Let's face it. I'm a messed up man, the son of a messed up man, from a long line of messed up men that goes all the way back to the first messed up man--Adam. I'm far from perfect, but then I've never met anyone who wasn't. We are members of a fallen race, living in a fallen world. Our messed-upness is both the cause and the result of our separation from God, and our continued messed-upness will certainly result in eternal separation from God. I have no hope that I can help myself be any better than I am...
But God in His grace has offered me forgiveness of my sins through Jesus Christ His Son, redemption from destruction and an abundant life in Jesus Christ, and the promise of an eternal inheritance incorruptible preserved in Heaven for me by Jesus Christ.
Without the forgiveness, the grace, and mercy of God, I would be lost and drifting in this life, hopeless and helpless, without purpose or plan, without a future. But now I'm saved; I've been born again. I'm a new creature; old things have passed away, all things have become new! I'm a child of God, bought with a price, His own special possession. I am part of the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, and the holy nation! My slate has been wiped clean; my present is ordered by the Lord; my destiny calls and I press on toward the goal, the upward call that is in Christ Jesus!
The Bible tells me that if I love God, I will keep His commandments. If I love God, I will not sin. But it goes on to say that if I do sin--and boy, do I--I have an advocate with the father who pleads my case. I have a comforter who comes along side to help me when I falter. And I have a friend who sticks closer than a brother; when I fall, He is there to help me get back on my feet and continue on my journey. And when I confess my sins to Him, He is faithful, He is fair, and He will forgive.
Those are just some of the reasons why I love Proverbs 24:16.
A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again,
but the wicked shall fall by calamity.
No comments:
Post a Comment