Devotions based on Kenneth Boa’s book, Conformed to His Image
“There is no sin so great that God will not forgive but there is no sin so small that it does not need to be forgiven.” Because of Jesus death on the cross, we are offered the wonderful gift of forgiveness and a secure relationship in God’s family. His forgiveness erases our sin from existence and removes it as far as the east if from the west. ( Ps. 103:12) Many of us find it hard to accept God’s unconditional forgiveness and feel we have to earn it or work off the debt. Guilt feelings can cause us to revisit the sin instead of receiving God’s forgiveness. If we think we can outsin the grace of God, it is really our failure to take hold of the depth of his grace and love. But when we have experienced His forgiveness ourselves, we can forgive others, just as we have received. There is a tendency in us to excuse our own faults and to blame others for theirs. But we are to offer grace, rather than justice, to all those who have hurt us. Lewis Smedes said, “When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover the real prisoner was yourself.” That does not mean we will forget what others have done but we entrust justice to God rather than seek it ourselves. The author suggests writing down the names of people who have hurt us and betrayed us. Then offer this list to God along with all of the pain, and make a choice to forgive each one. Then crumple the paper and burn it before the Lord who forgave each of us.
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