“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not
iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Ps 32:2
AV)
I
wonder how much we meditate on the blessings of atonement and forgiveness. How much to we stop and think of how blessed
we are with the simple truth that in Christ, we are forgiven? How often does it occur to our minds and
hearts the depth of debt we owed and the tremendous grace that forgave it all? We are spoiled. If life isn’t what we want it to be, we gripe
and complain. A little inconvenience becomes
a major disaster. Even in the harshest
of circumstances, the fact we are forgiven should be enough. Crisis is a great educator. It forces us to learn and confront what we
really are. All the LORD has to do is
allow an individual or a group of people to undergo difficult circumstances,
and they will find out who and what they truly are. Add a bit of adversity, and the ugly truth comes
to the surface. Or, like Abraham, a bit
of adversity is what made him shine. He
didn’t realize he had the faith he did until the LORD made him confront that
faith. I say all this because I am
concerned. I am concerned at the
discontentment among God’s people at the little bit of adversity which we are
asked to endure. We have forgotten the
blessings of being forgiven.
Thirty-eight
years ago this past March, my LORD, and Savior accepted my humble plea and
granted His forgiveness and salvation.
He did so not because I earned it.
He did so not because I was worthy.
He saved me because I cried out in desperate conviction of sin and need
of His grace, and He saved me. I will
never forget the release that followed.
There has never been, nor will ever be, a feeling like the one I had the
bright Sunday morning. A feeling of
peace that defies mere words. There isn’t
anything that compares. Knowing my
standing had instantly changed from utterly condemned to fully absolved is
something I will never forget! I still
remember that morning. I still remember
the walk down the aisle. I still remember
the ride home. I still remember the
wonder that pulsed through my being that the God of all creation had forgiven
me and accepted me in Christ. I have
never lost that wonder. All I have to do
is recollect the pitiful and hopeless condition in which my soul was. All I have to do is remember how hopeless and
lost I was. That all changed in an
instant. Just a few weeks prior, I was
considering ending it all. Then Jesus
came! He came and changed my whole
world. So, what do I have to complain
about?
If
the adversary thinks a bit of adversity is going to steal this joy, he is
wrong. Yes, there will be difficult
times that will be hard to endure. I
just went through one a few years back.
I had to say goodbye to two dear friends and my mother. I had to say goodbye to a church family which
I had fallen in love with. I had to say
goodbye to all three of my children as they went off in life. My physical health was failing. I saw no purpose in life. It was a dark time. Through it all, the LORD had to remind me
that no matter what happened in life, I was still a child of God. Even if life takes a radical turn, it will
never change my standing before the LORD.
Our sins are forgiven! Stop the griping. Our debt has been paid. Stop the complaining! You are on the way to glory with a totally
clean account. Stop the bickering! You are accepted in Christ because he endured
what you owed, imputing His own righteousness on your filthy soul. Stop the fussing! We don’t need a change of circumstances. What we need is the return of our joy of salvation. No man can take that away. That is what Jesus said! If you are there with a frown on your face
because your life is a bit inconvenienced, it is not the fault of
circumstances. That would be your fault. No man stole your joy. You gave it up. You did so because you forgot the most
important fact of your brief life. You
are forgiven! That is the most important
truth of all. Never forget it and live
in the joy that one truth brings.
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