Rejoice in Forgiveness

“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Ne 8:10 AV)

Judah had just assembled to hear the law of the LORD read and explained before them.  The fact the word of God survived the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple is a testimony to the promise that God preserves His word!  When they heard the word of God read and explained, it moved the people to tears and sorrow.  Conviction arose in their hearts as they realized just how far from the law they had strayed.  It made sense that God brought judgment upon them.  The guilt became overwhelming.  However, God had different plans for that day.  The temple was repaired and open for worship.  The walls and gates had been repaired.  Construction of their homes was under way.  This was a time for rejoicing.  This was a time for gratitude.  This was a time to humbly accept God’s grace and allow that wonderful grace to strengthen them in spirit and soul.

Dwelling on our sin and failures of the past can become debilitating.  Choosing to rehash in the mind and heart how we have failed the LORD is not constructive.  At some point, one must accept the fact of divine forgiveness and rejoice in the love of God!  If not, the failures of the past will keep the soul in a down cast spirit, imprisoned in a web of depression from which it is almost impossible to escape.

We all have these failures.  We all have those times in life when we made some really bad decisions.  Some of them may even have been life changing.  Every time we see that scar, the memory of our choice comes to the surface.  Every time a trigger brings the event to our minds, we wonder how a God of holiness could even forgive what we have done.  We sink back into a pit of defeat because we cannot seem to forgive ourselves.  The thing about God’s chastening hand is that it does end.  It makes no sense of us to continue in on our own.  When God’s grace comes, it is time to rejoice.  No matter how bad our actions were, it is time to be grateful at God’s forgiveness and mercy.  It is time to grow again.