Forgiven, June 29, 2008

Forgiven, June 29, 2008

... when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, "if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
"None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

Ezekiel 33:14-16, www.solascriptura.com

Father, you, under the Old Covenant, made the same type provision You have made under the New Covenant. The faith Your people had in You and their obedience to Your laws brought forgiveness. Under the New Covenant, Jesus changed things forever by inscribing Your truth on the heart of every person.

Now we are invited, by Your grace, then our faith in the risen Christ, our Savior, delivers us and enables us to bear fruit. Jesus, what You did for us on the cross rendered the sacrifice of animals meaningless as it pertains to cleansing us of our sins.

We too need to focus on obedience but we have a huge advantage as we strive to meet Your expectations. We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, Comforter and Enabler. Our gratitude for the love You have shown us is able to be demonstrated in our obedience to Your laws and our love for our neighbor. Strengthen us, through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, that we might serve You this day. In Jesus' Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell