Category: Forgiveness

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Dyed Red

Today’s blog is a Valentine’s message.

One of my favorite chapters on the love of God is Colossians 2. The Apostle Paul writes about what Jesus did on the cross for us and how his death set us free from our sin and made us acceptable to God. I want to focus in on one phrase that has always had particular meaning to me.

“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;” Colossians 2:14

The Old King James English phrase “Blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances against us” drew my attention.

Writing a document in Jesus’ day required extreme patience. No erasers or delete buttons – every word had to be carefully written. If there was a mistake, the document had to be thrown away. Some corrections would be acceptable, but the paper would have to be so saturated with ink that the word or the mistake was completely blotted out so that it was no longer legible.

This is the picture that Paul is painting for us here. There was a document with a long list of sins we have committed, God’s laws we have broken, and Jesus “Blotted” out the list. He took and nailed it to His cross. His blood cancelled the evidence of our sin. It was dyed red. Amen!!

Jesus completely defeated His enemy; the one accuses us of the things we have done. Jesus rendered him powerless for all the spiritual world to see. We are now free to live for Christ, through God’s amazing love!

“You were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave all our sins. 14 Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. 15 He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” Colossians 2:13-15 ERV

God promises that He will not remember our sins and the wrong that we have done.

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10: 16-17

How can He do that?

Simple – God the Father chooses to hit the delete button; crash the hard drive; He blots them out. Why? Because He is our LOVING heavenly father.

“His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 The LORD is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children.” Psalm 103:11-13

The page from our life’s book that has all our sins written on it has been dyed red. The handwriting is no longer visible. Thank you, Jesus, for Your shed blood!

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What’s in a Word

When I was in school English was my favorite class. Learning about parts of speech and the diagramming of sentences was fun!

I know – I was a nerd. I still love words and I’m convinced God does too, especially adjectives. Let’s make today’s blog a Valentine of adjectives to express how we feel about our Lord and what we see in Him.

“The Lord is truthful; he can be trusted. 5 He loves justice and fairness, and he is kind to everyone everywhere on earth.” Psalm 33:4-5 CEV

“We depend on you, Lord, to help and protect us. 21 You make our hearts glad
because we trust you, the only God. 22 Be kind and bless us! We depend on you.” Psalm 33:20-22 CEV

“Our Lord, no other gods compare with you— Majestic and holy! Fearsome and glorious! Miracle worker! Exodus 15:11 CEV

“You are Lord God All-Powerful! No one is as loving and faithful as you are.” Psalm 89:8 CEV

“ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 NKJV

Majestic, holy, glorious, miracle worker, all-powerful, loving, faithful, just, truthful, fair, kind, gracious, loving, wonderful!

“Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful. 32 “Now therefore, our God, The great, the mighty, and awesome God, Who keeps covenant and mercy:” Nehemiah 9:31-32 NKJV

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ” Psalm 136:1 NLV

“ For to us a Child will be born. To us a Son will be given. And the rule of the nations will be on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Teacher, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLV

I think you get the point. God is all these things and so much more. Each day we are bombarded with so many negative and destructive thoughts. We need to make a conscience effort to think on what’s good. Nothing, absolutely nothing is more praiseworthy than our heavenly Father.

“ You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NLV

Make your list of positive adjectives and start the day by thanking the Father for who He is!

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Without Him

Today is the day to focus on the One thing that we need most in life – it’s Jesus!

We need food, water, health, strength, protection, peace of mind, warm shelter…and on it goes but the thing we need most is a personal relationship with God’s Son.

 “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. ‘Without me, no one can go to the Father. 7 If you had really known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.’” John 14:6-7 CEV

Our daily lives are completed when we put our faith and trust in Him. A relationship with Jesus isn’t just so we go to heaven when we die; it’s so much more than that. Jesus came to give us life to its fullest.

“ A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully.” John 10:10 CEV

Our heavenly Father doesn’t want us living in stress and fear; He has ordained a great life for our earthly existence.

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 CEV

“ I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth much more than birds?… Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” 32 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all of these. 33 But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:25-33 CEV

In Christ, we have been given everything we need and more. We don’t need to worry about life! Christ has made us complete, whole, sound, transformed.

“ I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

It’s time to stop with the worry, the strife, the anxiety. It’s time to recognize that He has made us complete. He cares and provides for the birds and we are much more important to Him than they are. He is our Father and He lovingly and graciously provides for every need in our lives.

As I started writing this, there was a song in my heart, “Without Him”.

“Without him, I could do nothing
Without him, I’d surely fail
Without him, I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail

Jesus
Oh Jesus
Do you know him today?
Do not turn him away
Oh Jesus
Oh Jesus
Without him, how lost I would be

Without him, I would be dying
Without him, I’d be enslaved
Without him, life would be hopeless
But with Jesus, thank God I’m saved”

Without Him life is hopeless, With Him life is complete!

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Removed from Memory

Have you ever been caught up in a chore of some kind and just had thoughts come flooding into your mind?

Maybe you’re doing the laundry or driving to work or out walking, mowing the grass or just daydreaming and something that has brought you pain or guilt comes rolling in like the coastal fog or a wave to the seashore?

I have – and if I’m not careful, I start to mull it over, re-hash it and find that the hurt, worry or pain are still there.

That’s when I realize I haven’t completely turned it over to the Lord.

“Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.” I Corinthians 13:5-7 ERV

Love doesn’t remember a wrong!!!!

Now that’s a hard one to swallow. But thank God He doesn’t. You notice I said He doesn’t because God is love and it’s His character to “Not Remember”. He isn’t holding our sins against us – quite the opposite! When we accept His forgiveness, He remembers our sin NO MORE.

Aren’t you glad that you can come to Him knowing He won’t condemn you for the things in your past? All things are new.

“And I will forgive the wrongs they have done, and I will not remember their sins.'” Hebrews 12:8 ERV

God wipes the slate clean.

Most of us remember the chalkboards that were in our school classrooms. The teacher would put up math problems, penmanship drills, and spelling words for us to copy down. Then she would grab an eraser and wipe the work away.

All that would remain was the chalk dust and a faint impression of what had previously been there. But when she picked up the big eraser with the chamois side to it, the board was completely clean. No evidence of what had once been remained.

That is just a crude example of God’s forgiveness.

“ I, I am the one who wipes away all your sins. I do this to please myself. I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25 ERV

” You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins. 14  God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 CEV

If your plagued by guilt or past failures, bring them to the cross and let the blood of Jesus wipe the slate clean.

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Another “But God” Moment

This morning I found where Jacob, the patriarch of the Jews, had a “BUT GOD” moment. As a young man Jacob had been sent by his mother to stay with his relatives. Why, you might ask? He had tricked his brother out of his birthright. So he arrives in Haran and goes to work for Laban, his mother’s brother.

He meets Rachel, Laban’s daughter and falls in love with her. He must work 7 years to earn enough to marry her and then on the wedding night he finds that he has been tricked and is actually married to her older sister, Leah. Now he must work another 7 years for Rachel and finally marries her. The whole time he is working for Laban who swindles him time and again.

Laban promised Jacob goats and then changed the terms again and again. Now finally, Jacob has the flocks and his wives and children and is ready to leave and head back to Canaan – probably more than 20 years. They leave when Laban is gone and are 3 days into the journey when Laban finally catches up with them.

Jacob, the one who had tricked his brother out of his birthright, lived working for Laban, the master trickster, for many, many years. But in all this, Jacob was faithful to do the work that Laban required of him. Now this is what Jacob says to Laban.

“I worked 20 years like a slave for you. For the first 14 years I worked to win your two daughters. The last six years I worked to earn your animals. And during that time you changed my pay ten times. 42 But the God of my ancestors, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, was with me. If God had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the trouble that I had and the work that I did, and last night God proved that I am right.” Genesis 31:41-42

BUT GOD saw what I have been through and He proved that I am right! God sees what you have been through and He will defend you.

“I know the LORD will provide justice for the poor and will defend the helpless. 13 Those who do what is right will praise your name; those who are honest will live in your presence.” Psalm 140:12-13 ERV

In times of trouble, in disappointment, in hardship or any kind of trouble look up. If we only had our own resources BUT with God all things are possible!

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Bought With A Price

Dave and I really enjoyed going to auctions. It’s something we had done for years; our favorite were the on-site farm/ranch auctions. There are always so many treasures to be found.

The biggest frustration though was getting there and finding that several other people have their eye on the same treasure. It came down to who has the biggest bank roll.

Saturday we were watching Mecum Auctions from Florida. The cars were amazing and so were the prices. Car after car, bid after bid and when the day was over millions of dollars had been spent. One car in particular went for the most I have ever seen. It sold for a final price of over $38,000,000. It’s a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

Did you know that each of us have been on life’s auction block? The difference is this – we, as the auctioned treasure, have the free will to choose who will be the winning bidder. We choose when the gavel drops and the auctioneer says sold.

Our heavenly Father is there to buy us but He won’t force the bid unless we desire to give Him our life.

“You know you were not bought and made free from sin by paying gold or silver which comes to an end. And you know you were not saved from the punishment of sin by the way of life that you were given from your early fathers. That way of life was worth nothing. 19 The blood of Christ saved you. This blood is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it. Christ was given as a lamb without sin and without spot. 20 Long before the world was made, God chose Christ to be given to you in these last days.” I Peter 1:18-20 NLV

Bought with a price – the precious blood of Jesus!

“You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. 20 God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” I Corinthians 6:19-20 CEV

“God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.” Colossians 1:13-14 NLV

“For the Son of Man did not come to be cared for. He came to care for others. He came to give His life so that many could be bought by His blood and be made free from sin.” Mark 10:45 NLV

Now I thought it was ridiculous for someone to pay over 38 million dollars for a car. Who has that kind of money? That person had true ambition and a love for the automobile.

But how much more does God love us? The love of God can’t even be compared to that winning bid – it is so much greater than the value of any earthly possession. God finds us priceless, a hidden treasure, something to pursue. He loves us and wants to make us His own.

Going once, going twice, SOLD to God who is love!

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Forgiveness

Never underestimate the power of God’s forgiveness. Our heavenly Father sent His Son to be the pure, sacrificial lamb, who takes away the sin of the world.

When we sin, we all do, God opens His arms wide and offers us complete forgiveness.

“ But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” I John 1:9 CEV

Christ died to cover our sins with His blood and restore us to right relationship with the Father.

“Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” I John 2:2 CEV

Repentance isn’t only admitting that what we did was wrong, but it is also a conscious act of turning away from that sin. We run to Jesus and thank Him for His wonderful grace and mercy.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

God chooses to forgive and to forget our sins and failings. Then He washes our consciences clean.

“When the time comes, I will make an agreement with them. I will write my laws on their minds and hearts. 17 Then I will forget about their sins and no longer remember their evil deeds.” Hebrews 10:16-17 CEV

“ And we have a great priest who rules the house of God. 22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ.” Hebrews 10:21-22 ERV

God’s forgiveness doesn’t give us a license to sin. Far from it but it does give us a welcome mat when we come running to Him in repentance.

“ Don’t let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God’s undeserved grace and not by the Law. 15 What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God’s gift of undeserved grace and not by the Law? Certainly not!” Romans 6:14-15 CEV

God loves us. He forgives us and He cleanses us from our sins. AMEN!

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Serving with Gladness

We need to be thinking like Jesus – we need to have the same mind set that He did. He came to serve mankind but He didn’t compromise His principles in His service. He was humble and loving but stood resolute in His message of victory over sin and living godly.

“Earth, sing to the Lord! 2 Be happy as you serve the Lord!  Come before him with happy songs! 3 Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep he takes care of.” Psalm 100:1-3 ERV

Let’s serve others today without compromising our stand for the Lord.

“In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. 6 He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. 7 Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, 8 he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross. 9 So God raised him up to the most important place and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. 10 God did this so that every person will bow down to honor the name of Jesus. Everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow. 11 They will all confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” and this will bring glory to God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-12 ERV

Jesus served with a loving heart. He had compassion for those who were weak, hurting, distressed and overcome by wrong deeds and wrong relationships.

“ Follow my example: Even the Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.” Mark 10:45 ERV

Right after He said this Jesus healed a blind beggar. He touched the people of His time that others had ignored or worse yet, that they had shunned and deemed unworthy of common courtesy.

The blind, lame, lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, even a thief hanging next to Him on a cross.

God asks us to humble ourselves and serve. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He took on the form of a servant and ministered love and forgiveness to those in need.

When the opportunity to serve presents itself, let’s make the most of it and provide service with a smile. We serve God when we serve others.

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Forgiven & Free

Some people think that to follow God’s Word and to be obedient to the instructions we receive in the Bible is stifling, constricting and even archaic. But…I’m not one of those people! To me the Word of God is vital, living, powerful and life changing in a positive and strengthening way. I can live by God’s word and not be disappointed; His Word never fails, it’s beneficial to my well-being. My Father never lies.

“My soul, praise the LORD! Every part of me, praise his holy name! 2 My soul, praise the LORD and never forget how kind he is! 3 He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses. 4 He saves us from the grave, and he gives us love and compassion. 5 He gives us plenty of good things. He makes us young again, like an eagle that grows new feathers.” Psalm 103:1-5 ERV

Have you ever had one of your kids come in and tell you “I’m so glad you’re my Mom/Dad.”?

What does that do to your heart? Why did they say that? Generally, that comment comes because you’ve just given them something unexpected or done something for them that they really appreciate. They are taken back by how much you love them, and they want to express how terrific they think you are. We’re thrilled to do good things for our kids.

Do you really think that God the Father, the source of all love, would act any differently toward us? We’re His kids – He wants the very best for us. That’s why He sent us Jesus – Jesus gave all He had, to see that we were adopted into God’s family and able to have the abundant life that God intended for us to have.

“Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say. 14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand. 15 Everyone depends on you, and when the time is right, you provide them with food. 16 By your own hand you satisfy the desires of all who live. 17 Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.” Psalm 145:13-18 CEV

God provides forgiveness, peace, joy, power, victory, health, freedon from worry and sin. To sum it up, LOVE!

Whenever someone came to Jesus with a need, He met it. All throughout the Bible, wherever you find God you find provision. The Jewish people gave God names I AM, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Shammah – the God who is more than enough, the God who sees before, the God who is ever present…

The Father’s character is mirrored each day in us as we provide lovingly for our children. Next time on of your kids says “I love you” for no specific reason or “Thanks – you’re the greatest” or “Cuddle with me” and your heart swells with love, let it be a reminder of how the Father loves you!

We are free to experience His love and forgiveness!

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Blessing of a Clean Slate

Happy New Year – A new year brings new hope.

Some of you have accepted Christ as your Savior this last year, this year is filled with new things as you start your walk with the Lord. Some of you came back to the Lord after being a prodigal – off doing your own thing – and this year is filled with new hope. Others of us have experienced trials and testing and have grown stronger in the Lord and this year holds new excitement and anticipation as we wait to see how our mighty God will move again.

“I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. 4 He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.

5 Then the one sitting on the throne said: I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted. 6 Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty. 7 All who win the victory will be given these blessings. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Revelation 21:3-7

As John recorded these words in the next to the final chapter in the Bible, we see God repeating that He WILL live with us and our past WILL be gone forever and our future with Him will be perfect – we win!

“So surely the blood sacrifice of Christ can do much more. Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make us completely clean from the evil we have done. It will give us clear consciences so that we can worship the living God.” Hebrews 9:14 ERV

No, I’m not predicting the end of the world, just the end of a year. In front of us are new days with new hope, new excitement, new victories and new life in Christ.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.” II Corinthians 5:17-18

Praise God for the blessing of a clean slate!

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