Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the day: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”- Ephesians 1:7
Insight: We all have made a mess of our lives at certain times. We all wish we could go back in our history and change a word, a thought or an action that left us feeling ashamed or embarrassed by our actions. I certainly regret so many times when I flat out blew it. But the truth of this life is, we can never go back and undo things that have already taken place, but to quote CS Lewis “while we can’t go back and change our beginnings, we can start where we are and change our endings.” However, in order for this to happen, we need to forgive ourselves and as Christians, we must remember and trust that because of Jesus’s atoning sacrifice on the Cross, ( Romans 3:25 ) all of our sins are forgiven as far as the East is from the West. ( Psalm 103:12 ) This is certainly the best news that we could ever hear, that through Jesus our sins are washed clean and we are set free from the guilt and shame that our actions deserved. But many still can’t shake free from the guilt that they carry, and so in essence they prosecute their own sin all over AGAIN.
I talk to so many people who say things like “God could never forgive me for what I’ve done.” But the truth is that He can and does forgive you for not only all that you have done, but also for all you will ever do in the future. God has given us, who accept His Son Jesus as Lord & Savior, a permanent get out of jail free card that never expires. He is much more surprised when we don’t sin than when we do, given the fallen nature of the world we live in, the intensity of the battle we are caught up in between not only our flesh and the Spirit, ( Galaltians 5:17 ) but also because of the battles taking place in the spiritual realms that are so fierce and so far above our heads. ( Ephesians 6:12 ) But God forgives us of all sin, there is no hierarchy of sin or record of our sin that we will have to give account for, because Jesus has wiped our slate clean. We are forgiven, which means we are free, and our lives should radically demonstrate that through our best attempts to love all whom God puts in our path with the same love that Jesus shows us.
So, do you think you have sinned so much that you can’t be saved and forgiven by Jesus? Let me remind you that Saul was the biggest persecutor of the Christian Way and killed and had imprisoned many who dared believe in Jesus as the Messiah. But then Saul become Paul, through a radical encounter with the Living God on the Damascus Road, and was responsible for writing a majority of the New Testament Bible and responsible, in spite of intense persecution himself until we was martyred because of his faith, for brining countless millions to a saving faith through his writings, witness and testimony about Jesus’ ability to forgive all the sins we have ever committed that could even save a wretch like him, and like you and me as well.
Prayer: Father God, help people who think they are too bad, have done too much wrong to ever be saved by you, to see all that You accomplished for us through the life, death and resurrection of your Son Jesus. Set them free from their guilt and shame and let them walk in the victory of knowing they have been set free. Amen!
0 Comments