In Isaiah 55:6-8, Isaiah pleads with his people to seek the Lord, humble themselves before Him, and acknowledge their wickedness. Even for those of us who belong to Him, we still sin and pursue ways that are not of God. When we falter, we are able through Jesus Christ to reach out to a holy God and receive his mercy "for he will freely pardon." We ought to find peace in this truth.
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
Mike, I've always struggled to believe that God's forgiveness is a real thing and I think it's because 1) I know how wretched I can be, and 2) I'm not so sure I would forgive someone like me if given the chance. I find "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways" to be very encouraging in those difficult moments. Thanks for the post. David
ReplyDelete"I'm not so sure I would forgive someone like me if given the chance." That's the crux of grace. Somehow, we have to try to give others a fraction of the grace that God gives us: don't be so quick to judge, laugh at instead of condemn minor infractions and some major ones, etc. In other words, be quick to forgive and quicker to love, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks for your words. Mike
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