Scripture Sunday - Forgiveness

 

 

Psalm 86:4-5 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

 

Psalm 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

I need those verses today. I need them everyday, but some days it seems like I need them more than others. Today is one of those days that I need them more.

It seems like I fail so often. I fail as a husband to my wife. I fail as a father to my children. I fail as a provider for my family. I fail as a friend. I fail as a missionary. I fail as a homeschooler. I could go on and on, but the thing that's a stick in my craw the most is that I fell like I am a failure to God.

I feel like I am a failure to God!

Do you ever feel that way? I guess those verses help me because I know that, like David, like Peter, like so many other characters in the Bible, we can sin even as followers of God and God can and will forgive us. We don't need to wallow in self pity. That would only be giving Satan the victory. We need to remember that we are children of God and that, just as we love and forgive our children, God loves and forgives us.

Don't listen to Satan's lies telling us that we are failures because we have sinned. Yes we sin. We all sin. Even after salvation we sin. We live in a sinful world. The important thing is that we see our sins, have a contrite spirit and ask God for forgiveness. Then we ask that He continually help us so that we don't fall in to the traps that we seem to always fall in to. That we don't give in to temptation.

We are children of God. Listen to what God says about us.

Matthew 7:7-11  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 

I'm not saying that God is a God who always gives us what we want. That's not what a good parent does, and that's not what the perfect parent, God, does. However, one thing that God does always do is He always loves and forgives His children.

We need to take the above verses to heart. Don't beat yourself up when you sin or make mistakes. Keep trying. Keep asking for God's forgiveness and for His help. Then, after God forgives us we need to forgive ourselves. We need to persevere! If we allow God to guide our lives and ask Him to forgive us when we get off course, he will help us overcome!