Matthew 5:4 AMP
[4] “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].
Yesterday, we considered the lives of those who know who they are, what they need, and who has what they need. Closely connected to that group are the ones under review in the verse above. Knowing who and what I am will require a honest assessment of the past and present. It will require an admission that the default setting for all men is sin. By the fact of our natural birth, we inherited the nature of sin, and as God has made quite clear, the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ. The devil will try and offer other palliatives, or provide alternative measures or excuses to the reality and pressure of sin, but let it be clear today that the devil is a liar, and the father of all liars.
Sin needs resolution and remission, and the eternal solution to sin has already been laid out by God. He gave the greatest gift anyone could offer: Himself. Reflect on this: the eternal God could have offered any other solution to the problem of sin, but He came and stood in our place, offering that which no one and nothing else could offer. He did all He did at a time that none of us alive today were there, which means He did all He did without any assurance that we would accept and embrace His gift. It would mean that even if it was for the sake of just one person who needed help and deliverance from sin, Jesus would still have died. That is love that has no parallel or equal, but also a love that raises a need for a response.
The verse above lays out what the right response should be. It has to be noted that God will not force Himself on anyone, or go against the exercise of my freewill. He gives me the power to choose Him, so that my love for Him can be genuine, not forced. Those who recognise and admit the problem are already halfway to getting the help they need. It is not enough to be sorry; you also have to take steps to repent and return to God. That was the difference between the ends of Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter. One only mourned and could not find his way back; the other also mourned, but he returned, was forgiven, and then restored. The latter are those who the verse above refers to: repentance and return to God guarantee you comfort and help with the problem of sin. God waits for all of us. There is nothing in my past or present that can defeat the power of the blood. Get His help today. God's time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment