Forgiven (Psalm 32:1-2)

Today's scripture: Psalm 32:1-2

Forgiven.

Stop and read that word again. We who follow Christ talk about being forgiven all the time. It's a foundational principle of our faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins and to offer forgiveness.

Sometimes, though, I think we use a word so much we trivialize its meaning.

Forgiven.

It's defined as "to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve."

We say we're forgiven—and we are. Then, often, one of two things seems to happen. We either accept forgiveness and go on our merry way, living as we choose, then going back every once and a while to confess only to continue the cycle.

Or we continue to beat ourselves up over past sins, forgetting the second part of the definition: absolve. Absolve is defined as "to free from guilt or blame and their consequences." 

Jesus hasn't just forgiven us from our sins, He has taken the burden of those sins off of us and has placed them on Himself. Our Lord doesn't want us to live with guilt. In fact, His word reminds us:

How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!" (CEV, Psalm 103:12)

He has forgotten our sins. We should do the same.

If you have asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive your sins, you are forgiven. Be grateful for what He did for you. Live to please and honor Him. Find joy in the confidence of your salvation.

For you are indeed blessed.

Pardon for Sin ... (Psalm 25:11)

Today's scripture: Psalm 25:11

The Bible tells us (and I'm pretty sure we'd know this even if it didn't) in Romans 3:23 that ALL have sinned ... ALL. I think that means ... ALL.

Even if one doesn't believe in the Bible, I think most people would agree that there's something is very, very broken in this world.

It often seems quite hopeless ... or at least it would be if I wasn't assured that the God of the Bible is faithful and real and true, and He offers salvation.

I know I can cry the words of the psalmist, "Pardon my iniquity ..." and He will. I know I can confess my sins, and He will be faithful to forgive me (1 John 1:9).

Even more, I know that one day, this broken, sinful world will be no more. There will be a new heaven and a new earth—a perfect place where I will be in the presence of my Lord God forever.

So, while on earth, I commit each day to the Lord. I seek His will and His purpose. I confess when I sin ... and I sing the wise, enduring words of my very favorite hymn:

"Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
Blessings all mine and ten-thousand besides"
(Great Is Thy Faithfulness, lyrics: Thomas O. Chisholm).

Sins of My Youth ... (Psalm 25:6-7)

Today's scripture: Psalm 25:6-7

I wasted so much of my youth. Because of abuse I experienced from ages nine to 16, I turned my back on the Lord. I chose my own path and did so much of which I'm not proud.

After I gave my life back to the Lord 25 years ago, for several years, I would beat myself up for those lost years. After I began to truly meditate and study God's word (see Wednesday's devotional for more about this topic!), He would give me "splashes of joy" that reminded me that I was forgiven—completely. Verses like today's reminded me of God's "tender mercies and ... lovingkindnesses ..."

Then, even better, He'd remind me that He doesn't "remember the sins of my youth ..." Elsewhere, I knew I could be confident: "How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!" (CEV, Psalm 103:12).

Sometimes, the enemy of our souls wants to drag us down and make us wallow in our sins, even those made years ago. This is not the heart of our Father. He promises that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (NKJV, 1 John1:9).

Our Savior died as a "once-for-all" sacrifice pay the penalty for our sins. All He asks is that we "go and sin no more" (NKJV, John 8:11).

Praise God for His mercy and grace ... and thank Him that He remembers our sin no more.

Grace and Mercy (1 Timothy 1:12-14)

Today’s scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12-14

Have you thought that your past was too sinful, too rebellious, too awful to ever be in a relationship with God? Do you think you’ve done too many bad things that God would ever forgive you?

In tomorrow’s verses, Paul will describe himself as the “foremost” of sinners. And in today’s, he spelled out some of his worst sins, including his persecution of Christ-followers.

Yet he experienced God’s grace and forgiveness of sins. He was shown mercy even when he had deliberately chased down and arrested Christians. He was used by God after having approved the execution of Stephen.

When he met Jesus on the Damascus road, all of his past was wiped away. He was forgiven. He was showered with God’s grace and mercy.

And that’s how God forgives us. That’s how He gives grace and mercy. That’s how He uses us.

In spite of our pasts. Our rebellion. Our ignorance. Our sin.

If we come to Him and surrender our lives to Him, the past no longer matters. We can be pure and righteous in our Father’s eyes. And we can gladly, joyfully, and gratefully follow Him. And serve Him with all our hearts. 

Forget the Past (Philippians 3:12-14)

Today’s scripture: Philippians 3:12-14

When I recommitted my life to the Lord over 22 years ago, I adopted Philippians 3:13-14 as my life verses. Short story: Although I’d asked Jesus to come into my heart when I was six years old, I’d allowed some painful situations to take me away from my child-like faith. For twenty years, I walked a deliberate path, one that was far from my Lord, and I made some really poor choices.

For a time after I found my way back to the arms of the Father, I’d beat myself up with regret over those twenty lost years. If only I’d been stronger. If only I’d clung more tightly to Jesus. If only …

Then God blessed me with these verses. I don’t have to live in the past. I don’t have to continually berate myself for former choices. When I asked Jesus to take over my life—completely—and forgive me for all the things I’d done that were wrong and selfish and rebellious, He forgave me. He washed me clean. He removed my sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

I didn’t have to look at what had been. Rather, I could look forward to what God had planned for my future. I could anticipate being used for His glory, to serve others. I could delight in knowing that, one day, I’ll receive the prize of eternity with Christ Jesus.

These verses have been a comfort and have encouraged me countless times. And I praise God for the assurance I have that He has truly forgiven me. That He continues to work in and through me. That the story isn’t quite complete.

I can press on, knowing He’s beside me all the way.

Our Mediator (Galatians 3:20-21)

Today’s scripture: Galatians 3:20-21

Jesus mediates between us and God. It was His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection that paid our sin debt. And now He sits at the Father’s right hand and intercedes on our behalf.

As we’ve said several times through our studies, the Son fulfilled the Law. He was not contrary to it. The Law itself could not save us from our sins. It could not “impart life.” Only the sacrifice of a perfect Lamb could do this.

I don’t know about you, but this gives me tremendous assurance and encouragement. I know I couldn’t become righteous on my own. Even though I’ve been walking with the Lord for a long time, and even though I do my best to follow His commandments, I fall … more often than I’d like. If I had to rely on my own abilities to be “good,” I’d be destined for eternal separation from God.

But I’m not. I am confident I’ll spend eternity with my Father. I know my sins are forgiven, and I know I’m righteous in my Father’s eyes.

Because I accepted the Son’s gift of payment for my sin. I committed my life to God—Father, Son, and Spirit.

And He has given me life. Eternal life.

Amazing Grace (Psalm 111:4b-5)

Today's scripture: Psalm 111:4b-5

The greatest gift we receive as children of God is grace—unmerited favor. 

We deserve nothing from God. Nothing.

I take that back. We do deserve something. We are sinful, fallen, rebellious creatures who really only deserve God’s wrath and justice. We deserve punishment. We deserve hell.

What we don’t deserve is forgiveness. We don’t deserve God’s forgetting our sin. We don’t deserve His grace.

Yet, “ … God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). What an amazing grace we receive because of God’s compassion and love for us. Even knowing how sinful and rebellious I would be, Jesus still died for me.

He did the same for you.

Have you accepted the gift of God’s grace? If you have, don’t take it for granted. Thank Him, and determine to live in humble gratitude.

It’s the least any of us can do for the most He did for us.

Forgiven ... and Forgiving (Psalms 17:13-14)

Today's scripture: Psalm 17:13-14

Yesterday, we looked at how God helps us deal with the enemy of our souls, but some of us also deal with the "wicked" here on earth. Wicked humans, I mean.

Some of us have been—or are being—abused. Some of us have been betrayed. Some of us have been on the wrong end of a business deal gone wrong.

As often happens, many of us will never see the one (or ones) who hurt us punished on earth. In fact, it seems—more often than not—that the bad guys are always winning. Otherwise, why would there be that old saying, "Nice guys finish last"? The assumption is that bad guys finish first.

It just doesn't seem fair.

So, what do we do when the bad guys win? When they finish first?

We have to give it over to God. That might be the easy part. We also have to forgive. This is not the easy part, but it's oh-so necessary.

I experienced sexual abuse at the hands of multiple perpetrators, and for a very long time, I let the hate and anger I felt toward them nearly destroy my faith. When I finally found my way back to the Lord, one thing I really struggled with was His telling me that I needed to forgive those who hurt me. To be honest, I really didn't want to. After all, they never asked for my forgiveness. They certainly didn't deserve it.

Then I was reminded of how Jesus had forgiven me when I didn't deserve it. So, with the help of the Lord, I forgave ... and it was the most freeing experience. I wasn't bogged down by hate or anger any longer.

I don't know if any of my abusers has suffered human judgment for their acts, but I do know that God "as delivered my life from the wicked." They no longer have any control at all over my life.

If you're struggling with an earthly enemy, I encourage you to give it over to God. Let Him judge. Let Him take care of the situation.

Live in the freedom of a forgiven—and forgiving—heart.

Confess Your Sin (Psalm 32:3-5)

Today's scripture: Psalm 32:3-5

Yesterday, we talked about the blessing of forgiveness. We also talked about the two paths that are often taken: using forgiveness as a license to sin (may it never be, as Paul often wrote),  or continuing to wallow in guilt. Neither is the way our Lord wants us to live.

There's a third path today's verses deal with: unconfessed sin and its repercussions. Once we confess our sins, God is indeed faithful to forgive them (1 John 1:9). We no longer need to live under their burden.

However, sometimes, we have a hidden sin—well, hidden from everyone but God, that is. We have a secret addiction or a unhealthy habit. We hold it closely, not willing to give it up. What often happens, though, is that hidden sin becomes a stronghold, an obsession. And often, that hidden sin causes other issues, including physical or emotional issues. The New Living Translation paraphrases verse three:

When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.

Now, certainly not all pain and suffering is because of unconfessed sin. Many godly, committed believers deal with chronic pain or disease. However, sometimes, we do experience physical suffering because of sin.

What's the solution? Confess! God knows our sins, even those we try to keep hidden. All He wants is for us to come to Him, confess, accept His gift of salvation, and "sin no more."

When we do, He forgives. He forgets.

Forgiven (Psalm 32:1-2)

Today's scripture: Psalm 32:1-2

Forgiven.

Stop and read that word again. We who follow Christ talk about being forgiven all the time. It's a foundational principle of our faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins and to offer forgiveness.

Sometimes, though, I think we use a word so much we trivialize its meaning.

Forgiven.

It's defined as "to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve."

We say we're forgiven—and we are. Then, often, one of two things seems to happen. We either accept forgiveness and go on our merry way, living as we choose. Then we go back every once and a while to confess only to continue the cycle.

Or we continue to beat ourselves up over past sins, forgetting the second part of the definition: absolve. Absolve is defined as "to free from guilt or blame and their consequences."  

Jesus hasn't just forgiven us from our sins, He has taken the burden of those sins off of us and has placed them on Himself. Our Lord doesn't want us to live with guilt. In fact, His word reminds us:

How far has the Lord taken our sins from us?
Farther than the distance from east to west!"
(CEV, Psalm 103:12)

He has forgotten our sins. We should do the same.

If you have asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive your sins, you are forgiven. Be grateful for what He did for you. Live to please and honor Him. Find joy in the confidence of your salvation.

For you are indeed blessed.

Forgotten Sin (Psalm 40:11-12)

Today's scripture: Psalm 40:11-12

The Bible tells us that—when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, when we accept the gift of salvation through His sacrifice—we are forgiven. Sins we've done. Sins we will do. Not only are our sins forgiven, but they are also forgotten (Psalm 103:12; 25:7; Isaiah 43:25).

So, if we're forgiven and if God doesn't remember our sin, why do we often live in regret? Sometimes, we think, "If only I hadn't [fill in the blank]." Or "I wish I'd chosen this instead of that." We allow our "iniquities [to] overtake" us. Our "hearts fail" because we continue to remember our sins ... instead of our salvation.

This isn't how God wants us to live. He wants us to live with the joy of our salvation through Jesus Christ. He wants us to experience His "tender mercies." He wants us to feel His lovingkindness. He wants to "preserve" us with His truth.

Psalm 16:11 says,

You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

This is how God wants us to live: lives full of joy as we live in His presence.

He doesn't want us to wallow in the pass or live in regret. He doesn't want us to be overtaken by sin. Rather, He wants us to be free from sin, living for Him.

That's true joy ... forever.