Sunday, July 20, 1997 In Your Absence:
In this week's lesson, which came from Psalms 51, we learned about the importance of being forgiven. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In Romans 6:23, we learn that the penalty for our sinful condition is death. But fortunately, we do not have to remain in this helpless, hopeless situation. Because of God's never ending, unchanging, constant love for us, we can have forgiveness and be set free from the burden and penalty of our sins. In Psalms 51, we read about a king who had been brought very low by his own sinful conduct. King David had fallen into an adulterous relationship with a woman named Bathsheba, and he had compounded the seriousness of his wrong doings by having her husband killed. When confronted by Nathan, a prophet of God and priest of Israel, David had to admit that he, alone, was responsible for what he had done. Have you ever found yourself in such a predicament, where you were the one in the wrong and there was no one else to blame?
We learned from this week's lesson that we can have forgiveness for what we have done, and this is true no matter how bad our doings might have been. Most of us will never commit adultery or murder, but whether we do or not, we still serve a God Who has great compassion and love for us. When David turned to the Lord with a repentant attitude, he knew that God's love would not fail him. He also knew about the compassion of the Lord and about God's commitment to him. These truths also apply to each of us. We should never choose to transgres against our heavenly Father, but when we do sin, we need to know that He will always receive us back to Him. David knew that God could and would forgive him for what he had done. So, he asked Him to blot out his sins, to wash away his iniquities, and to cleanse him from his sins. May we never have a casual atttude towards sin. May we always remember that our sins were responsible for putting Christ on the cross. But on the other hand, when we do sin and fall short of God's glory, may we also remember that our heavenly Father loves us and that He is always willing and even anxious to forgive us and to receive us back unto Himself.
An important conclusion of our lesson this week was that God never turns anyone away. Instead, He receives sinners, changes hearts, and fixes lives. We need to remember these things for our own benefit, but then, we also need to share them with others. If you have placed your trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, then you already know what it is to be released from your sin debt. Not only that, but God has probably placed people within your daily reach who need to know about what you have in Him. Therefore, as you go through the week, seek out someone and share with them what you have in Jesus, the Christ.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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