BIBLE PASSAGE:
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
(Romans 4:8)
MEDITATION:
God has never, and never will, give His people a “free pass” to sin.
However, for those who have surrendered their lives to Him, He
has given a hunger and thirst for righteousness that supersedes
our desire to sin. Sin is constantly around us tempting us to fail
in our faith, but our desire is to avoid it because we have a greater
desire to please God.
Does that mean we will never fail? As much as we would like to
avoid failure, we are not perfect and we will have times of failure.
This is because there are two strong forces at work in our lives.
Of course Satan wants to use any failure to discourage us and
create more failures. He wants to convince us that failure alienates
us from God completely and disqualifies us from belonging to His
family. But that is not what God’s Word tells us.
The scriptures say that the Lord will not count our sin against us.
The ‘account’ of believers has been credited with righteousness,
which means the blood Jesus shed for us covers our sins. It is not
a concept that is easily understood, but it is the basis of our faith.
If God changed our righteousness back to sinfulness when we fail,
then our failures would make us lost again, right? If that were the
case, then how much sin would it take to make us lost? Only one!
ACTION:
We are not going to heaven because we are perfect; no one is
perfect. Heaven is our destiny because we have received Christ
as our righteousness. Again, we have not been given a pass to
sin because we know we will be forgiven, but we have been given
a desire for righteousness that replaces our desire to sin.
It is definitely a struggle to wrap our minds around the concept,
but if we fail to accept the fact that God forgives us when we sin,
then our faith is weak. Also, if our desire to sin hasn’t decreased
(at least to the point where we exercise self-control to avoid sin as
much as possible), then our faith is in question.
Read Isaiah 29:15:
Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans
from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
We can hide our sins from others can’t we? But have you ever
tried to hide something from God – thinking He won’t notice,
or find out? If so, then your desire to sin is greater than your
desire for the righteousness that He infuses into believers when
He saves us.
God desires a relationship with you, but your sin will
keep you separated from Him until you confess and
repent.
Read Psalm 32 and see what the Psalmist
has to say about our relationship with the Lord.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, increase my faith so that I will
realize and appreciate Your forgiveness for my failures.
If my desire for sin is not decreasing and my desire for
righteousness is not increasing, then help me to change
my directions. Thank You for forgiving me even though
I don’t deserve Your forgiveness, for loving me even though
I don’t deserve Your love, and for blessing me even though
I don’t deserve Your blessings. Thank You, Jesus, for what
You did for me at Calvary that makes all of this possible.”
PSALM 32
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does
not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When
I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all
day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my
strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I
acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you
forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let all the faithful pray to
you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty
waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will
protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will
counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse
or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled
by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes
of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who
trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing,
all you who are upright in heart!
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