Devotional for 9/15/13
There are things in our lives that we regret. Maybe they are things we have done that we wish we had not. Perhaps it is as minor as wishing we hadn't said something we didn't really mean. It's impossible to take back words once they are given a voice. It could be something much worse, such as harming someone physically or emotionally, ourselves or others, intentional or not. Or possibly we didn't do something that we now wish we had done. Maybe we didn't help someone who was really in desperate need, and now we see the negative results of our lack of action. Perhaps it is a more major issue, like not supporting our own family but instead drowning ourselves in an addiction. We struggle with how to live our lives in the best manner. When we are aware of these things, it can cause us great heartache. We may end up resenting others for what we think is their part in it all, or we live with deep regret and condemn ourselves, finding it difficult to forgive in either case.
The amazing thing is, we have a God who does not continually blame and condemn us or shame us for our past mistakes. Instead, our God is a loving and merciful God who forgives us unconditionally, regardless of how insignificant or insurmountable those issues seem to us. God still scoops us up in his arms as a loving father cradling his child, no matter how many times or how hard we struggle to get loose. He is greater than our own condemning hearts, in spite of knowing every single detail of our lives, no matter how much we have tried to hide it all. Our hearts can rest in this truth. Our God is awesome like that!
This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:19-20 (NIV)
written by Jan Andersen
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Here is a song telling of God's love
sung by the Sidewalk Prophets
"You Love Me Anyway"
Jan...
ReplyDeleteYour writing is much like the devotional posted this past Thursday. That writing focused on the questioning people often have about why they do not change after accepting Jesus. It pointed out how we must believe what God thinks of us and accept His opinion of us. Your writing focuses on what we are repentant of about our behavior and choices. The conclusions are the same. We need to really take to heart that God does not condemn us but love us unconditionally.
God bless...
Here is the link to the Thursday devotional that is written on the same topic. The two writings support and illuminate each other. If you scroll back down the page to this past Thursday or you could copy and paste into your browser.
Deletehttp://paintgodintoyourday.blogspot.com/2013/09/spiritually-mindedthursday.html
Yes, I did read that on Thursday. Didn't make the connection like you did so well. Thank you. Divine common thread!
ReplyDelete