In Psalm 103:10, 12 I read, “He does not punish us as we deserve or repay us according to our sins and wrongs. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us." (GNT)
God always gives me what I need, not what I deserve.
There is no end to east and west. God took my sins and just wiped them out.
When King David in the Bible committed adultery and then covered it up by having Bathsheba’s husband murdered, did David deserve to be forgiven? No. Did David deserve mercy? No. But David knew that God is a good God, and so he asked for mercy: “Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2 GNT)
When I sin, I can pray that same prayer. And I can pray confidently because it’s based on who God is, not on who I am or what I’ve done.
God forgives me, not because I’m good but because he is good. I don’t have to try to be good enough. In fact I’ll never be good enough! That’s what’s so amazing about God’s grace.
When I ask for God’s forgiveness, he forgives me immediately and completely. This is a big deal. Whatever I’ve done, God doesn’t reject me when I sin. He receives me with open, loving arms.
This is amazing because it’s the exact opposite of what people do. When I sin against someone, do they want to receive me back? Absolutely not. They want to be distant and push me away. They don’t want to receive me, because I’ve hurt them.
But God is love and full of goodness. He loves me because love is his nature. His goodness and his love are the reason I get what I need, not what I deserve.
I don’t deserve grace and forgiveness, none of us do. Thank God he gives it anyway!
In summary, God will not punish me as I deserve or repay me according to my sins and wrongs. As far as the east is to the west, He removes my sins from me. God always gives me what I need, not what I deserve. There is no end to east and west. God took my sins and just wiped them out. When King David committed adultery and then covered it up by having Bathsheba’s husband murdered, did David deserve to be forgiven or shown mercy? No. But David knew that God is a good God, and so he asked for mercy. He prayed “Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!” When I sin, I can pray that same prayer. And I can pray confidently because it’s based on who God is, not on who I am or what I’ve done. God forgives me, not because I’m good but because he is good. I don’t have to try to be good enough. When I ask for God’s forgiveness, he forgives me immediately and completely. God doesn’t reject me when I sin. He receives me with open, loving arms. This is the exact opposite of what people do. But God is love and full of goodness. He loves me because love is his nature. His goodness and his love are the reason I get what I need, not what I deserve. I don’t deserve grace and forgiveness, none of us do. Thank God he gives it anyway!
East and west never meet. This is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness, when he forgives my sins, he separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. I need to never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets. It's me who tends to dredge up the ugly past, but God has wiped my record clean. If I am to follow God, I must model his forgiveness. When I forgive others, I must also forget the sin. Otherwise, I have not truly forgiven.
Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me.
Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives (including my job.) I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
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