(Romans 5:8-11) “But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger.”
“Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.”
Imagine if people found out your deepest and darkest secrets. Would your spouse still be with you? Would your children still respect you? Would you still keep your job or be able to look at your colleagues eye to eye? And could you still face the religious community or church you belong to? Probably not.
This fear of our past or current sins has led many to hide in shame or even contemplate suicide. This thinking is not from God, but from the devil who wants to make sure you live in shame for the rest of your life or not to enjoy life at all. Sure, Sin has its consequences and one might suffer the insults, and fingers being pointed at us, for the wrong choices we made.
With the God of the Bible it is not so. Christ did not require you to first be perfect, or without a sinful past, or even trying or wanting to do good, before He chose to die on the cross and take all your sins upon Him. He knew and knows exactly what goes on behind closed doors, and guess what? He doesn’t bring his hands to his head in shock. By focusing on your sins and your mistakes, you will only live as an enemy of God, which is what sin makes us. However, the sacrifice on the cross makes peace with God.
Bill Bakkeby was a U.S. Colonel and was prospering in life. However, he had a hidden secret that he kept from his wife and colleagues. He was a closet alcoholic, whose life was spinning out of control to the point where the guilt and shame brought him to contemplate suicide, and it was destroying his marriage. Finally, one day, during a marriage counseling session, he confessed to his wife his hidden sin, and she answered “Oh, is that all it is!” This was not the grace and love he was expecting, and all he could pray at that moment was “God, help me!” God did, and today both of them are pastoring a fine church in Washington D.C.
Christ sees all and knows all, and He still says “I love you, come to me and let’s work it out so that you can start to enjoy the life I have planned for you.” What an amazing God we serve.
Prayers
• Jesus, You are The Alpha and Omega; The Beginning and the End; The Beginning of the creation of God; The First and the Last; He who says “I am with the last”; The Lord who is and who was.
• Thank You, Jesus, for going to the cross while we were yet sinners.
• Thank You, that there is nothing so horrifying or dark that You are not willing to forgive when we repent.
• Forgive us for rejecting the way to make peace with You.
• Forgive us for thinking that we have nothing to repent for, or that we have no sin to be forgiven.
• Give us today the humility to confess our sins and to be grateful for your sacrifice on the cross.
• Teach us how to be happy because of the peace Christ has created for us.
• We ask for your mercy and grace to extend upon the natural consequences of our sins.
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• We ask in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen