Sometimes,
we feel like our failures are too severe for God to forgive. We wallow in
despair and ward off hopelessness with every ounce of determination we can assemble.
We valiantly attempt to pull our self up by our boot straps and to get on with
life.
An
abortion, murder by drunk driving, infidelity, theft, divorce, etc. are not too
big for God to forgive. His mercy is everlasting (Psalm 103:17). He views our
indiscretions as failings, not failures. They are temporary lapses in judgment
initiated by our self-effort in life.
There
is no circumstance that pushes us away from God that is too far for Him to draw
us back. If we soar into the ecstasies of life, descend into the darkest hell
of grief and trauma, fly high in our successes, are about to drown in the sea
of circumstances, or find our self in the darkest night, He is always there
with us and in us.
God's
hand guides us and holds us securely, and He makes the darkness shine like day.
He knit us together in our mother's womb, and He has perfect plans for our life
(Psalm 139:7-14; Jeremiah 29:11). Our Father sent Jesus, His only begotten Son,
to die for us, so He could adopt us into His family (John 3:16-17).
God's
love covers our multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). He eagerly waits for us to
call on Jesus' name to be saved (Romans 10:13). A simple, honest confession of
our sins restores our relationship with our heavenly Father. He rejoices over
us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17; Luke 15:7, 10).
There
are many examples in the Bible where people repented of their sins and made
restitution for their selfish callousness. We are free to pay reimbursements as
well, which may restore our fellowship with those we wronged, as it cements our
relationship with God.
Willingly
relinquishing the strangle-hold that shame has on our life, we remember that in
Christ we have no condemnation (Romans 8:1). We thirst for God like the deer
that pants after the water brook (Psalm 42:1). We want nothing more than to
decrease so that He may increase (John 3:30).
Prayer:
Father
God, help us to restore our relationship with You, as well as with those we
sinned against during our lifetime. Give us Your wisdom on how to resolve
conflicts, which we caused. Help our apology to heal the wounds we knowingly or
unwittingly inflicted on others. We want to effectively clear up any mistakes,
and to reconcile with those whom we negatively impacted by our words and
behavior.
Create
in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right attitude in our motives and
character (Psalm 17:3, 51:10-19). We want to rid our life of the bondage that
keeps us from maturing spiritually, and from gaining a deeper intimacy with
You. We know that complete surrender to Your will and way is our pathway to
Your peace and joy.
Thought
for the Day:
True
intimacy with God comes from our willingness to lay down every weight that so
easily sidetracks us from living in the center of His will; to put aside our
own goals, dreams and vision for our life in preference to His will for us; and
to totally abandon our humanistic worldview as we adopt a Biblical viewpoint
instead.
