Tag: forgiveness

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Tell Someone About God’s Forgiveness. Psalm 130:7-8

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment


Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

(8) And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Psalm 130:7-8

Explanation
We see here a transition from talking to God and asking for His help, to proclaiming to those who need the same deliverance where it can be found.  Our hope for deliverance is in the Lord.  Why?

  • With the Lord there is mercy.
  • There is an abundance of redmeption.
  • God is able to redeem Israel from all “his iniquities”.

This is a declaration to everyone in the nation that God has more than enough mercy, forgiveness, and redemption to go around.  

Application
When we have sinned, then cried out to God, and experienced His forgiveness and deliverance, we should take one more step.  We should declare that God is a forgiving God.  We should proclaim that there is hope in Him.  The lost can be saved when they go to God for mercy.  They can be forgiven just like we can.

Response
Heavenly Father, who in my life needs to hear about the abundance of mercy that is found in you?  Direct me to them this week.  Help me to love them through bold proclamation of your forgiveness.  Amen.

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I will wait for you. Waiting for Deliverence. Psalm 130:5-6

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait,
and in his word do I hope. 
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord
more than they that watch for the morning:
I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

Psalm 130:5-6

Explanation

I love this stanza because it is the response of the psalmist to the character of the Lord. God is a forgiving God. He is merciful. This is what was stated in verses 3-4.

3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee,
that thou mayest be feared.

Psalm 130:3-4

In verse 5 the psalmist declares the he will wait for the Lord. The word for wait in the Hebrew has the flavor of expectation as part of its’ meaning. God has promised that He would forgive. The psalmist is crying out for deliverance from the chaos of the effects of his sin. Now, he is waiting on God for that deliverance. God has promised forgiveness and mercy, and on that word of God, the psalmis is putting his hope. 

What does this expectant waiting look like? He gives an illustration in verse 6. In ancient times guards would stand on a wall in a city, or soldiers in a camp, watching for danger so the rest of those they protected slept. They watched all night waiting for the sun to come up and with it the protection that daylight brings. The daylight brought with it an end to the vulnerability that happens in the late hours of the night. The sun comes up every day, and it is this confidence that the psalmist has in the character of God, and the Word of God, that God Himself will deliver him.

Application

Trusting in the deliverance of God is are only hope. I cannot forgive myself. I cannot deliver myself from the ultimate effects of sin. The soul that sins it shall die. The wages of sin is death. It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgement. If I sin against others, they may forgive me, but I have still ultimately sinned against God. Even if I get away with my sin for a time, there is no full, final, and freeing deliverance from sin outside of our forgiving God. We must trust in Him for forgiveness and deliverance, and He will do it! “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Response

Heavenly Father, help me to hope in you, and to wait expectantly for you. Help me to rely on your word today for how I live and what I do. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for your forgiveness. Amen.

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Avoiding Bitterness. Hebrews 12:15

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Highlight:

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled”

Hebrews 12:15

Explanation:

The idea here is an evangelistic one.  He is speaking to people who know about Christ, who have been convinced of Christ, but may have not trusted in Christ.  This is dealing with people who are in an apostate condition who get bitter in their state of unrepentance and become “defiled”.  This dangerous heart of unbelief is very dangerous.  Bitterness is a grave danger as well.  Here we find that it defiles.  It corrupts.  It kills.  Someone once said, “Bitterness is like swallowing poison and hoping someone else dies.”  It’s not good.

Application:

The opposite reaction was given to us in the previous verses.  Pursue…

  • Peace with all men
  • Holiness before God (Salvation and Sanctification)

Response:

Is there any “root of bitterness” in me toward anyone?

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Fully Healed and Fully Forgiven. Luke- Week 10- Day 5

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(25)  And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (26)  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

Luke 5:26-27

Explanation:

When Jesus healed, He healed completely.  Think about all that had to happen for this man to be healed.  Muscle and bone had to regenerate.  Memories in the brain that helped the brain remember how to walk had to come to pass.  This man was completely and fully healed.  He did not get up walking slowly, limping or bent over.  He got up.  He picked up His bed.  He went home.  The whole time he went he was glorifying God.  Worship was happening.

Now remember, Jesus had tied the healing to His ability and authority to forgive sin.  Jesus forgives sin just like Jesus healed.  He healed completely, and He forgives completely.  By healing this man, He proved that He can forgive sin.  He proved that He was God.

Notice the reaction of the crowd.  They were amazed.  They glorified God. They were filled with fear. Jesus proved to these people that Jesus could forgive sin.  In fact, if you remember, the passage said in verse 17 that the power of God was present to heal them.  The forgiveness that was available to the man was available to them. 

Application:

God’s forgiveness is available to you, today.  He has the authority and the power to forgive.  He wants to forgive.  We must go to Him by faith and seek His forgiveness.  Have you accepted God’s free gift of salvation?  Ultimately Jesus made the forgiveness of our sin possible by taking the judgement and sin of the whole world on Him.  “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”   The scripture says in 1 John 4:10, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Response:

Forgiveness is fully and finally available in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Call in Him today for salvation.  Confess your sin today and be cleansed.  Believe on Him and be healed.