O Lord,
These words are hard.
They speak of judgment, of death, of exile.
They show me the seriousness of sin,
the poison of idolatry,
the ruin of immorality,
the emptiness of seeking power apart from You.
And I tremble, because I see shadows of myself here.
I confess, Father, that I take sin too lightly.
I call it weakness instead of rebellion,
a mistake instead of death.
I tell myself it is not so serious,
but You remind me sin destroys,
sin devours,
sin separates me from You.
I confess that at times I have played with fire,
standing close to the line You forbid.
Yet even here, Your mercy breaks through.
You do not only speak of judgment
You call me Your own.
You say, “I am the Lord who sets you apart.”
You remind me I am not abandoned to my sin,
but chosen, rescued, made holy.
In Christ, the judgment I deserved
was borne at the cross.
The exile I earned,
He carried outside the camp.
The death I owed,
He died in my place.
So here I am, Lord.
Set me apart for You.
Keep me from the snares of sin.
Let my life reflect that I belong to You.
Teach me to hate what destroys,
and to cling to what gives life.
Let holiness not be fear of punishment,
but love for Your presence.
I am Yours, O Lord
set apart, cleansed, beloved.
Amen.