Devotional 3-7-13

Forgiveness I try very hard to be a good person. Inevitably I fail. Jeremiah 17:9 NIV tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” We all sin, none of us is worthy of God’s love and forgiveness.

It is not whether we sin or even how we sin. It is how we react to the sin. Are we honest with ourselves and with God? Do we go to God with a contrite heart and ask His forgiveness and help? Or do we make excuses to ourselves and to God? Psalm 32:1-2NIV says, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose heart there is no deceit.” Thanks be to Jesus Christ we are forgiven. We are blessed!

Our sins are forgiven. We are a new creation. Corinthians 5:16-21 reminds us that if someone is in Christ, he is a new creation. God doesn’t count his sins against him. Can we do any less? Should we not forgive as we have been forgiven? Should we not treat others as God’s creations--each special in their own way? If we did this, how could we change someone’s life? How could our own lives be changed? Forgiveness is a powerful act. Pass it on!

Margaret Williams