God loved us so much that He gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sin that, through faith, we might be brought back into a full and intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father for all eternity. I think we often forget the magnitude of this love: we were dead and He provided us a way to live!
Lamentations 3:22-23
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
God has expressed His absolute love and compassion through the forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. This forgiveness is total and complete for those who believe. When we place our trust in Jesus, we are washed clean – we become “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We were washed clean at the moment of salvation, and we continue to be washed clean “every morning.”
We all have days when our sinful nature wins a battle and we stumble. We have a day when our anger, pride, fear, or lust is brought to the surface and we “do what we do not want to do” (Romans 7:16). We may need to seek forgiveness and earn back trust from those we have hurt, but God’s forgiveness and love is free for the asking; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). We may lose some of the battles, but through Jesus, the war has been won!
Since we have been washed clean, and continue to be washed clean, we must stop walking as though we are still soiled. We are children of God and in the process of being conformed to the likeness of His Son. This process of growth and maturity – the process of victorious transformation – must continue each and every morning. We must shed the heavy burdens of past failures, and the fear of future disappointments, and walk in the freshness of His forgiveness.
Is our relationship with God fresh and new? Do we still comprehend the magnitude of love encompassed in the gift of forgiveness? Or have we grown complacent and cold? When was the last time our love for God was so fresh on our heart that we couldn’t help but say THANK YOU!?
We are invited into a relationship with our Heavenly Father; an intimate relationship which involves loving and being loved; a relationship which allows us to walk in victory for His glory and to be guided by the power of His Spirit. Let’s give Him our all and receive His all in return. Let’s rise up in His strength and determine to make our relationship of love new every morning.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
**** Reading Plan ****
Jan 15 Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:27-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:16-18
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