Wednesday, December 26, 2018

God Offers New Beginnings

by Dr. Paul Chappell

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Genesis 22:1-2

Though Abraham is called the “father of the faithful” and believed God for impossible things, there were times when even his faith failed. When many years passed without the arrival of the son God had promised, Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands. As a result, Ishmael was born, and a lasting division was created within the family. Though some of the consequences of sin may remain, when we seek God's forgiveness, He provides it, and removes the sin from our record forever.

Thus, when it came time for the great test of Abraham's faith, when God instructed Him to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah, God referred to Isaac as his “only son.” The consequences of Abraham's sin lingered, but the guilt and condemnation were removed, and taken away forever. God does not partially forgive those who seek His pardon and grace. He completely forgives. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:17).

Doubtless there are things about the year that is ending that you would like to forget. There are sins and failures and shortcomings—all of us have them. Although, God does not hold grudges. Instead, He graciously offers a new start and freedom from guilt and shame. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Do not live in shame or regret over past sins you have forsaken and confessed to God.

CURRENT RADIO SERIES A Life of Purpose   CURRENT TV SERIES Home for the Holidays

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” --Psalm 103:10 Sin is a serious subject with God. And the Bible has a lot of straight talk about sin, its consequences, and the damaging affect that it has on our souls. But the Scripture also tells us that because of the cross, you and I are forgiven! You see, some people have this idea that God is some ogre who got up on the wrong side of the bed about 10 million years ago, and he’s been in a bad mood ever since. But here’s the truth. The Scripture says that God loves you with an everlasting love. So he does not deal with us according to our sins, but out of his love! And here’s the deal: God dealt with your sins and mine on the cross.  Second Corinthians 5:21, says, “He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus didn’t die for some people’s sins. And he didn’t die for part of your iniquities and part of mine. On the cross, Jesus took upon himself all of our iniquities – past, present, and future. And ALL of our sins are gone! All the other religions of the world are focused on man and the required actions of man to know God. They require that man do things to seek God’s approval. But Christianity is not about man. In fact, there is nothing that any person can do to save himself. The Christian faith is completely and totally about the work of God and Jesus Christ. It is completely about the work that Jesus finished on the cross for you when he died for us. And that is how you and I receive forgiveness. I want you to embrace this precious and amazing gift from God right now and never take it for granted. And remember this: God doesn’t love you because you are somebody who deserves to be loved. No, you are somebody because God has chosen to love you. He has crowned you with his steadfast love and mercy and you are his!    THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY ABOUT THE WORK THAT JESUS FINISHED ON THE CROSS FOR YOU WHEN HE DIED FOR YOU.