I am proud to have two stories appearing in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix, due out November 6! Because of that, I am posting some of the material I have about the importance of forgiveness for others and for ourselves.
I know folks who feel so undeserving of God’s grace that they won’t let themselves receive God’s forgiveness even though 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” When that happens, they set up camp in the “City of Regret,” and prevent themselves from entering into the full blessings that God has for His kids.
We can let our guilt compel us to try to earn our way to God. We can endeavor to be good enough for Him to love us. Think of how faulty that logic is. No amount of effort on our part will ever equal the self-less gift of Christ death on a criminal cross for your sins and mine.
We can’t earn our way to God thinking that we will be good enough; I will strive to be the bestest, bestest Christian ever!! Salvation is a free gift. Grace means UNMERITED favor. We can’t merit it—or deserve it.
Isaiah 64:6, “ All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sin sweeps us away. There is a reason we feel guilty. We are. Compared to God, our best efforts are pitiful. But there is very good news. Christ’s death on the cross took care of that for us!
Isaiah 61:10, “For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.”
God looks at us and he sees Christ’s righteous robe that He has adorned us with. Jesus death on the cross, traded our filthy rags for his righteous robe.
Somebody needs to say AMEN to that!
Check out a true story that demonstrates this on our Facebook page below
https://www.facebook.com/answersfrommomanddad