October 07th, 2020

10-7-20 Today’s devotion is based on Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Do God’s promises come with fine print, with strings attached? Sadly, many people believe that because there are many who teach that. They usually say something like this: “God is a loving God who wants to forgive you. All you have to do is … (fill in the blank).” In other words, they suggest that God’s forgiveness involves some fine print. There are strings attached. But that’s simply not true. God doesn’t base his forgiveness on what we do or don’t do. His forgiveness is not remotely tied to us being a certain way or achieving a certain standard. If that were true, how could we ever know whether God really forgives us, whether we’ve cleared the bar? The Bible assures us that, in Jesus, God has forgiven the sins of the world. John the Baptist once pointed to Christ and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and the apostle John of him, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). That means you. In Christ Jesus, God forgives you of every sin. Believe it. It’s true. Please pray with me the prayer for today: Heavenly Father, creator, and sustainer of all things, seen and unseen, give me confidence that, though I am sinful, you freely forgive me for Jesus’ sake.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen
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