Friday, March 7, 2014

There is Forgiveness

I like to fix things. When I’m thirsty I pour myself a glass of ice cold water. If one of my boys has a paper cut, I go to the medicine cabinet and get a bandaid. Simple. 

Those are easy fixes for the little things that arise in life. But what about the big things? Why is it that when I sin, my first reaction is to hide? When I first read today’s text, I wrote down in my journal, “is Jesus enough for you?” Is He? I have a problem; Jesus has the answer. Is that good enough?

Psalm 130:4 says, “But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” 

Sweet Sisters, don’t try to cover sin up. Confess it. Pour out your heart before the One who already knows everything and loves your fiercely. Come boldly to the throne of grace and receive mercy. Our God is gracious, loving and kind. He has what we need.

We need His forgiveness. I remember one time as a child I made a poor decision. Instead of telling my mother about it first hand, I hid in the sunroom reading my newest Scholastic book, trying to occupy my mind and “look busy”.  Then the phone rang and I knew instantly who it was. My mother knew the whole situation at that moment. I confessed. I made restitution and I received the forgiveness that was offered.*

We need forgiveness. He has forgiveness. It’s a beautiful thing. 

The forgiveness He offers isn’t just some random door prize. We have to repent and turn away from sin. He gives us His forgiveness so that we will fear Him. No, not a slavish fear. A holy fear. 

Pulpit Commentary says, “The true fear of God, which Scripture requires in us-a reverential fear-could not exist, unless we heed a confident hope in God’s mercy and willingness to forgive us our trespasses, if we turn to Him.” 

There is forgiveness for you. Yes, you. There is forgiveness for me. He delights to show you His mercy; not what you’ve done wrong. Cry to Him from the depths of your heart. He longs to hear from us because He loves us. 

We’ve all fallen short. We’ve all sinned. Instead of hiding and believing lies that He could never forgive you for (fill in the blank). Let’s run to Him and receive what He is offering.

The fear of The Lord makes us clean. It keeps our way pure. It keeps our motives in line with His Word. Spurgeon writes, “He could not be merciful until sin had marred His perfect handiwork.” 

I fear Him because I love Him and want to give Him my very best. He gave His very best to me.

Accept His pardon. Receive His forgiveness. “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things He has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24

*I went to Smiling Hill Farm and fed the animals. I ran out of quarters and I could no longer feed them. Shortly after that, I went on a tour of the farm and I saw a pile of animal feed right in the middle of the barn.  Long story short, I filled up my pockets and continued feeding the animals. Yes, that would be stealing. It was my first and last time stealing. To God be the glory! LOL xo 

8 comments:

  1. Oh forgiveness! What a beautiful and sometimes scary thing! I tell me kids, "If you just tell Mommy the truth, it'll be a lot better for you" and yet, how many times does Jesus have to tell me that before I finally confess my sins and receive His forgiveness?! Thank you for your beautiful words! I'm so happy to be following along with you! :)

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  2. I fear Him because I love Him and want to give Him my very best. He gave His very best to me. --- Thank you for emphasizing forgiveness today Melissa! I love everything that you wrote too! I love that the verses speak to us in different way! Have a blessed day! :)

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  3. Your post is a salve to a repentant heart. Thank you for reiterating that we don't have to run and hide from God when we've done something wrong. Truthfully, where could we go?

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  4. Love your insight and interpretation!

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  5. Thank you ladies for words of life to me. I love so much that we can encourage and learn from each other. God is so unique and gives His daughters different perspectives so we can share His message. I think of all the separate parts coming together and making something that is whole. It's so fun learning together and growing in Christ with such sweet sisters in the faith! Thanks for reading my blog today! I'm loving reading all of yours. xo

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  6. I am so thankful that there is forgiveness. Loved the quote you shared from the Pulpit Commentary. Lots to chew on here. So lovely to "meet you" through She Reads Truth today! :)

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  7. "The forgiveness He offers isn’t just some random door prize." Amen! It is something we are promised if we are in Christ. Why would we run and hide? How sweet a blessing it is to be able to be fully restored to a deep relationship with him. Thanks for sharing and stopping by today!

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  8. This is wonderful! I love your distinction between the types of fear. And I love that you focused on that part of the passage, as it is not even close to what I thought about when I first read it. Thank you for sharing, I'm so glad I stopped by.

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