Chosen & Forgiven

We sometimes tend to focus more on our mistakes and regrets than on our victories.  But when we put things into perspective and realize that there is something bigger than our flaws, we can move forward with hope, knowing that Jesus is greater, Jesus is victorious and Jesus is on our side.

When God chooses you as His own, He did so already knowing every little detail about you.  Think about how He created you, yet He still purchased you – with the blood of His own Son.  He put Jesus on the cross for you, all the while seeing your sins and knowing your future ones.  He knew you would fall short of His glory, yet He did nothing less than to make a way of redemption and to bring you closer to Himself.  He knew, yet He still chose.

That’s grace.
That’s forgiveness.
That is love.

The Gospel of grace teaches that Jesus came in bodily form to this earth to take the penalty for our sins, to acquit the guilt, to be judged in our place.  The just accusations against us were more than we could ever try to defend and be freed from.  But He came to relieve us of it.  He came because our efforts would amount to nothing.  They would be in vain.  How can a mortal, sinful creature make itself right again the eyes of a holy God?

But grace declares that our guilt has been atoned by for the only One who is perfect and blameless.

We don’t need to live under the burden of trying to gain back a right view in God’s eyes.  ”The ultimate demand has been met, the deepest judgement has been satisfied.”

The good thing we can look back and learn from our mistakes because the LORD specializes in redemption.  He redeems us from our mess ups and allows us to warn others of how not to live.  What you do with the lesson you learn is up to you.  From this point forward, you can either live as confirmation of that redemption (a victory!) or your failure to learn from it and continue on in a lifestyle what will only continue to hurt you.

And no, you may not always “feel” forgiven, but the reality of it is, you probably never will.  Because grace is something so hard to grasp…  How can we receive such a free gift of something we do not deserve?

Simply because He chooses to forgive us.