God's Marvelous Truth

Isn't it a marvelous truth that when we mess up and the Holy Spirit shows us what we have done wrong, that the MOMENT we come to Him and agree that we were wrong, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness? Instantly our fellowship is renewed with God. There is no waiting period. He doesn't make us wait for several months while He decides how He will answer us or whether or not He will give us another chance. He doesn't even wait to see if we are going to change our behaviour. He responds to our broken contrite heart and says, "Yes I forgive you, go and sin no more." We don't have to do penance or give our failures one more thought. We can immediately put our focus right back on serving Him and hold our head up high, confidant that He has CHOSEN to remember our sins no more. He invites us to rejoin Him and enjoy His company and friendship. God has called us all as believers not only to accept this wonderful truth for ourselves but to demonstrate this wonderful truth to those who have wronged us. We read of this mandate in Matthew 18:21-35 and the consequences for those who do not follow it. God will hold us accountable to the truth He has taught us in His Word.

(NIV)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.
25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”


Matthew 7:1-2 (GNT)
Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you,2 for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and He will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.

Do we really want God to treat us the way we treat others? That's a measuring tool we all need to hold up to our lives every day to live by.

Rev. Jennifer Ritchie