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“Bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.” – Colossians 3:13
Have you ever done something so bad, so much against your parents’ wishes, that you feel as if it is unforgivable? I’m sure we have all been there. Whether we made a bad decision or walked down the wrong path, we have all felt that gut-wrenching feeling as we went back to our parents to face the consequences.
That’s how you may feel when making a bad choice and then looking at God. We have that feeling of agony and our stomachs get turned inside out. It’s a feeling that nobody can escape from.
The awareness of all the ways we have messed up can get in the way of opening up to the love that God has for us. Sometimes it can make us wonder if we are too far gone, too far from the reach of God. Have we failed one too many times? Is what we have done too awful to be forgiven?
The answer is simply no. You are not too far gone to be forgiven and cherished by God. Your past sin does not define you when you turn to God and seek a relationship with Him. You are given a fresh start. This can be hard to comprehend, but there is something powerful about hearing it and seeing it. We are all wiped clean of our sin because of Him.
The following verses tell us about how God sees our sins:
Psalm 103:12 reads, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
That’s how far he has removed our wrongdoings from us. All the way from the east to the west, which is simply saying an infinite amount.
Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Do you ever feel like your record is spotty with sins and that there is no way to take the stain out? Well, there is a secret, God is the only one who can wipe your slate clean in an instant. He turns our red, crimson sins into plush, white, wool.
1 John 1:9 reads, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
As long as we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and confess our sins, He will forgive us. Why? Because He loves us and like a loving parent, hates to see us hurting and in pain. In an instant, we can be made pure again.
So next time you are feeling like you are too far gone to be forgiven, check out those verses. God shows us that nobody is ever too far away. He will walk as far as He needs to get to us.
Grand Canyon University is committed to following the Lord in all circumstances. If you would like to learn more about GCU’s Christian identity and heritage or would like to read more devotionals please visit our website and check out the GCU Blog.
