DEVOTION / Dark nights of the soul
It was one of those nights! Long and sleepless. Tossing and turning. Rehearsing all the shortfalls and sins of the past. Temptations and failures. Worrying about the future. Filled with anxious doubts. The tempter's evil whisperings echoing in my head. How are you even worthy to call on your God when you are such a miserable failure?
Have you been there? Almost afraid to go to your Lord because you recognize your own sinful unworthiness? I opened my Bible, but God's law jumped out of the pages to condemn me.
You are forgiven
Then I opened my computer. The email at the top of the page caught my eye. The subject line read YOU ARE FORGIVEN. What sweet words! Thank you, Jesus!
That morning those words from that devotion seemed to come from the Lord himself. I was reminded of the sweetness of Sunday worship: the confession of sins and hearing my pastor pronounce that our sins have been washed away by our loving Savior Jesus.
Praise the Lord that he has done what we could never do. Praise him that he has made us aware of our sinful state . . . and our need for his mercy and grace.
Sweet words of forgiveness
Ponder these comforting words from our loving Lord:
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18).
In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7).
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).
Remember the countless Biblical accounts of God's forgiveness...
for his erring, but dearly loved Old Testament people.
for the many whose lives Jesus touched during his earthly ministry.
for his own disciple Peter after his denials.
And then there is Saul, the persecutor of God's early church! He was forgiven and then called to proclaim the law to convict sinners and the gospel to proclaim forgiveness in Jesus' name (Ephesians 3:7-9).
A message to share
You are forgiven is a simple message you can share. People in your family, in your neighborhood, and around the world need to hear this message. Share the good news: a Savior from sin has come and his name is Jesus!
Prayer thought
Dear Lord, forgiveness is a gift only you can bring us. Thank you for your assurance of forgiveness and inspire us to share this life-giving message with those around us.
Source: Dave Payne