…forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Summary: Our little brains seem to have a limited capacity for remembering the good things people have done for us.
Do you remember that time when someone saved you?
Do you?
Each of us has experienced a time when someone or something has saved us from something bad. When I was little, my brother and I were out exploring and stumbled into a bee’s nest. A swarm engulfed us, and we both ran for home as fast as our little legs could carry us. We got to the back door crying and screaming, and mom let us and several dozen bees into the house. After mom killed the invaders and the terror of the moment subsided, mom turned her attention to the welts that were swelling up all over us.
Then she did something amazing.
Mom pulled a box of baking soda out of a cabinet and mixed some with a little water, making a paste. Then she helped us put the white paste on the welts. It was amazing how quickly the “fire” went out of the welts.
I was reminded of this yesterday when I brushed a bug off of my arm. The bug turned out to be a hornet, and the hornet’s stinger ended up in my finger. Ow! The finger swelled immediately, and the fire in the bite reminded me of that time six decades ago when mom had saved the day. I headed for the kitchen, got down the box of baking soda, and soon the pain and swelling were both gone.
When the pain is gone, the memory of what happened starts to fade. If mom had not been there all of those years ago, or if she had not known about the baking soda trick, the story would have had a different ending. Maybe even a serious one. Now, I only remember it when something reminds me.
Two thousand years ago, God became man and allowed us to crucify him on a cross. We killed our Creator. He allowed this to happen so that he could be raised from the dead and pay the penalty for our sin. Then he invited us to be forgiven.
When we accept that invitation, all the fire goes out of the wounds we have inflicted on ourselves. We are healed. We have been made new again. Freed from the guilt and pain of our past, it is easy to forget what just happened. Instead, distracted by what the days bring, we might find ourselves blissfully skipping through life, oblivious to the cost of our release from hell.
We cannot afford to forget.
I can forget about baking soda until I run into another bee. The baking soda does not care if I remember it or not. God does care. God is not just a magic pill that we can swallow and then makes us feel better. God is our Father. He is here with us. Now.
We dare not forget.
Application: Remember who cleansed you from your past sins.
Food for Thought: Why is it significant that Peter refers to “past sins?”
When Jesus removes the stain of sin, that sin is in the past. Satan and the demonic will bring up past sins over and over again to accuse us. Revelation 12: 10 tells us the enemy accuses us day and night. The next verse tells us we overcome this accusation by the blood of the Lamb and our faith in Him. To dwell on past sin is to forget to apply the work of the cross. It can also get us focusing on sin and regret rather than Jesus. And of course, if we are actively seeking the Lord we will be less inclined to entertain old sinful habits. Psalm 103: 12 tells us He has removed our sins as far as the East is from the West. If we have confessed the sin and He has purified us (1 John 1: 9), why would we dwell on something He has removed through His sacrifice, righteousness and faithfulness?
Brother Rich,
Well said! I appreciate your comment today especially because you speak to my own experience with Satan always taking pokes at me because of past choices. Yet amazingly, Jesus loved me even then.
Wow.
09-24-2021, 2 Peter 19b, Why is it significant that Peter refers to “past sins?”
Being humble is knowing who we are. Having a low opinion of ourselves and a deep sense of unworthiness in the sight of God. Our past sins are a testimony of our true nature which must be surrendered to God over our lifetime on earth.
As a believer, I have been studying the Bible for 44 years now. There are a number of truths I do not yet fully understand, but one became crystal clear some time ago. I am incapable of doing any good work God requires and clearly explains in His word. I am a sinner, my nature is incapable of living in obedience to the standards of God. This is just a fact.
We are not called to live as Pharisees, Sadducees or Scribes, proud of our calling and walk with God. Above all the little people in our minds righteousness. We are imperfect beings serving our Perfect God, and can only do this to the degree we die to self and live as Christ.
1 John 2:16, Matthew 16:24
Today I remain a sinner, an imperfect being serving our perfect God. Empowered by God to do His will for my life. I do God’s will on earth by 1.) Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He reveals my sins, and allow Him to clean me up, 2.), Listen to His leading as He teaches me how to recognize and avoid these in the future, 3.) How to get out of the way so that God can do His work through me.
Galatians 5:16, Galatians 5:22-23, Galatians 2:20, Psalm 46:8
Ron,
Thank you so much for sharing these words today. They are an encouragement to me because I walk a similar path. You are a blessing, my friend!