All tagged forgiveness
Am I a sinner? Can I lead a life of innocence? Am I seeking to be pure? Will God forgive me when I sin against Him? These are the questions man has always asked himself and which we are asking ourselves today as we contemplate sin in our lives, and the world around us. Let’s join together as one today as we listen to the words of the Apostle Paul and seek out our own salvation which God has planned and now works in us.
As Christians we fail in a certain way almost every day. It is so hard for us not to judge the actions of those around us, and in this, if it were not for the Atonement of Christ, we would be lost. Seeing and turning our noses up at sinners is just too natural for us.
June is the Month that has the most weddings, and since Ann and I just celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary, I thought this would be a good time to talk about marriage and what is takes to stay married till death do us part. Today we will address some of the common questions newlyweds or struggling couples ask… What is the secret to a successful marriage? Will our marriage last? Will the world drive us apart? How should we approach conflicts between us as husband and wife? What happens when the world collapses on us and crushes the love from our relationship?
Are we too ashamed to speak to God, much less ask Him for something? Are we too embarrassed by our condition or too ashamed of our sin to reach out to Him for help? When should we bring our needs or our contrition before Him in prayer? When should we ask for forgiveness?
So many times I have felt the hands of Jesus as He washed my feet. I have come to Him for forgiveness only to find that His response would be “Sit down Rich.”, and He would proceed to wash my feet as He spoke with me. In my most unworthy moments He washes me clean. Not as a nurse, or a parent would do for a child, but rather, as a servant would bathe his master, a host would wash the feet of an honored guest, or a wife would wash her husband’s hands and feet before bed. He would approach me in servitude, humility, and love when I deserved none of these. Jesus washes my feet… the feet of a sinner. Have you wept during confession of your sins, and as you delivered a gut-wrenching plea for forgiveness? Have you felt the hands of Jesus on your feet during those moments of total humiliation and debasement?
Are there things in our lives that the Lord must remove by fire? Do we hold on so tightly to them, or have they become so deeply rooted, that the only way to remove them is to burn them out? I think of a couple examples this morning of biblical purification by fire. The first involves Isaiah who spoke unclean Things among a people who commonly did the same. When he came into the presence of God he realized he was sinful and the smell of smoke caused him great fear... because he felt as though God might destroy him for his transgressions...
Do we know every sin we have committed? Are there things we do, or thoughts we have, that are sinful without our recognition? This morning I am considering my life and the possibility that there are indeed sins in it that I am yet to realize are sins. To remove sin requires that we face it, confess it, be remorseful and contrite for having committed it, and then ask Jesus to forgive us for it. Once we have done this He will forgive us and say, "go, and sin no more." But, how do we obey Him regarding those sins we aren’t even aware of?
Do we love Jesus without wavering? Do we love Him as much as He would like for us to? This is what I am mulling over in my mind this morning. I am asking myself if my faith is sufficient, and if my love for Jesus Christ is deep enough. I am also contemplating how I could possibly face failure if the answer to either of these questions was no, and if Jesus would, or could, still love me if that were so.
Are you sleeping through the major opportunities and events in your life and faith? In doing so, do you have regrets, and despair over lost opportunities? As we consider this today, let's also realize that the time we have to do these things on this earth is short and the timing of them is unforgiving.
Are we afraid to speak directly to God? Do we feel safer going to a deacon or our pastor when we have issues in our lives? If you look inward and find that this is true of yourself, don't fear, there is nothing new in this... it has been happening since at least the time of Moses.
Being reborn into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ is more than a moment's occurrence. Like our own physical birth's it takes time; being born again involves conception, nurturing from the church's body, and then following a struggle of labor comes the glory of entering the light for our very first glimpse of salvation and heaven.
My devotional reading this morning was about the intercession of Jesus as it pertains to our forgiveness for sin. It posed these two questions regarding how complete forgiveness is... are we only forgiven our conscious sin? What happens if we sin again? Well, Paul prayed a wonderful prayer that helps us understand the height and depth of our forgiveness of sin through Jesus. He used the words wholly and whole... Let’s read it.
Intercessory prayer is more than just praying for someone... it is praying with them; it is praying the needs and desires of someone who might be in a coma using the words and supplication that we would pray with them if they were able to hold our hands and pray alongside us... it remains a joint prayer as we ask for God's intercession in a situation or life. It is being with someone who might be silent, but who prays with us in the presence of God. Isn’t this exactly what the Holy Spirit does when he prays for us in groanings which we alone cannot utter; at times when we have no words?
Does God expect us to score 100% when it comes to following His commandments? Maybe He would accept 95% as passing or even grade on a curve as He compares us to others? This is the thought we will contemplate today. Let's begin in the book of James for help with this.
Prayer should bring us to repentance, and then transform our character. God revels in the repentance of sinners, but repentance involves much more than the empty words "I'm sorry", it requires a change of heart... A turning away from what offended. In fact, that is the literal meaning of the word; turning away.