“Pay attention, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you. I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” (Isaiah 44:21-22 NLT)
Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel after wrestling with the angel, was chosen by God for a specific reason. But it was not because he was sinless or above blame from man's point of view. The descendants of Jacob/Israel were just like us. They are real people with real problems making real mistakes. But God used this group of people to bring Jesus into the world and to give us a relationship back to God.
Even though we have been dealing with the same sin issues since creation, God does not separate Himself from us because of our sin. Jesus made a way for us to be united with God forever. We do not have the ability to become perfect while on earth but we can be shaped into God's image because of Jesus Christ.
It is because of the cross that all things are made new. We need to cling to the cross because it is there that we have been set free. We are forgiven, reconciled back to God and called out to spread the Gospel. We need to do nothing more than to accept that our sins have been cleansed and be willing to accept how the debt has been paid. It is because of Jesus Christ that we have been called. We are His witnesses established for His glory and set apart from the world for His purposes.
God says there is nothing we do can separate us from Him. But the same is not true of us. We tend to hang on to our sins, which lead us away from the Lord. Jesus has cleansed us from all sin—past, present and future. Our thoughts should not be on the Savior and not the sin. We need to be thanking Him for how good God is that He made a way for us to be with Him forever.
Relax.
Take in a deep breath.
Think about how much unlimited grace has freely given as a gift to us.
Talk to the Lord about the sin issues that keep pulling us away from Him.
Thank Him for never pulling away from us.
Now REJOICE!
God calls His people to remember who He is and what He has done for them. And then God calls His people to act in a way that will reflect His glory. The sin is forgiven once and for all. He proclaimed He would deliver us from our captivity. Because He is a God that can proclaim the future before it occurs.
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
