forgiviness – herbcotton.org

Why We Should Never Forget the Lord

Text:

Psalm 94:18-19 (ESV)

18 When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Observation:

Have you ever been in the position where you thought I have really messed up now?

The Psalmist reveals in today’s Psalm that there was a time in his life that he said, “My foot slips”.

My friends our sins are either on the back of Jesus, or they are on our back. Which is it for you? Are you able to sing the lyrics of the song, “It Is Well With My Soul?”

“My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Have you experienced the steadfast love of the Lord in your life? Do you belong to God, and God belongs to you? Are you able to sing, “Now I Belong to Jesus?”

“Once I was lost in sin’s degradation,

Jesus came down to bring me salvation,

Lifted me up from sorrow and shame,

Now I belong to Him;”

Prayer:

Father God, I will never forget what Jesus did for me. Father, I pray for anyone who reads or hears this Word, and are still bearing the burden of their sins, will come to Jesus, and find forgiveness of their sins, and freedom in Christ. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Psalm 94:22 (ESV)

22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

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What Do You Need Most?

Text:

Psalm 51:1-3 (ESV)

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Observation:

Some people would say that our greatest need is to have justice. However, that was not the greatest need of David. He said in this Psalm that his greatest need was mercy.

Every person ever born with a human father needs mercy. This is what the bible says about the human condition.

Romans 3:22-23 (HCSB)

22 —that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction.

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Psalm 51:3-5 (ESV)

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

The Psalmist acknowledged that he was included in the all who have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The only solution to our greatest problem is Jesus, and what He did for us on the cross at Calvary. Our greatest need is to repent; to turn from our sins, and to turn to God. We give Him our all, and He gives us His all.

Psalm 51:9-10 (ESV)

9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

The goodnews is that Jesus has already paid for our sin debt. He has already blotted out our transgressions when He died our death to enable us to live in His presence forever. Fully justified, and fully alive in Christ.

Is this your testimony?

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Prayer:

Father God, I am so pleased to associate myself with the host of people who have received the gift of love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy that was provided through the gift of Your only begotten son; Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Father, thank You for doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Father, I pray for any who have not received this precious gift, which alone satisfies our greatest need. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

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Do You Desire to Have True Unity?

Text:

Ephesians 2:14 (NLT)

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

Observation:

Yesterday I listened to what man, female and male, said about how to have unity in our nation.

This morning as I sat down to write the Lord directed my steps to turn to this passage in Ephesians. In this passage we hear of what God says about how to have true unity.

Many of you heard what man said. If you are willing, here is what God says in His Word.

Ephesians 2:11-18 (NLT)

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.

18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

Who do you believe; man or God? Who do you trust; man or God? Who do you follow; man or God?

Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

God has spoken. What is your response to Him?

Prayer:

Father, I exalt Your name higher the highest heavens. Father, I declare that my only hope is in You alone because all other ground is sinking sand.

Father, I pray that no one listening to the sound of my voice or reading these words would reject your invitation to come to You, and find the only way to peace and rest that endures forever. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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What Is Your Response?

Text:

Psalm 105:1-3 (ESV)

1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Observation:

I woke up this morning with the LORD on my mind. I begin to praise and thank Him for all of my blessings. I thanked Him for the freedom that I have that I received from His loving heart and hands.

The bible says:

John 8:34-36 (ESV)

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Who are you a slave of? Are you a slave to sin, or a slave of the Savior?

Romans 1:1 (HCSB)

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God’s good news—

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your most holy and righteous name. Father, I pray for America today, and I pray for the kingdom of God that Jesus is building. Father, may Your kingdom come, and may Your will be done on earth, and in Your people.

Father, thank You for the freedom we have in Christ. Father, I thank You that those who Jesus has set free, no power on earth or above the earth can take it away. Satan can’t steal the gift of freedom that the Savior has given Your children.

Father, this is my prayer for each one of Your children who can say, “I Am Redeemed”.

Ephesians 2:10 (HCSB)

10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

Father, make us more holy and hopeful than we have ever been before. Make us holy like You are holy, and may our hope be in God alone. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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The Value of Relationships

Text:

Ephesians 5:17-21 (HCSB)

17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which ?leads to? reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:

19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord,

20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

Observation:

I attended a memorial service this week of a friend who had a stroke several weeks ago, and died last week. That night I got a call that another long time friend had a stroke, and was in the hospital. Last night I got a call that she had died. We never know what a day will bring.

This morning I received my daily message from a friend, and his encouragement to me contained these words: Greeting, glad, go, godly, and God. He blesses me each morning with a wakeup message.

I am so thankful for the people that God has put into my life. At the memorial service this week I met some people that I have not seen in over 50 years. This week just happens to also be the 58th anniversary of my High School graduation, and tomorrow the 54th anniversary of my graduation from college.

Looking back over the activities of the week, and preparing my heart to begin a new day, I was led to this thought from God’s Word. Every day is a good day because God made it; so I will rejoice and be glad in it.

‘Ephesians 5:20-21 (HCSB)

20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I ask that You would give to each of us the burning desire in our hearts to love and cherish our loved ones, and our friends.

Father, stir up within our hearts an attitude of gratitude; to love You with our whole heart, and to love others as we have been loved by You. Father, I thank You for loving me first; for loving me before I knew You. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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Have You Ever Meditated On How Much God Loves You?

Text:

Ephesians 2:4-6 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Observation:

I was challenged by the Word of God, and the Spirit of God to spend some time recently meditating on how huge it is that God loved me when I was at my worst.

We love people when they are at their best, and we like to be around people who are good, and who are mostly like us. However, God who is so much higher and better than us, looks at people differently. He sees how they can become, and provides the means for them to become a brand new person.

God is a relational Father, and He desires to have a personal and intimate relationship with His children. Jesus demonstrates in His work of grace toward us that mercy, love, forgiveness, and grace are vital ingredients in our relationships with God, and in our relationships with others.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God has remade His children, and equipped us to be demonstrations of His love to others. Are you doing your best to be who He made you to be?

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Prayer:

Father God, I am so grateful that You loved me when I was at my worst, and provided the means by which I could have a close and intimate relationship with You; not just for a season, but for eternity.

Father, I thank You that this grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness was not just a one time gift; it is a gift that is available all of the days that You allow for me to live in this fallen world.

Father, there are still days when I am at my worst, and there is never a time when I don’t need a little more grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness.

Father, since I am the recipient of so much love, I pray that I will be willing to show an abundance of Your love to others. Father, make me, and all of Your beloved children more like You in our relationships with others.In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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What Type of Seeds Are You Planting?

Text:

1 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Observation:

Wow! If your initial response is this is hard; you are on solid ground; it is hard, but that does not mean that it is not the right thing to do, or that it is impossible to do.

In fact, it echoes the teaching of Jesus. Here is the account of what Jesus said.

Luke 6:27-28 (ESV)

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Notice in our focal verse from 1 Peter the working out of the Law of the Harvest; if you bless others, you will be blessed, and in the same kind.

Galatians 6:7-9 (ESV)

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Here is a penetrating question that is pressing forcefully in my heart, and is stirring my soul deep down within.

What is one thing that needs to change in me so that I can take one step in the direction of living in unity and harmony with those who are in Christ, and with those that are in the world?

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Thy name. Father, I pray that You would continue to stir my heart, and bend my will until I am willing to sow seeds of love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy to others, and in the same manner that You have given it to me.

Father, help me to never forget what I used to be. Father, I thank You that I’m not what I used to be, and praise God, I’m not what I’m going to be when You deliver me from the presence of sin, and welcome me into Your heaven. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.