Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Tuesday, September 21, 2021
The unknown writer record’s Jesus promise to forgive & forget a Christ-follower’s sins.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (NASB)

Satan loves to sideline a Christ-follower by making you feel unworthy, hopelessly guilty, and unloved by God. Have you been there? Maybe you’re there now! The truth is that as a Christ-follower you are now part of the family of God and part of that family relationship is that God sees you as credited with the perfect righteousness of His Son!
What about your past sins? Are they weighing heavily on you? Understandable – but unnecessary! The Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8) God chooses to forget your sin and will remember it no more. That’s Good News!!

Monday, September 20, 2021

Monday, September 20, 2021
The Psalmist David pleads the goodness and mercy of God for forgiveness of sin. 
Psalm 25:7  Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your lovingkindness remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.  (NASB)
 Forgiveness of sin has been something God has been willing to do since before the creation of the earth.  Not only willing to forgive, but willing to give His only, precious Son as an offering to pay the debt no one of us could ever pay!  The Heavenly Father does this because He is good.  What is your imagining of God?  Is He smiling? Or is He glaring at you?  Good news . . . God isn’t mad at you!!
The Psalmist here pleads with the Father to 1.)  Not remember the sins of youth committed in the foolishness of immaturity; and 2.) To forgive transgressions . . . a word that implies the premeditated sin that comes with adulthood.  Past & present sin is laid . . . and can be laid before the mercy of God.  Matthew Henry puts it this way, “It is God’s goodness, and not ours, His mercy, and not our merit that must be the plea for the pardon of sin, and all the good we need.”

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Wednesday, September 15, 2021
The Psalmist describes the high standard necessary for a relationship with God.
Psalm 24: 3-4 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart . . . (NASB)
Every Christ-follower should long for an intimate relationship with the Creator. The poetic words of this Psalm remind you of when Moses went atop Mount Sinai to speak with God. How can a person be clean enough and pure enough to aspire to such closeness? Psalm 32 provides an answer: “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord does not count his iniquity . . . ”
In and of yourself, you do not have clean hands and a pure heart — but a Christ-follower has their sins forgiven and has Christ’s righteousness credited to their account! So, when you speak harshly to your mate, or neglect your children, or look at some image you should not have . . . then you follow I John 1 which says, “if you confess your sins, He (Christ) is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” Now by God’s grace, you may approach the Lord and resume your intimate relationship! How good is that??

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Tuesday, September 14, 2021
The apostle Paul writes how a pure heart and a changed life result by following Christ.
I Timothy 1:5 [Paul writes] The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (NASB)
When you read or hear the life stories of people who are Christ-followers, often you hear how their lives are transformed! Instead of lying, or cursing, or being vengeful, etc.. . . all that goes away! For some it’s more of a process than others. An old chorus used to go: Things are different now, something’s happened to me, since Jesus came into my heart.” The difference is that your sins have been forgiven, you have a relationship with God and His Spirit has come to live within you.
Your conscience is that part of you that either condemns or excuses you. As you begin to live in harmony with your new spiritual life/awareness in Christ, you find yourself being willing to give up lustful habits and practices. You can now love others with a pure heart — it’s the new normal . . . it’s the new you!

Monday, September 13, 2021

Monday, September 13, 2021

The apostle Paul writes of practicing the power of positive thinking.

Philippians 4:8 . . . whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (NASB

Are you a worrier??  I am and have to fight it on a regular basis.  Throughout God’s book the Bible, you will find Christ-followers are commanded not to fear and not to worry.  Instead, you are to live in dependence on God for whom nothing is impossible.  Just before this verse the apostle Paul said in essence:  “don’t worry about anything — pray about everything!”

A co-worker once shared how she was plagued with thoughts about what “might” be, until a wise friend told her to concentrate on what she knew.  You know, after that, much of her worry disappeared! Put the following presets on the selector of your mind:  truth (what you know), noble things (serious things that are not frivolous), right things (things you ought to do), pure things (free of filthy words or deeds), lovely things (things so pleasing or agreeable they can be loved).  When destructive, false thoughts intrude into your thinking — immediately go to one of these “presets” and press “play”!

Friday, September 10, 2021

Friday, September 10, 2021
The apostle John records Jesus’ words of comfort shortly before His death.
John 14:1-2 Jesus said to His disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in Me. There are many rooms in My Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. (CEV)
Hours before the crucifixion, the Savior and the disciples gathered one final time for a meal. The disciples were distressed, fearful and anxious when Jesus said He would die, leave them and go somewhere they could not. In these verses, Jesus comforts them by saying He is going to prepare a place for them and will return for them
Jesus turns their focus away from panic and fear to Almighty God. “You trust and believe in God, right? Trust also in Me! John Gill wrote, “God and Christ [are] to be equally the object of their faith; and since therefore they had so good a foundation for their faith and confidence, they had no reason to be uneasy.” In life or in death Jesus is there for His own!
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.