WATCHWORD:
God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. Psalm 103:11-12
I, yes, I alone am he who blots away your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. Isaiah 43:25
Once again you will have compassion on us. You will tread our sins beneath your feet; you will throw them into the depths of the ocean! Micah 7:19
Meditation:
Price of Forgiveness
How do you feel when you ask someone for forgiveness? Is that a humbling experience? You struggled with taking that step, what was going through your mind? When we are faced with admitting that we had done wrong, said something hurtful, maybe being caught gossiping, etc., now the price needs to be paid. Regardless of the misstep, when we are imitating our Lord and Savior, we do it, painful as it may be. The price of forgiveness.
Let us consider God’s forgiveness. Do we take that for granted? We read that God makes everything come out right, and we accept that and just move right on, doing what we did. Oh, it may weigh heavily on us and we come back with “Help me, Jesus” and sure enough, there is His forgiveness, automatic, telling us, “I will be merciful to them in their wrongdoings, and I will remember their sins no more,” right? No, that doesn’t sound right. There has got to be more.
Maybe, better questions are: What price does God pay for our forgiveness? What is our end of the bargain? Well, first we must know that our forgiveness cost God a lot, witness, Christ on the Cross. Second point is that God’s forgiveness is forever, promised throughout Scripture.
Our part? We must know that God’s forgiveness is conditional: He makes that clear in 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “then if my people will humble themselves and pray, and search for me, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.” Did you see that? The passage says, “If my people will humble themselves.” How do you humble yourself? Confess? Admit wrong? Yes, that is our part.
But, there is more. His forgiveness is designed to put things right in our lives, so it is corrective. He will heal our lives. He will pick us up, put us on our feet, and return us to our ways. Have we changed?
Finally, because we are forgiven, we maintain our relationship with God through our time with him in meditation and prayer, through worship and praise, and through our changed life. So, the forgiveness that God offers leads to closer connections with Him.
There it is. God’s forgiveness is conditional, corrective and results in closer connections to Him. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
This is the serious part of accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, and full adoption as Children of God with all rites and privileges: “…we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” John 1:9 Amen.
Praying Psalm 103:
I praise you for your grace and forgiveness in my life. I praise your holy name, for you have forgiven my sins and have healed me of all diseases (vs 3). Thank you for redeeming my life from the pit, and for crowning me with your love and compassion. You have satisfied my desires with good things, and you have renewed my youth like the eagle’s (vs 5). I praise you that you are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love (vs 8). Thank you that you will not accuse me or harbor your anger against me, nor will you treat me as my sins deserve or repay me according to my iniquities (vs 9,10). I praise you that as high as the heavens are above the earth, your love reaches even higher! As far as the east is from the west, you have removed my sins and transgressions (vs 11-12). Hallelujah! From everlasting to everlasting, you are God–and your love will forever be with those who fear your name. Thank you Lord, for your compassion, and may your favor and righteousness rest me upon me and my household, now, and forever. Amen.
