A fictional television program showed a man praying. He said, “God, I know you don’t make deals with men like me.”
The character was in a chapel begging God forgiveness for some terrible things he had done – he wanted to make things right with God. Although it was a TV drama – a manufactured storyline – all the emotion and realness of the scene was there. It reminded me of all the times we try to make deals with God – “God, if You’ll just…”
Reality is, the deal has already been made. When Jesus uttered His last words on the cross, “It is finished,” the battle was over. The deal had been closed. God’s atonement for our sins was complete.
This is important to me because I see people – believers – all around me searching or struggling for forgiveness. They know God and His grace and mercy, but for some reason they cannot turn lose, quit replaying the old tapes, and accept forgiveness.
When the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts we realize we need forgiveness. Then we must go to the Father and ask His forgiveness. When we do - it is a done deal. When God inspired these words, He meant it. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
I hope you will be encouraged by these words and constantly instill God’s grace and mercy in your people. God DOES makes deals with people like us, and the deal has been made – we simply must ask and accept.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)
