Topic: God Forgives Because He’s Good[RICK WARREN Devotional 16 SEPTEMBER 2024]
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God Forgives Because He’s Good
by Rick Warren — September 16, 2024
From 40 Days of Prayer
“He does not punish us as we deserve or repay us according to our sins and wrongs. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us.”
Psalm 103:10, 12 (GNT)
God always gives you what you need, not what you deserve.
“He does not punish us as we deserve or repay us according to our sins and wrongs. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us” (Psalm 103:10, 12 GNT).
There is no end to the east and west. God takes your sins and completely wipes them out.
When King David in the Bible committed adultery and then covered it up by having Bathsheba’s husband murdered, did David deserve to be forgiven? No. Did David deserve mercy? No. But David knew that God is a good God, and so he asked for mercy: “Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2 GNT).
When you sin, you can pray that same prayer. And you can pray it confidently because it’s based on who God is, not who you are or what you’ve done.
God forgives you, not because you’re good but because he is good. You don’t have to try to be good enough. You’ll never be good enough! That’s what’s so amazing about God’s grace.
When you ask for God’s forgiveness, he forgives you immediately and completely. This is a big deal. Whatever you’ve done, God doesn’t reject you when you sin. He receives you with open, loving arms.
This is amazing to us because it’s the exact opposite of what people do. When you sin against someone, do they want to receive you back? Absolutely not. They want to be distant and push you away. They don’t want to receive you—because you’ve hurt them.
But God is love and full of goodness. He loves you because love is his nature. His goodness and love are the reasons you get what you need, not what you deserve.
You don’t deserve grace and forgiveness—none of us do. Thank God he gives it to us anyway!
Talk It Over
- Why does God want you to come to him and ask forgiveness when you already know he forgives you?
- What does it mean for God to receive you after you’ve sinned? How have you experienced this?
- Since Jesus has shown you such great mercy, how should you forgive others?
God proved his goodness through his Son, Jesus Christ.
The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB).
Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life with him? If so, start by praying this simple prayer: “Dear God, I confess I have sinned against you, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son, that he died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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