Gods Forgiveness

Our theology regarding justification is often revealed by how we embrace God’s forgiveness when we sin. On the one hand, we may say that we heartily affirm the orthodox doctrine of justification by faith (i.e. that we are accepted as perfectly righteous before God by our trust in Christ, without the aid of good works), but on the other hand, when we fall into sin and subsequently call out to God in repentance, we often feel as though God’s forgiveness cannot be fully experienced until we have performed some act of penance or have done enough “time” in some kind of spiritual detention. It is important to recognize that God’s forgiveness initially granted to adopted spiritual newborns as well as to failing spiritual teenagers is granted on the same exact basis - the finished work of Christ on the cross! While there may be some human restitution to be made there is not a single ounce of relational atonement or spiritual reparation to be made to God. Christ has done it all. He paid for the sins he knew you would commit after your conversion and they have been covered by the sufferings of Christ. You cannot “earn” God’s forgiveness as a Christian any more than a non-Christian can earn it. Forgiveness is a gift of divine grace! It is embraced by penitent people solely on the basis of faith. So don’t doubt it. Embrace it, praising God that Jesus paid it all.

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Being Thankful

Being thankful to God is the essence of worship. To be specific and thoughtful about our gratitude is not only well-received by the Godhead, it is expected (Lk.17:17). We owe him nothing less than to catalog our blessings and prompt our own hearts to recite them in thanksgiving. We see this discipline in the lyrics of the Psalmist as he calls his own soul to “Praise Yahweh!” and “forget not all his benefits” (Ps.103:2). It may sound elementary to remind yourself to “count your blessings and name them one by one,” but nothing would capture the essence of spiritual maturity more than doing just that (1Th.5:18). And unlike the non-directed “thanksgiving” of our world, we must be careful and clear in our minds about the ultimate recipient of gratitude. It is not enough to passively feel thankful, we must actively direct our earnest expressions of thanks to the Giver of all good things (Jms.1:17). Though he has blessed us in countless ways, it is our responsibility to start counting anyway. As we do, God is honored, we are refreshed, and Christ’s Church is adorned with the worshipful hearts that befit his children.

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Biblical Preaching

A consistent intake of challenging biblical preaching is essential for your spiritual growth. The Bible tells us that we cannot be the maturing and discerning Christians God wants us to be unless we are ingesting thoughtful biblical exposition when we gather. Peter equated biblical preaching to the necessity of “food” in our spiritual lives (1Pet.1:25 – 2:3).  The writer of Hebrews adds that if your meals are always simple and elementary you will remain infantile in your faith (Heb.5:12-14). If you hope to be a strong, astute, useful follower of Christ, biblical preaching will be a key ingredient. While some forms of preaching may seem more palatable to our personal tastes and desires, what we truly need are sermons that challenge our thinking, lead us to honest introspection and drive us to step up and step out for Christ in a way we never have before. While this kind of preaching may not tickle our ears, it will be the type of weekly spiritual training that will reap eternal dividends as we make growth, and not comfort, the goal of our instruction.

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Future Perfection

Isaiah poetically affirms that one day “every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it” (40:3-4). This may be hard to imagine, but the Bible affirms that everything in God’s universe will eventually be put in place as it ought to be. Sometimes we struggle with the ultimate realities of God’s gracious rewards and his just retribution. At times, we think that God’s revealed plan will leave some things “out of place” or “not quite right.” But from eternity’s perspective, we can be assured that we will together affirm that God’s resolve of earth’s realities will be perfect. There will be nothing inappropriate about God’s consummation of all things. No one will be able to look to a “bump” or a “crack” in God’s settled universe. We will celebrate his grace and affirm his justice. In the meantime, we must seek to understand something of God’s perfect attributes and trust him with his future resolution. Like those who viewed the ministry of the God-man, Jesus Christ, we will certainly agree that “he has done everything well” (Mk.7:37).

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/