“Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice.“ – Romans 5:6-7
“Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!” – Romans 5:9-11
Isn’t it awesome to think about it?!
God loves us so much that He let His only Son, Jesus, die on the cross for our sins so that we, His children, may live in peace with others. In 1 John 1:9 He says that when we turn to Him, sincerely regretting what we have done wrong and asking for forgiveness, He will forgive us and clean us of all our trespasses. When you experience God’s great mercy for all your sins, you will have no choice but to forgive others too.
God says in Matthew 6:15 that if we cannot forgive others, He cannot forgive us either. He wants us to forgive others so that we may be healthy, happy people.
Forget and Forgive
Prayer: Lord, please help me to forgive others just as You forgive all my wrongdoings and sins. Help me to be healthy and happy and to live according to Your Word and Your will for my life. Thank you, Lord, for loving me so much and for always being welcome to talk to you about anything. Amen
Challenge: Today, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to forgive those who hurt you so you can start on a clean sheet.
