It is Monday–a fresh word from the Bible:
The scriptures are full of reminders that those who trust in the Lord will be saved. Psalm 37 says, “the blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care.”
When I hear the word blameless, shards of shame scrape against my soul because I know that I am not blameless. Does my error take me out of “the Lord’s care”?
Maybe you feel that shame too. In crises like the one we are all in right now, impurity rises to the surface–maybe you’ve said something you now regret or you’ve acted out in panic. With words or actions you may have injured another person, hurt yourself or misrepresented the goodness of God.
A cursory reading of a scripture like this can mislead us. The whole of scripture needs to be taken into account. Jesus came to forgive and to release us from our shame. In Luke 5:20, Jesus says to a lame man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
We would think that a paralyzed man’s first need was healing, but Jesus saw deeper into the man and first extended divine forgiveness.
You too have physical needs right now. Provision. Financial help. But, the Lord sees our deeper need and says to you this morning, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Today is a new day. Today is a new week. Today is a fresh start. Let’s you and I admit that we are not blameless. Let’s run to the forgiving arms of Jesus and gain emotional strength for today: he is with us and he is for us.
Share this devotional thought with anyone who might be helped. God bless you. We are in this together!