DAY 134 - ONCE AND FOR ALL
CONNOR GRIM, YA ASSOCIATE PASTOR & VOLUNTEER TEAM LEAD
I remind you, dear children: your sins have been permanently removed because of the power of his name. - 1 John 2:12 TPT
I don’t know about you but I often find myself second guessing if God really has forgiven me. I know He said He has forgiven me, I know that one of the biggest gospel themes is my forgiveness because of Jesus, but sometimes I just wonder if it really has stuck.
Have your ever found yourself waging a war between how bad your sin is verse how good God’s grace is?
I know we sing songs about it, hear messages about it, and read books about it, but do we actually believe it?
Do we actually believe that everything we have ever done wrong (sin) is PERMANENTLY removed because of Jesus, or do we approach God as if He still remembers and is holding on to our broken and hurt past?
If your Christianity is based on tiptoeing around God because you don’t really believe that He has permanently forgiven you and removed your sin, you’re really missing out.
When we don’t take God at His word, and live as if we have to earn His affection our faith quickly feels heavy and burdensome. It feels like tasks given to us to complete to make our angry master happy, when there’s real freedom available.
Galatians 5:1 says that it’s for freedom that Christ has set us free. Think about that. Freedom is confidence that you are in good standing with God, not because of what you’ve done but because of what Jesus has done. It’s not looking over your shoulder wondering if God is mad at you but fully embracing His invitation of a light and easy relationship.
Maybe this weekend all you focus on is taking a step toward trusting God. Take Him at His word, believe that the power of Jesus is enough to permanently secure you in His love, and ENJOY the freedom you have in Him!