July 14th
Today's Bible Reading
But There Is
Psalm 130:3-4
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
Imagine someone keeping track of every awful thing that you have ever done or said to them. Well multiply that by everyone you know and have ever known. Needless to say the record of your offenses would be enormous. If they were ever called into account, you would not be able to mount a defense and you would be overwhelmingly found guilty.
Now imagine this being God. If God were to keep a record of all our offenses against Him whether little or large, none of us would be able to stand before him. There is no doubt that an all knowing, ever present, and an all seeing God would know what we have done and thought. There is no hiding or concealing any of our thoughts or actions from Him. All sins are always before Him. We all stand guilty in the courts of heaven. There is no reason to attempt to justify what we have done or thought. We stand accused without excuse. We are guilty as charged on all accounts.
The Psalmist understood this dilemma. He asked the questions, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” If God were to keep a comprehensive inclusive record of every evil thought and sinful action and then call them into account, no one would be able to “stand”.
But the gravity of our sins is met by the greatness of His mercy. You see rather than forever holding our sinful behavior over us awaiting a future reckoning at the last judgment, God in His mercy has chosen to offer forgiveness to all those who will recognize their sins, repent of your sins, and receive the forgiveness for sins that He offers.
This forgiveness doesn’t disregard our sins but dispenses them upon the crucified Christ. Jesus being sinless is able to bear the penalty for our sins and provide forgiveness for all who will turn to and trust Him. You see, the bad news of our sin is met with the good news of our Savior. We deserve the full measure of God‘s wrath poured out on us for the slightest of transgressions. Yet God in His great mercy toward us provided the way for all of our sins to be forgiven through the death of His son. His death brought our deliverance.
As the Palmist says this is done that God “may be feared.” The greatness of His love toward us leads us to love Him. We are in awe that the Almighty would assign us forgiveness. His act of forgiveness draws us to follow Him with greater passion and pursuit. It leads us worship him. Because of His response toward us we revere Him. We are overwhelmed that He would forgive us and we are overjoyed that He has. Our hearts are drawn to Him and we never again want to walk in disobedient to our great and glorious Lord and Master.
Today thank the Lord that "there is forgiveness". Praise Him that all of your sins can be forgiven in Christ. Thank the Lord that your sins are forgiven and you now stand righteous before Him because of Christ. Thank Him for the good news of the gospel.
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