What does it truly mean to be forgiven?

There are two common definitions of the word forgive:

     1. to cancel debt

     2. to stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for an offense, flw, or mistake.

When we receive total forgiveness of God, our debt is canceled and the Lord's righteous anger is gone. God's forgiveness is not either/or. It is both and.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

his year,during Lent, I am using Zach Zender's new book called the Forgiving Challenge. It is based on the Red Letter Challenge that we went through together a couple of years ago. If any of you are interested in getting this book, please let me know. I will be putting in an order soon.

Day 1

Zach says that sin is a small word that packs a mighty punch. In a culture where we have become addicted to being offended, one of the most offensive things you could say to someone is that they are a "sinner." We live in a world that likes to accept and affirm all decisions and choices, when in reality, every single one of us is a sinner.
 

Romans 3:10   There is no one righteous, not even one.

Romans 3:23  ...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Without first understanding and accepting that you are a sinner, you will never be free.

But what exactly is sin?  Sin means "to miss the mark." You cannot attain the perfect standard that God has set out for you. Even if you just miss a little bit, you still miss.

And yet, there's a twisted perception of reality that thinks if you just become better and wealthier, buy a better house, get a greater job, just keep improving, etc., then you will be happy and all will be well. But we know that even the very best version of ourselves will never be good enough for God and will never even fully satisfy us.

God loves you. Deeply. But He cares about who you are becoming too. Deeply. God loves you for who you are, but His freedom doesn't leave you just as you are.

Psalm 40:2  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

We have a God who brings freedom to our lives through His ultimate rescue. We have a God who is greater and bigger than sin. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, not only can your sin be defeated, but God can even take the worst parts of our story, even our sins, and use them for His glory.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

2 Corinthians 12:9  My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Though we hate to admit it, we all need help! On our own, we are lost, mired in evil thoughts and sinful actions. It is Christ who has loved, redeemed, and transformed us into the caring friends and loving neighbors we aspire to be! He alone makes us content and hope-full, in a very self-centered world. 

As recipients of all of God's love for us in Jesus we are now called to reflect his light and offer help to others by being Christ-sufficient instead of self-sufficient. How does he empower us to do this? Remember your baptism, read his Word daily, and pray for his direction and opportunities to serve others. Since God's undeserved love is sufficient, and his power is perfect, seek to act and react as Jesus did. Tell the Good News of everlasting life!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Leviticus 26:12  I will walk with you and be your God and you will be my people.

There are many roads in life. Sometimes we take the wrong road, so we try another. The only true road is God's road of forgiveness. The good news is that we walk the Jesus road. In Scripture we read, "The Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). St. Paul writes, "By grace you have been saved through faith... it is a gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

There are many roads in life. On the Jesus road, our Savior walks with us and daily forgives us. So how can we respond? St. Paul says, "Be kind... tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32). Tuck this message in your pocket as you "hit the road," Go with God!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

The word redeem had legal meaning in Old Testament Hebrew. The term meant to buy back a person, property or right to which one had a previous claim. Someone who had to sell himself into slavery because of poverty, for instance, could have his freedom bought back by someone called a redeemer, usually his next of kin.

Boaz redeemed the widow Ruth when he bought back the land that belonged to her mother-in-law, the widow Naomi. Boaz said, "You are witnesses this day that I have caught from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place" (Ruth 4:9-10)

This foreshadows the way Christ redeemed the Church and bought it back as his Bride. He saw our lost state and made sure we had a family, a home and a relationship with him. And the payment for this redemption? The body and blood of Jesus. He gave completely of himself to give us an inheritance with him forever.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

I remember one time that Susan and I slept on an air mattress. There was a leak in the mattress. By morning, we had sunk down into the middle with the two sides of the mattress enfolding us like a taco.

I kept thinking of the hymn "What wondrous Love Is This": "When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down... Christ laid aside his crown for my soul."

It was hard to get out of the "sunken down" mattress. It is impossible to free ourselves when we are sunken down in sin. Only Christ can lift us out. I also noticed that "down low" there was still a bit of air left in the mattress; I was not sleeping directly on the floor. When I think I have reached rock bottom in my life, I must always remember that the breath of the Holy Spirit still lifts me and sustains me, keeping me from the pit of despair. The sides of that sunken mattress acted like a warm hug, like loving Father, who says, "Don't worry, I've got you. You will not be crushed by sin."

--Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Genesis 1:27  So God created mankind in his own image, the image of God he created them.

Many wonder exactly what "the image of God" means. Some think it refers to our ability to reason. Another view suggests that God is reflected in our physical characteristics. Still others think the image of God refers to our relational nature and the relationships we have with God and creation.

I tend to favor the last description. God gave human beings a special place in the world. He desires a close, personal bond with us. His love for us is on a much deeper level than his care for plants and animals.

God gave us a special place in his heart: "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). Out of his great love, he sent Jesus to save us. Peter reminds us that, through Christ, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). That is our role as people created in God's image: We are to declare his praises and imitate him. Let the image of God shine through you.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,