So you messed up again. You did what you’d sworn (for the dozenth time) you’d never do again, and you’re currently kicking yourself for your own stupidity. A slew of accusations are bouncing around in your head, reminding you of who you aren’t. It feels like for all you’re work you haven’t made any progress. Your anger exploded again. You over-ate. You spent the entire day playing video games when there were fifteen things you should have done instead. You looked at porn again. You lied to your spouse. You let fear and worry overcome faith.
Whatever it was, stop for a minute. Take a breath and step back and listen to the Holy Spirit instead of the accuser. Receive the grace you’ve already been given. Remember:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-2
New every morning. New every moment. The steadfast love of the Lord isn’t shaken or shifted by even our most significant of sins. Whether the first time or the five hundredth, his mercies never come to an end. His faithfulness can’t be quenched because it’s a fire that’s field not by our righteousness and success but by the endless obedience and sacrifice of Jesus.
If you’re in Jesus, your sin doesn’t define you anymore. Ten thousand legitimate accusations can’t dislodge the heaven-bound fact that,
“if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Cor. 5:17-21
Jesus became sin, and when you were bound to him through faith your sin was buried with him in a tomb outside Jerusalem a couple thousand years ago. What was resurrected is the fact that you are now the righteousness of God. Dwell on that for a moment. You – you who just messed up big time – are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
Receive the grace you’ve been given. Receive the righteousness that is yours in Jesus. Then sit back and watch it change you.
No Comments