John 20:19-23
Later on that day, the disciples
had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the
doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to
you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.
The disciples,
seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated
his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”
Then
he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy
Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good.
If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
There's a funny thing about
kids…they never want you to throw anything away. So they are devastated
when they find “artwork” in the trash…or you gather toys they no longer
play with to share with a younger child. I’ve even seen our children
cling to clothing that they had outgrown. I’m particularly remembering a
pair of “Ninja Turtles” pajamas that were far too snug and short (both
in the leg length and the “stride”) for Timothy – and then Nathan – and
both boys INSISTED that these still fit and fell apart when I mentioned
giving them to a younger friend. I cannot count how many times we have
had to do a little “purging” when the children were gone… and just hoped
that they didn’t ask about the “missing” items!
You and I hang
onto things, too…just open any closet or drawer! But we also cling to
grudges…offenses…and memories of things that happened so long ago that the
details are incredibly fuzzy to everyone – except us! As Christians, we
are called to forgive…to let go of these things and move forward. As
Jesus put it to the Disciples...if you don’t release old baggage, what
will you do with it?
Some of us try to “wear” these old sins
like the too-small pair of Ninja Turtles pajama pants. And I’m here to
tell you, the look ain’t pretty! More importantly, it does not properly
represent our relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The same
deep breath that Jesus breathed into His Disciples, He breathes into
each and every one of us who surrender to Him. He fills us with His
Holy Spirit. But it is up to us to receive Him and recognize His
presence…to fully operate under His guidance, wisdom, grace and mercy -
each and every day.
So “out with the old…in with the new!” Think
about what you need to let go of today…who you need to forgive…where
you should release old grudges, insults, offenses and heartaches, so
that the Holy Spirit has room to fill your heart with His joys and
abundance. Don’t be afraid to get rid of the baggage and move forward
with Christ. It’s time to truly trust Jesus to do what He has
promised…and to extend His peace and love to others. Now ready…set…GO!
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label forgiveness of sins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness of sins. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for February 7, 2016
Romans 3:19-20
We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. God doesn’t accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Today, we were driving home from a swim at the community Aquatic Center, and a car in front of us stopped at a red light. When the intersection was clear, the driver sped through it while the light was still red. The children saw this, and Timothy immediately said, “Aunt Debbie! You need to call 911!”
I agreed with him that this was a bad thing for the driver to do…he had disobeyed the law. But I didn’t call 911 – even when Nathan chimed in and said, “Yeah, Aunt Debbie…you need to do what Timmy said and call 911!” I told the children that perhaps this driver was having a bad day – or he didn’t realize that the light had not turned green. There could be a lot of reasons that he broke the law…but in this case, it was not our place to report it to the police. I guess you could say…we gave him a pass!
Every one of us does things we shouldn’t. We all break the law from time to time – if only when we drive a mile or two over the speed limit. I am not condoning this! But as this scripture points out – all the law does is point out that we are not perfect – that we all sin! Our human nature often tells us that we can concoct some semblance of a reasonable excuse for what we did. And sometimes, we react without thinking – and say and do things that we truly should not. There is no excuse for our behaviors…but we often offer…“these things happen.”
Aren’t you glad that God does not judge us for every single law we break – or even every sin we commit? Yes, it is wrong to break the law. Yes, these actions hurt God and can weaken our relationship with God – from OUR vantage point. But God never turns His back on us. He never stops loving us…and if we commit our hearts to Jesus and make every effort to love and serve Him – God never stops forgiving us.
This is such good news…because on any given day, we’re all stinkers…capable of lying, cheating, stealing – and yes, running a red light! Aren’t you glad to know that God is in your corner…that the laws we are called to obey are not what truly define our relationship with Him…or our eternal destiny?! Stop today and thank God for loving you…for His forgiveness of your sins and His willingness to set you upright after you disobey, disappoint, or disconnect in some manner with poor choices and selfish behaviors.
Ask Him to strengthen your relationship…to help you keep your focus on the teachings of Jesus and your commitment to be a faithful servant and disciple. We shouldn’t presume that God will give us a pass – anytime on anything. But aren’t we glad that when we fall short, He restores us? Have you thanked Him today for His amazing grace and mercy? Don’t you think you should?
©2016 Debbie Robus
We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. God doesn’t accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Today, we were driving home from a swim at the community Aquatic Center, and a car in front of us stopped at a red light. When the intersection was clear, the driver sped through it while the light was still red. The children saw this, and Timothy immediately said, “Aunt Debbie! You need to call 911!”
I agreed with him that this was a bad thing for the driver to do…he had disobeyed the law. But I didn’t call 911 – even when Nathan chimed in and said, “Yeah, Aunt Debbie…you need to do what Timmy said and call 911!” I told the children that perhaps this driver was having a bad day – or he didn’t realize that the light had not turned green. There could be a lot of reasons that he broke the law…but in this case, it was not our place to report it to the police. I guess you could say…we gave him a pass!
Every one of us does things we shouldn’t. We all break the law from time to time – if only when we drive a mile or two over the speed limit. I am not condoning this! But as this scripture points out – all the law does is point out that we are not perfect – that we all sin! Our human nature often tells us that we can concoct some semblance of a reasonable excuse for what we did. And sometimes, we react without thinking – and say and do things that we truly should not. There is no excuse for our behaviors…but we often offer…“these things happen.”
Aren’t you glad that God does not judge us for every single law we break – or even every sin we commit? Yes, it is wrong to break the law. Yes, these actions hurt God and can weaken our relationship with God – from OUR vantage point. But God never turns His back on us. He never stops loving us…and if we commit our hearts to Jesus and make every effort to love and serve Him – God never stops forgiving us.
This is such good news…because on any given day, we’re all stinkers…capable of lying, cheating, stealing – and yes, running a red light! Aren’t you glad to know that God is in your corner…that the laws we are called to obey are not what truly define our relationship with Him…or our eternal destiny?! Stop today and thank God for loving you…for His forgiveness of your sins and His willingness to set you upright after you disobey, disappoint, or disconnect in some manner with poor choices and selfish behaviors.
Ask Him to strengthen your relationship…to help you keep your focus on the teachings of Jesus and your commitment to be a faithful servant and disciple. We shouldn’t presume that God will give us a pass – anytime on anything. But aren’t we glad that when we fall short, He restores us? Have you thanked Him today for His amazing grace and mercy? Don’t you think you should?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for November 24, 2015
1 John 1:9-10
If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugeterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The 4th/5th grade Sunday school group and I discussed who might be in God’s family. Surely Moses and Abraham are included…and Mary and Joseph and Jesus’ disciples. Some named family members who have passed – and even a pet or two. We talked about how we are part of God’s family and will join Him and others in heaven someday.
Then one boy said, “Well, Elvis is not part of God’s family…because he ‘did drugs’.” So we had to have a little lesson in sin and salvation through the blood of Jesus. Another boy wisely inserted that “everybody sins.” And I explained that we all sin and do things that displease God, because we are human and imperfect.
But if we have given our heart to Jesus and trusted Him to wash away our sins…and IF we do our dead-level best to live for Him and honor this gift with our thoughts, words and actions, we are forgiven when we sin. And if Elvis did these things, we will meet him in heaven! To go even further, I explained that when we do sin, we must stop and admit this to God and ask His forgiveness. And 1 John 1:9-10 is the proof to back up my claims.
I told the children that we really don’t know who will be in heaven…but I have a feeling that we are in for a few surprises. I believe there will be some folks there that we thought would not “make the cut!” And this is where our judgments get us into trouble! Just as importantly, if we accept Jesus’ gift of salvation and then go on our merry way and do as we please and sin with wild abandon and no remorse, we have disrespected our relationship with God. I hope none of us never makes this mistake.
One point that I made with the students – and want to make with you – is that we must never serve God out of fear. We must never live for Him because we are afraid we will go to hell if we do otherwise. Yes, hell is real – and those who deny God and/or do not accept Jesus’ gift of salvation are destined to spend Eternity there. But fear of hell is not why we should serve God or follow Jesus’ teachings.
God wants us to live for Him out of a deep and abiding love and commitment. He wants us to want to belong to His family. He wants us to readily admit our sins and make a concerted effort to do better…to seek His forgiveness and bask in the unconditional manner in which He delivers redemption. God does not want us to “fear” Him in this manner – all references to “fear of the LORD” in the Bible speak of “healthy respect” – not trepidation and apprehension.
I pray that you are a part of God’s family…that a seat is being prepared for you at His heavenly table for all Eternity. And I pray that you love and serve Him out of a deep desire to belong to Him…and not out of worry and concern or doubt. I pray that your relationship with God is based on respect and understanding of how much He loves you…because in the life of a true Christian, operating in fear of any kind is simply not an option. Now…what are you afraid of?
©2015 Debbie Robus
If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugeterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The 4th/5th grade Sunday school group and I discussed who might be in God’s family. Surely Moses and Abraham are included…and Mary and Joseph and Jesus’ disciples. Some named family members who have passed – and even a pet or two. We talked about how we are part of God’s family and will join Him and others in heaven someday.
Then one boy said, “Well, Elvis is not part of God’s family…because he ‘did drugs’.” So we had to have a little lesson in sin and salvation through the blood of Jesus. Another boy wisely inserted that “everybody sins.” And I explained that we all sin and do things that displease God, because we are human and imperfect.
But if we have given our heart to Jesus and trusted Him to wash away our sins…and IF we do our dead-level best to live for Him and honor this gift with our thoughts, words and actions, we are forgiven when we sin. And if Elvis did these things, we will meet him in heaven! To go even further, I explained that when we do sin, we must stop and admit this to God and ask His forgiveness. And 1 John 1:9-10 is the proof to back up my claims.
I told the children that we really don’t know who will be in heaven…but I have a feeling that we are in for a few surprises. I believe there will be some folks there that we thought would not “make the cut!” And this is where our judgments get us into trouble! Just as importantly, if we accept Jesus’ gift of salvation and then go on our merry way and do as we please and sin with wild abandon and no remorse, we have disrespected our relationship with God. I hope none of us never makes this mistake.
One point that I made with the students – and want to make with you – is that we must never serve God out of fear. We must never live for Him because we are afraid we will go to hell if we do otherwise. Yes, hell is real – and those who deny God and/or do not accept Jesus’ gift of salvation are destined to spend Eternity there. But fear of hell is not why we should serve God or follow Jesus’ teachings.
God wants us to live for Him out of a deep and abiding love and commitment. He wants us to want to belong to His family. He wants us to readily admit our sins and make a concerted effort to do better…to seek His forgiveness and bask in the unconditional manner in which He delivers redemption. God does not want us to “fear” Him in this manner – all references to “fear of the LORD” in the Bible speak of “healthy respect” – not trepidation and apprehension.
I pray that you are a part of God’s family…that a seat is being prepared for you at His heavenly table for all Eternity. And I pray that you love and serve Him out of a deep desire to belong to Him…and not out of worry and concern or doubt. I pray that your relationship with God is based on respect and understanding of how much He loves you…because in the life of a true Christian, operating in fear of any kind is simply not an option. Now…what are you afraid of?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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