TODAY’S VERSE:

Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Our verse says that God RESCUED us! He chose to save us from sin, from OUR bad decisions. Sadly, we choose against God every day by sinning. We say “no” to His commands and “yes” to our selfish desires. We disobey Him and then choose to spend all of our time and energy focused on the details of life (family, friends, school, TV, video games, etc.) instead of on the Perfect God who saved us. Even though He knew we would do all of these things, He still chose to judge Jesus Christ, His Perfect Son, for our sins. WHY?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God loves us! This is an unbelievably awesome truth that the Bible tell us all about. The Bible also teaches us that forgiveness is a manifestation of God’s perfect love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

True love that comes from God cannot exist apart from forgiveness. Love seeks reconciliation, being friends again through forgiveness, for the sake of love, itself. In other words, when you love someone, you do not want there to be any anger or sadness between the two of you. If there ever is, you try to make up with that person as soon as possible because you value the relationship, right? We sure hope so because that is exactly what the Bible tells us to do.

Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

God WANTED to forgive us because without forgiveness a relationship is impossible. So, HE provided the only sacrifice that would pay the penalty for the sins of the entire world… the spotless lamb, Jesus Christ, the God-Man.

We sinned against God, therefore God had to judge us. He chose to sacrifice His Son to pay the penalty for the sin of all mankind, so that we could be forgiven and abide in His love forever. Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross for the sake of forgiveness. That’s what love does- it sacrifices itself for others.

John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, believing in the work of the cross for the forgiveness of our sin, we become children of God. As His children we are commanded to follow in His footsteps, loving others and, therefore, forgiving like He does.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.