In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. (Ephesians 1:7, NIV)

 

By the grace of God, you and I are promised forgiveness every time we repent. We never have to question whether or not we have been forgiven. Every drop of Jesus’ blood proved God’s commitment both to justice and forgiveness. By the powerful sacrifice of Jesus, you and I have received reconciliation to a holy God, which is the greatest accomplishment of God’s continual forgiveness.

 

If we are going to experience the fullness of life that isavailable to us by God’s continual forgiveness, we must seek a living relationship with Jesus. When we live as though we have it all together, we blind ourselves to our continual need of repentance and forgiveness. When we compare our righteousness to other believers rather than God’s command in 1Peter 1:16, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” we adopt a posture of self-righteousness and do not seek forgiveness. Not one of us is without need of God’s forgiveness. Not one of us can step outside of completely depending on God and live the life Jesus died to give us.

 

By contrast, those who live with a constant awareness of their need experience the abundant joy and peace that comes from being wholly met by God’s unconditional love. You and I don’t have to clean ourselves up to come before our heavenly Father. We don’t have to get our act together before we receive forgiveness for our sins. In fact, the quicker we turn to God in the middle of our mess the more we experience the ever-open arms of our heavenly Father running out to meet us (Luke 15:11-32).

 

There is joy in a holy, perfect God meeting us at our greatest point of weakness. There is peace in knowing we are already accepted and loved by our heavenly Father. Open your eyes to see your great need of God’s forgiveness and grace. Take an honest look at your life. Seek continual, immediate repentance for your sin, knowing that you will always be met with instant forgiveness and compassion from your Heavenly Father.