All in Forgiveness
Are you someone who is flirting with the idea of accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and are fearful of committing because you don’t know if you have within you the ability to stand by that commitment for a lifetime? Or perhaps you are already a Christian and worry that your faith isn’t strong enough to carry on in the face of the temptation that surrounds you. Well, do not fear, and trust in the Holy Spirit to sustain you, and build your faith.
Do you have the blood of Jesus on the sides, and above the door of your life? Is your lintel smeared with the promise of eternal life? If we were to walk back in time, and down the streets of Egypt, we would see the very real blood of Passover lambs on the doorways of houses, but the Holy Spirit reveals to us the spiritual reality of that act; it shows us the power of the blood of Jesus Christ to in our lives; it makes tangible the promises of God... grace, forgiveness, and everlasting life.
When we look at life we know that there is only room for one God, person, or thing at the pentacle of it. When we look at ourselves we don’t see a Mesa, or a plateau, we see a peak... the spire that is our ultimate point of existence. So what will we place there? What will occupy the highest point in our life, will it be the God of Abraham, Jesus Christ, some created form of mock spirituality, financial success, physical prowess, or another worldly desire? The decision must be made, and the champion of our lives placed at the crest.
You are a professed Christian, and yet you are still nervous about entering into the presence of God? Do all of the sins in your life come flooding back, and beads of sweat pop out on your forehead at just the thought of meeting with the God of the Universe? This was the kind of concern the Jews who served in the temple had, and so much so that those who were tasked to go into the Holy of Holies would have a rope tied around them... in case they were struck dead and their body had to be recovered. Yet we are not to fear because we are cleansed in the blood of Christ; the perfect sacrifice... the lamb of God. So why are you nervous?
Are you unsatisfied in your prayer life? Do you ask in prayer, and yet feel unfulfilled when you rise from your knees? Do you recite scripture in your prayers and cry out, yet leave your prayer closet feeling as though God might not have heard you? Well, perhaps you are missing a key lesson that was taught by Jesus. Maybe you need to listen as he teaches us to pray in spirit and truth.
Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but continue to sin? If so, how is it that you sin; is it in the midst of great regret, remorse, tears, and sweating, or freely as if you hold the king’s pardon in your hand and feel immune to penalty? How does Jesus expect us to treat sin once we have come to Him and been healed of it?
Are you a sinner of the worst kind? Do you think that there is no way that someone like you can be washed clean, and forgiven? Well if so, you are not the first to have felt this way, and as a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul felt just as you do. To say that you are too far gone for salvation is to deny the saving grace of God.
Today is the beginning of a brand new year, and as such, let’s contemplate the true source of our joy. Personally, I do not look to the world, but to my Lord Jesus for joy, because the world has failed me often, but My Redeemer, and Savior has never disappointed or abandoned me. The joy of Christ is steadfast, and unfailing... do you see this truth in your walk with Him? Are you prepared to be united with Him this coming year? If you are then you will find that His joy isn’t the only one you will receive.
When we come to know Jesus Christ, and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, something amazing begins to happen in, and to us. We are most certainly relieved of the sin which began in Adam, but the knowledge of good and evil remains... so what is God to do with that?
Do you deny the sin within you? Do you say to me that you are a moral man, a good man, and that you harm no one? Do you argue that your morality makes you righteous? My response to you is that you have no idea what sin truly is... or else you are deceiving yourself. Let’s look at this further.
Are you worthy? Are you worthy of the sacrifice that God made by giving His only Son to die for your sins? Are you worthy of an audience with the creator of the universe? Are you worthy of forgiveness? There are so many questions like this that most of us would answer with a resounding “NO!”, but is that really true?
Have those things of the world died to you? Are you a different person today than you were the day before you first believed? Do you ask the Lord for forgiveness of your sins and then take a deep breath of relief when they are lifted from you, or do you ask, but then refuse to allow His forgiveness to occur in you? Let’s look at this ploy of Satan... our continued spiritual regret and conviction.
Do you attempt to hide who you are from God by covering yourself in some fashion? Do you pretend to be spiritually in control when in fact you are anything but? Are your sins hidden within you where you feel they are safe from God’s eyes? Who do you fool, but yourself? Lay your iniquities before you and seek God’s help in dealing with them, because He has known them all along... even in the recesses of your heart.
We don’t enter into heaven to live an eternal life because we deserve it. That kind of thinking is based upon our own vanity and arrogance. Our salvation and ever lasting life is sealed by covenant, and that covenant comes by God’s acceptance of the death of Jesus Christ as our blood sacrifice. Only through Him can we be redeemed, perfected, and sanctified. Only through Him can we claim the covenant of grace.
Do you feel grief today before God? Is your heart breaking within you for some sin that convicts you unrelentingly? I am not speaking about a superficial knowledge of having done something wrong, but rather the understanding of a sin that emanates from your very soul. Are you seeking repentance for wrongdoing that has brought you to godly grief?