God is Ready to Pardon

 Neh 9:17b
.. but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.

The children of Israel historically wavered in their faith. Any time things started to get bad, they would turn from trusting God and relying on the gods of the world around them. We find over and over again that God would deal harshly with their sin, but would always make a way to turn back to Him. Nehemiah recalls the days they were set free from Egyptian slavery, and it was not long after they were complaining about the prospects of dying. Because of their unbelief, they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, the consequence of their disobedience. But God did not cast them away, He would not forsake them. We serve a God who is merciful and full of grace. If any man wavers, or falls into sin, we can go to Christ, who is our advocate to the Father, and be forgiven. Like the story of the prodigal son, God’s arms are wide open, ready to pardon. He is a God of second chances, and extends His mercy to any who will turn to Him with a sincere heart of repentance. God does not tolerate sin and will not abide by it. Through the blood of Christ, He has provided a way of escape. We don’t have to succumb to the temptation of Satan and fall into sin. Our faith does not have to waver in times of temptation. He will not forsake us in our time of need. We can overcome temptation with the help of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. But it is possible that one could fall from fellowship and communion with God, but one does not have to despair, for God is slow to anger, and of great kindness, and will not forsake His own. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Name Written in Heaven

 Luke 10:20
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

There is no doubt that God has the power to cast out demons from people who Satan has imprisoned and bound for years. He came to set the captive free, and empowered His followers to cast out demons in His Name. The ability to heal, or cast out demons is not done by our own power or any intrinsic value we possess. We see throughout the Bible the Apostles doing great things in Jesus' name. Jesus made it clear that doing such a task does not give you any assurance that you will have eternal life. Many will come to Him on that day and say “... Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name have done many wonderful works? (Mat 7:22). He will say to them, “depart from me you worker of iniquity, I know you not.” Their names were not written in heaven, their names could not be found in the book of Life. How does one get their names written in heaven (the book of life)? Those who put their faith in the Lamb of God who was slayed on the cross for the forgiveness of sin are written into the book of life. Jesus, the Lamb who was slayed from the foundation of the world, provided a way of escape from the lake of fire. Confess and believe He died for you, let Him into your heart. Let Him be Lord of your life. Rejoice that your name is written in heaven, and rejoice when a sinner who is lost in sin finds Jesus, and their name is also written in heaven.

Penitent Prayer

 Psalm 51:7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The sin of David in our day would be considered scandalous. A man in a prominent position, a person that many hailed as a wonderful leader, succumbed to his selfish desires to take another man’s wife and commit adultery, and hired a “hitman” to have the wife’s husband killed. If such an act were done in today’s society, his popularity would have dipped to an all time low. Such a man is held to a higher standard and should be an example to those who look up to him. Yes, we all know that we are just humans that are not perfect, and make mistakes, but David not only messed up, but he willfully disobeyed the commandments of God and sinned against God. He tried to cover it up for a while, but God sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a prophet to uncover his sin. Such is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and guilt to our hearts when we fall short of the mark and are found wanting. David was found guilty and his sin was revealed to everyone who heard the prophet Nathan. David was a man after God’s own heart, and his guilt brought him to his knees. Unlike Saul, the former king,  he made no excuses for his actions and took full responsibility. Forgiveness comes from God and God alone. Man can forgive, but it does not bring complete healing of the heart. The penitent prayer of David and God’s forgiveness reminds us that God is merciful. He desires that we don’t continue in sin, but He is faithful and just to forgive us of our failures. He will wash us, and make us clean, whiter than snow. Restore us back to Him.

Nailed To The Cross

 Colossians 2:14
 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Our sin, our guilt has been nailed to the cross of Jesus. That is why He died for you and for me. It was to blot out our transgression, removing the guilt of sin from our lives. The cross is the emblem of our salvation, the nails put our sins to death and are forgiven, cast as far from the east as from the west. The life of the past is nailed to the cross, we have been born again, made a new creature in Christ. Sin keeps us from having perfect fellowship with God. It is the hindrance that separates us from having fellowship with a holy God. But sin no longer has dominion over us because it has been nailed to the cross. When Satan brings back the pass, point him to the cross and show him the nails. 

Sins Removed

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

On a flat plain where there are no curves, and space never ceases, the east and west shall never meet. Forgetting things that impact our lives is something we don’t easily forget. Our sins grieve the heart of God, but in His love and mercy He forgives our sins when we come to Him in humility and confession. He forgives and removes them to a place where He remembers them no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul, who forgives all my iniquities heals my broken heart. The guilt of sin is gone and life is made new again. Daily blessed with the benefits of His grace and mercy. Bless the Lord O my soul!

Thy Sins Forgiven

Luke: 7:48,50 And He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven…Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

“By faith are you saved, not of works lest anyone should boast” Paul, the Apostle would later pen as he wrote his letter to the Romans. Our sins whether they be few or many, small or big all separate us from having a right relationship with God. Everyone born into this world is in need of forgiveness. The Pharisee who works diligently to live righteous by following all the rules given by God and conjured by man is still a sinner in need of forgiveness. The good moral person who seeks to please others by doing deeds and works worthy of praise needs forgiveness. For all have sinned, and have come short of God’s approval. “There is none righteous, no not one” (Roman.3:10) We all owe a debt we cannot pay by any works we can do. Christ came to pay the debt, He did not owe, we needed someone to take our sins away. Jesus, the Son of God has the power to say, “Thy sins are forgiven” for He is God and He paid the price that we may have the peace of God.

Supreme Sacrifice

Isaiah 53:12 …because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

It was 700 years later that the words of Isaiah came to pass. Jesus, the Son of God was nailed to the cross between two thieves numbered with those who broke the law of God. He bleed and died to be the supreme sacrifice for the sins in our life. Because of Adams transgressions, we are all born into this world with sin in our heart. Christ came and died that this sin would be forgiven and removed from our heart. The sin that brings darkness and destruction is cast into the sea of God forgetfulness. Christ bridged the gap, giving us access to God. He sits even now at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. It was at the cross where new life was found, and at the tomb where new life began.  

Showing Kindness

Eph. 4:32 “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”-

Kindness is manifest through our action, attitudes, and words. Being kind is done on purpose and with sincerity. True kindness can not be acted out. It comes from a heart that knows the kindness of God. A heart that has experience the forgiveness of sin. We owed a debt we could not pay, but God in His loving kindness paid the debt, showed us mercy and gave us a second chance. It is not always easy to be kind to some people. People who are mean spirited, and use cutting words to hurt people make it difficult to be kind to. More than likely, people like this have been hurt or treated ill in the past. They don’t know what it means to be kind. As Christian, we have the opportunity to show the Kindness of Christ to others by showing acts of mercy, and speaking words of kindness. Let others see Christ in you, even when it is hard to love. It is Christ alone that gives us the grace to be kind one to another and to those who need the love of God. 

My Salvation

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation”-

My salvation comes from God. When I needed to be rescued from the wages of sin, it was the salvation of God that saved me from what I deserved. I was lost and undone without Him. I found my salvation at the cross of Jesus. He who loved me and took my sin and bore it on the cross, died to save me. He became my Savior, my Salvation. I no longer have to be afraid when faced with eternity. My sins have been forgiven, He has put in my heart a new song. I now depend on Him for my strength and help in time of trouble. He is my Salvation, my Rock, I will praise you, for you are my God!

The Greatest Blessing

Psalm 32:1 “ Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”- 

The greatest blessing and grace that a man can have is to know that their sins have been forgiven and they are covered by the blood of Jesus. The complete work of salvation was completed when Christ came to die on the cross to make the final provision for man’s forgiveness. Guilt is part of man’s nature that God’s uses it to alert man that they have done wrong. Not all guilt is from God, but action and behavior that is contrary to God’s law causes man to take notice of their sinful condition. The load of guilt can prick at the conscience and make life unbearable. To be free of guilt is a blessed state of mind and brings peace to the heart of all who will confess it to God. As Christian, we also can experience guilt even though we have not willfully sinned. In the human, our actions and behavior may not be sinful, but they may not always be constructive. It is sometime after the fact that we realize that we wrongful judged, or spoke harshly. The Holy Spirit is faithful to use our conscience and cause us to experience guilt. It’s mistakes like this that His grace is sufficient and greater to cover. Confessing our fault to one another and to God will bring the smile of God and His blessing.