Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
Because of Jesus, we can be sure that when we confess our sins, God not only forgives them but also purifies us and makes us new again. [1] This gift is so wonderful, so gracious, that many of us have a hard time believing that God not only forgives, but he also erases the stain of our sin and removes our guilt. It is gone. Micah gives us two powerful images to help us understand the reality of God's grace.
Micah's first image, imagine being in a crowded space filled with people. Our sins are listed on a sheet of paper on the floor. We wish we could make it disappear. We long for any record of our offenses to be obliterated. As we watch, the list of our offenses is trampled, stomped, and pounded until the list is unrecognizable and the paper disintegrated. Yet, Micah's image is even more moving. He says that God is the One Who "will trample our sins under" His feet! God will obliterate our sins and disintegrate the list of them, completely!
For the second image, imagine traveling to the deepest part of the ocean, securely wrapping the list of our sins around a rock, and then tossing it into the "depths of the ocean." We know the saltwater will disintegrate the paper and the list of sins on it. All records and any hint of our transgressions, sins, rebellions, and failures are gone; God has separated them from us. They are totally gone from His memory. [2]
And why would God forgive and cleanse us so completely? Micah tells us in today's passage that it is because our God takes great "delight in showing unfailing love" to us, His children. [3] Micah wants us to know we can trust in our Father's complete forgiveness as He graciously makes us new. [4] It is incredibly important for us to grasp the reality of God's total and absolute forgiveness. [5]
Dear friend in Christ, because of Jesus' sacrifice, our guilt is gone. God has erased our sin and cleansed our hearts. Our Abba Father delights in lavishing His love upon us! So, let's live with confidence as God's holy children and not let shame interfere with our relationship with God and our place in God's family. As the apostle Paul said so beautifully:
Sin is no longer your master... Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace. [6]
O, Father, words cannot capture my overwhelming gratitude for the forgiveness, cleansing, and renewal You have lavished upon me. Thank You! Praise You! My soul lives in adoration for Your grace. Now, dear Holy Spirit, help my heart believe this truth made possible and complete by the sacrifice of Jesus for my sins. Awaken me each day, Father, to the reality that I am Your precious, pure, and holy child because You have trampled my sins under Your feet and thrown any record of my guilt into the depths of the sea. Thank You! Praise You! My soul lives in adoration of You for Your grace! In Jesus' name, I offer my thanks. Amen.
Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.
'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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