Mar 08 2022

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

In this verse, Paul tells the Colossians that they are forgiven for all their sins. This is a powerful reminder to us that we also have been forgiven through grace. While we were once dead in sin, we now have eternal life in Jesus. Today, we will look at the different parts of this verse to understand it better.

Paul begins the verse by talking about their condition before they met Christ. The Colossians were dead in their sins and their flesh. They had no hope of getting out of sin or finding salvation. They could not save themselves—and they were in desperate need of a savior. We are in the same situation that the Colossians were in. Without someone intervening on our behalf, we would be living in sin. Before Christ came into our lives, we had no hope.

Now, because of Christ, we have eternal hope. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, we are able to stand before God as if we had never once sinned. We did nothing to deserve this clean slate; Jesus both initiated and finished our salvation. This is an enormous act of grace of which we will never be deserving. However, we do not have to be deserving. We only needed to be loved by a mighty Savior. God Himself supplied this love and gave His Son Jesus to make a way for us.

This verse gives us hope that one day sin will be defeated once and for all. While we might struggle with sin in our lives now, we know that the end of the story includes the termination of all sin. Because of this, we can approach God with confidence. We know that He sees us not as sinners but instead as His children whom He has decided to love. He has given us new life and we can walk in it today. He knows that one day all sin will finally be defeated, and He loves us as if it already has been.

Dear Lord, I am so grateful that you have forgiven all my sin. I no longer have to walk around in condemnation but instead can rest knowing that you love me. I am so grateful that I am your child. In Jesus' name, amen.

Mar 07 2022

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children. :

Psalm 103 is a meditation by King David. He writes to stir his own soul to praise the Lord for who He is and for the many great things He has done. He wanted to give thanks to God, so he thinks about His goodness and the mercy that the Lord has shown him.

Think about the many ways that the Lord has shown you mercy. What sins did you commit yesterday for which He has already forgiven you? Think about the many blessings that He has given you: literacy, Internet access, and most importantly, Himself. There is no greater mercy than being able to have a relationship with the Lord.

The Lord paid a tremendous cost for letting us have this relationship with Him. We had lost that opportunity by sinning, turning against God and rejecting Him. The only way we could ever have a relationship with Him was through a perfect sacrifice—and Jesus, the Son of God, was that sacrifice. He endured a brutal death and an even more brutal separation from God. When He arose from the dead three days later, He had defeated sin and made it possible for us to know Him. This is mercy.

The Lord has shown us mercy in love. He did not need to have a relationship with us; he did not need us at all. But because He loved us, He decided to show us mercy and make a way for us to have a relationship with Him again. He was willing to give us mercy because of His love for us.

Are there people in your life whom you love but struggle to show mercy to? Reflect on Jesus. Think about how love compelled Him to death on a cross. Ask the Lord to help you understand more deeply the level of mercy that has been shown to you. Ask Him to help you respond to it by being merciful to others in return.

Dear Lord, I am so grateful for the mercy that you have shown me. Thank you for the abundance of grace that you have heaped upon me, and for the wisdom of your kindness and love. Help me to default to mercy in all circumstances, to love others right where they are. In Jesus' name, amen.


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