APRIL 22

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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John 3:15-19

“that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.    He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Hebrews 2:3

“how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,”

Acts 4:12

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Psalm 3:8

“Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people.”

Psalm 18:2

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 149:4

“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.”

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Our book for this month  is called “100 NAMES OF GOD”  written by Christopher D. Hudson.  Each day we’ll take one Hebrew name for God as given in the Bible to study and relate to.

EL NAHSAH

FORGIVING GOD

Psalm 99:8

“Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their  misdeeds.”

The biggest need of guilty sinners isn’t understanding or even sympathy.  It’s forgiveness.

Thankfully, our God is EL NAHSAH, THE GOD WHO FORGIVES.  We first see indications of this in Genesis 3:15.  Right on the heels of Adam and Eve’s shocking rebellion, God hints at His future plan to redeem them, and the world, from sin.  Another early reference to God’s forgiving nature is seen in Exodus 34:7 – just a couple of chapters after Israel’s most heinous rejection of God – where the Almighty assures Moses that He forgives wickedness, rebellion, and sin.

How did God accomplish this amazing work of forgiving our offenses?  The apostle Paul tells us it came about through Christ taking our sins – all of them – with Him to the cross.  (But the forgiveness isn’t automatic for everyone in the world.  Only those who choose to accept the forgiveness by truly believing that He died for them and arose from the dead, because they know that they have sinned, and making Him the Lord of their lives, are forgiven).   We really do serve a God who has removed our sin as far away from us “as the east is from the west.” As in Psalm 103:12.

God’s forgiveness is once and for all, as well as ongoing.  It’s past, present, and future.  In Christ, God has forgiven us; and He continues to forgive us.  Shockingly, He does not demand that we be perfect.  In fact, our mess-ups have no effect on His love.  It’s stunning, but true:  No  matter how many times we go our own way, God continues to offer pardon.

So, how are we doing when it comes to forgiving others for their transgressions against us?  The apostle Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?”  Jesus answered, “Seventy-seven times.” – a Jewish idiom meaning “as many times as necessary.”

When we keep God’s mercy to us in mind, it becomes easier to extend that same forgiveness to others.  If God doesn’t hold our offenses against us, can’t we afford to do the same for others?

When we’ve been forgiven much, we should love much.

How do we keep from taking God’s forgiving nature for granted?

PRAYER

EL NAHSAH, MY FORGIVING GOD, thank you for being a forgiving God.  Please help me to never take that for granted or to withhold mercy when it comes time for me to forgive others.  Amen

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