Have you let God forget all that you have done?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
(Psalms 103:11-12 (NIV))

God is amazing! He is the creator of all the universe, the ultimate repository of all knowledge, yet, He is more than willing to completely forget all of our transgressions if we will only call on His name in sincerity and fear. God wants nothing more than for us, His creation, to turn to him of our own free will. If we will do that, there is nothing that God will not forgive us of if we are honestly seeking His face.

Have you let God forget all that you have done?

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Is it time for a Jesus resolution?

“Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
(Isaiah 1:18 (NIV))

We are rapidly coming up on the beginning of a new year. It is tradition that we make resolutions to address things in our lives that we want to change. Sadly, these resolutions don’t always last and even when they do, they only have the strength of the person who made the resolution behind it.

You don’t have to wait until a new year to turn over a new leaf. You can turn to Jesus any day, any hour and make a change that will have eternal impact.

Think about your resolutions.

Do you have something that you need to turn over to Jesus? Do you want to turn your life over to Jesus? I can’t think of any better way to end a New Year’s Resolution than with the words “Jesus, I surrender to you!”

And, just a reminder, you don’t need to wait for New Year’s day to surrender to Jesus!

Happy New Year!

Have you fully embraced the new?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.
(Hebrews 8:12 (NIV))

Is there someone in your life who constantly reminds you of every single mistake that you have made? Do they bring up these mistakes even though they may have occurred so far in the past that even you had forgotten them? It is sad that there actually are people who will hold everything against you no matter how many times you apologize or how long ago the act may have been.

I can honestly say beyond a shadow of a doubt that God does not do that. He will forgive your sins if you simply accept His plan of redemption and grace. He will not bring them up to you again. He will wipe you record clean and treat you as if you had never sinned. I have heard this called justifying grace – a grace that God gives us “just as if I” had never sinned. He does not justify holding our sins against us. He sent Jesus to die on the cross so that He could justify forgiving us of our sins.

The next time that you encounter that special someone who constantly reminds you of your mistakes, smile, and rest assured that their memory cannot condemn you. Only God can condemn, and He has justified you through your acceptance of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

God forgives our wickedness. In order for this forgiveness to be complete, we must forgive ourselves. We cannot hold anything over ourselves if God has forgiven us for it. We must remember our actions, not so that we can condemn ourselves, but, rather so we can remember the sin that we have been saved from.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV))

God’s saving grace makes us new creations. Have you fully embraced the new even when confronted by the sins of the old?

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Pass through the fires

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

But now, this is what the LORD says–
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
(Isaiah 43:1-2 (NIV))

Although these words where spoken to a rebellious Israel after it’s captivity, they still apply to those who have been called today. God used Israel’s captivity to show them that He would discipline His children. He then used these words to show that discipline does not mean separation from Him.

Just as an earthly father must discipline his children, God must sometimes discipline us so that we may learn from our mistakes. But, just as an earthly father still loves his children even through the discipline, God still loves us through our discipline.

How many times have you heard someone say that God forgives us of our sins? Yet, He allows the consequences of our actions to have full impact so that we may learn and grow in our maturity. This maturity is something that God wishes for us to have. It allows us to face anything and fully rely on Him, even when we may pass through the fires of life that try to consume us.

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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