who need to repent. I wish I could say that after becoming a Christian as a teenager, I suddenly began thinking clearly and living righteously. But in our most honest moments, we know that Paul took the words right out of our mouths: "I want to do what is good, but I don't. … I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. … Oh what a miserable person I am!" (Romans 7:19, 22-24).
The fact that some days I can hardly imagine my need to repent just shows how shallow my faith has become—as if it's mostly about religious and social graces and the occasional act of mercy. And though we are right to avoid false guilt and debilitating shame, there remains plenty of true guilt and healthy shame that we need to deal with all our lives.
Adapted from Jesus Mean and Wild (Baker, 2006) by permission.
Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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My need to confess sin and be cleansed is as great as ever. Don't let me to pretend otherwise.
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