So
very often we tend to expect too little from God. We tend to imagine that He's
too angry with us from our past failures or that He does not bother with us, if
we do not bother with Him. That's not the God of the Bible, and that's
certainly not how Jesus works in our lives. Jesus continually reaches out to
people, yes, even people who mess up and need another chance. When ask how many
times we should forgive others, Jesus replied seven times seven and that, is
how He forgives us! You must start seeing God realistically. By that I mean, by
seeing Him mending your hurts and disappointment. Seeing Him running out to
meet you, to give you that other chance, just like the father of the prodigal
son did. The more we view Him as He really is, the more we can trust Him with
what we give Him. Because the most loving, powerful Creator of the universe
wants to forgive, heal and restore you and me. Just think, if God can create a
world and place it the arms of a universe, don’t you think that He has the
power and creativity to meet your needs and minister love and compassion in
your life where it is needed?. His word tells us that He holds us in the palms
of His hands. What better place to be? There is no sin that God cannot forgive.
There are many accounts in the Bible where God gave people other chances to do
better. The devil not only wants to break the one who seeks forgiveness, he
also wants to hurt God’s Son by using our wrongdoing to accuse us before the
Father. Just like those teachers of the law trying to use the women’s sin as a
trap to accuse Jesus in John 8. satan hates that God can forgive sin. He hates
the fact that God even wants to forgive sin period. You see satan loves sin and
sin is what separates God from man. That is why God went to all the trouble
that He did, to reconcile those that could not reconcile themselves to Him. For
He knows that we are but dust and wants to help us! Satan is unrelenting in his
attempts to shame you, strip and dishonor you in order to challenge God's work
in your lives. He wants you to believe that because of the life you have been
living, you aren’t worthy for the Kingdom of God. He wants you to give up and
throw your spiritual towel in. He wants you to think that God can’t use you
anymore. But sweet friend, when you are feeling down and unworthy, remember all
those God used in the past. Moses was a murderer; David slept with another
man’s wife and had him killed so he could be with her. Abraham lied about Sarah
being his wife, Peter betrayed his good friend, the Son of God, and the list
could go on, yet as they became broken before God, they became mighty
instruments for His Kingdom. Even the story of Jonah wasn’t about a fish. It
was about the God of the another chance. Think of it this way; life is like a
football game and until it is over you have many opportunities to get into the
game and make a difference. Psalm 103:9-13 says it best. "The Lord is
compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not
always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as
our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the
heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as
far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from
us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on
those who fear him;".
Hold
Fast,
-Bren
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