ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
(Continued)
2. The second area of FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND concerns the area of PAST SINS AND FAILURES.
Romans 2:4 says that it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance.
In 1 John 1:9 in the New Testament, the encouragement to each of us is: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 103:11,12 says: For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Question: How high are the heavens above the earth? How far is the east from the west? From God's perspective, as the Creator of the universe, they are infinitely unfathomable distances.
Micah 7:19 reads: Who is a God like you,
Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
Of the remnant of His inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
But delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us,
You will tread our sins underfoot
And hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Again, Micah paints a word picture for us showing something of God's amazing grace towards us, when he says He will tread our sins underfoot, and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. The word 'hurl' means to throw violently. Imagine the logistics of trying to find something which has sunk to the depths of the ocean in its deepest part. The use of the word 'hurl' to picture God forcefully throwing our sins into the deepest parts of the ocean, to me would seem to show something of how much His act of love and forgiveness is towards us.
If you are reading this, and have committed your life to Jesus Christ, having been "born again" by the work of the Holy Spirit in you as a response to your surrender to Him, acknowledging your sin and your need of a Saviour, then you would know that at that point of your commitment to Him that as it says in 1 Corinthians 5:17 , ... you became a new creation in Christ, old things having passed away, and all things becoming new. Where there is true repentance from sin, at the point of salvation, many experience a real sense of newness, where it is actually like being born over again. But, that does not mean we are perfect, and that we will never sin again. Would that it were so, but, alas, we are, as the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7 "jars of clay". We are imperfect vessels, still capable of stumbling and even falling into temptation and committing sin. BUT, we have the assurance from the Word of God in 1 John 2: 2 where John the apostle says: If any one sins, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. NIV.
Maybe you have been a Christian for some time, and feel that you have failed the Lord too many times for Him to still use you. The enemy of our souls, Satan would love you to believe that, but let me tell you, if that is what you believe, you are believing a lie. Jesus said in John 10:10 (NIV): The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it to the full.
As someone has well said: The man or woman who never made a mistake never made anything. Don't let past sins or failures be the measure for your future life of fulfillment in God's purposes for your life. Don't just be content to peck at the crumbs on the ground like a chicken, but rise up on eagles wings and soar on the Holy Spirit thermals of His anointing for your life.
I am believing for my wife and myself and our family that our best days are still to come, and that, like Abraham of old, we are and will be blessed to be a blessing!
For you, who are reading this - I am believing for God's best for you as well!
Romans 2:4 says that it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance.
In 1 John 1:9 in the New Testament, the encouragement to each of us is: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 103:11,12 says: For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Question: How high are the heavens above the earth? How far is the east from the west? From God's perspective, as the Creator of the universe, they are infinitely unfathomable distances.
Micah 7:19 reads: Who is a God like you,
Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
Of the remnant of His inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
But delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us,
You will tread our sins underfoot
And hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Again, Micah paints a word picture for us showing something of God's amazing grace towards us, when he says He will tread our sins underfoot, and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. The word 'hurl' means to throw violently. Imagine the logistics of trying to find something which has sunk to the depths of the ocean in its deepest part. The use of the word 'hurl' to picture God forcefully throwing our sins into the deepest parts of the ocean, to me would seem to show something of how much His act of love and forgiveness is towards us.
If you are reading this, and have committed your life to Jesus Christ, having been "born again" by the work of the Holy Spirit in you as a response to your surrender to Him, acknowledging your sin and your need of a Saviour, then you would know that at that point of your commitment to Him that as it says in 1 Corinthians 5:17 , ... you became a new creation in Christ, old things having passed away, and all things becoming new. Where there is true repentance from sin, at the point of salvation, many experience a real sense of newness, where it is actually like being born over again. But, that does not mean we are perfect, and that we will never sin again. Would that it were so, but, alas, we are, as the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7 "jars of clay". We are imperfect vessels, still capable of stumbling and even falling into temptation and committing sin. BUT, we have the assurance from the Word of God in 1 John 2: 2 where John the apostle says: If any one sins, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. NIV.
Maybe you have been a Christian for some time, and feel that you have failed the Lord too many times for Him to still use you. The enemy of our souls, Satan would love you to believe that, but let me tell you, if that is what you believe, you are believing a lie. Jesus said in John 10:10 (NIV): The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it to the full.
As someone has well said: The man or woman who never made a mistake never made anything. Don't let past sins or failures be the measure for your future life of fulfillment in God's purposes for your life. Don't just be content to peck at the crumbs on the ground like a chicken, but rise up on eagles wings and soar on the Holy Spirit thermals of His anointing for your life.
I am believing for my wife and myself and our family that our best days are still to come, and that, like Abraham of old, we are and will be blessed to be a blessing!
For you, who are reading this - I am believing for God's best for you as well!
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