1 John 1:8-9, The Message - If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only
fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if
we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be
true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.
Forgiveness is most often not an event
Movies, books, love songs and other media often characterize
forgiveness as a moment. After an
eternity of fighting and struggle, the two estranged friends or lovers have a
profound experience that enables them to see the world and their relationship
in a different way. They realize their
feud has been senseless and then there is a touching moment of forgiveness –
the actual words “I forgive you,” an embrace, a kiss or some combination of the
three. The reality of forgiveness is mostly less dramatic and much more
difficult. Calling forgiveness a process
or a journey is more generally accurate.
It’s not that it can’t happen in a moment, but that’s the
exception. In Paul Young’s The Shack, God the Father is answering a
question Mac has about this process:
“You may have to declare your
forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day
will be less and each day after, until one day you will realize that you have forgiven
completely.”
Even the way God’s forgiveness seems to be more of a process
than a specific moment in time. God’s forgiveness
is instantaneous, but our acceptance of that forgiveness is almost always a
gradual embrace. Typically, our
cognitive assent to the idea that God does indeed forgive our sins precedes our
actual experience of feeling fully forgiven.
God’s grace is surprising. It
does not feel natural that God would not hold our sins against us or “remember
them no more” as we talked about yesterday.
We may have to remind ourselves that the grace has indeed been given to us. In fact, my encouragement to you today is
adopt the practice of reminding yourself that God has forgiven you.
At the
end of each day, as you reflect on the last 24 hours, take a solemn moment
before you close your eyes and actually say the words, “God has forgiven all of
my sin, thanks be to God.” I will warn
you. If you never done this, it will
feel awkward at first, maybe even disingenuous.
But stay with it. It begin to
make it’s way into your mind and heart.
It’s a process. Let God’s
forgiveness soak in at the end of each day.
See how it changes your outlook.
Question: How deeply
do you trust that God has indeed forgiven you of all sins?
Prayer: God, You have
forgiven all of my sin, thanks and praise be to You. Help me believe in and trust your forgiveness.
Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for each of your household members today.
If you live alone, pray for your closest neighbors. Amen.
Song: Forgiven – Crowder
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