by Lora Ulrich, Director of Children's Ministries
Romans 4:7-8
“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
I don’t know about you, but I still have a sinful nature. I am still human, and my flesh sometimes pushes hard against my Father’s will. One day I know I will be made perfect, but I’m not quite there yet!
Romans 3 tells us that “…..all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Sin is a word and concept that has found it’s way into popular culture. Instead of referring to the utter depravity of our human condition, we associate it with eating something you shouldn’t, or telling a little fib to keep someone happy. Or, holding grudges because someone hurt our feelings or feels differently than we do. It’s come to be a word we use with air quotations and a wink, indicating something naughty but nice. But really, sin is about separation from God. It’s about choices we make and temptations we fall victim to that don’t line up with what God wants for us. Some are big and some are small, but we know. It’s about broken relationships with God and others. Holding resentments and bitterness toward someone is like drinking poison and thinking the other person will die. That’s just silly and we are only hurting ourselves!
Thankfully, we know that God doesn’t just forgive our sins but forgets them. How does that help us deal with those who may have done us a great wrong – perhaps an unforgivable wrong? I can tell you that I’m grateful and thank God every day that He doesn’t remember any of my sins. Can you imagine Him ever saying “…..yeah, but remember that one time that you…..? Oh man am I grateful. So, instead of causing my own isolation and suffering, today I will take a step in my Father’s will and ask God to show my “sins” (see what I did there?) and ask Him to blot them out and remember them no more.
Reflection: There are relationships in our lives that are not as we wish they would be. Today, try praying for God to bring healing to those relationships.