Thursday; July 11

Do we really believe in forgiveness?  The reason I ask this question is because we often pay lip-service to a faith in forgiveness, but have we accepted the fact that God can, will and even wants to forgive us?  Sure, we cognitively assent to a belief that God paid the ultimate price to forgive us through the death of His Son, but are convinced that His forgiveness covers us ... and covers ALL we have done?  Guilt can be a powerful tool of satan to keep us confused about our status before God.  God has promised to forgive us, but satan keeps waving doubt in front of us.  He doesn’t have to convince us that God can’t or won’t forgive us to make us susceptible to his temptation to give up hope – all he has to do is plant a seed of doubt and that might be enough to make us miserable.  When we buy into the devil’s ploy we might doubt God’s commitment to us which can lead us to abandon hope.
Conversely, God has made it a point to let us know that forgiveness is available to those who want it.  In fact, Scripture teaches us that God is so willing to forgive us that our forgiven sin is eradicated from our lives.  David put it this way, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm  103:12).  History teaches us that David knew all about sin, but the Bible reminds us that he also accepted God’s grace – and that may have been a part of why David was considered to be a man after God’s own heart.
Are we willing to accept God’s forgiveness?  God is willing to bless us if we are ready to trust Him.
          Think About It!

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