Do you have a sense of guilt over something from your past? Is there someone to whom you need to make amends or restitution? Restitution is the process of restoring or compensating for something that has been lost, stolen, or damaged. Maybe it’s not something you actually stole. Perhaps you hurt or sinned against someone, and you need to seek forgiveness. Is there a letter you need to write or a call you need to make? Or could there be someone to whom you need to make restitution? And could not doing so be hindering your relationship with God?
Abortion is all over the news. It’s fodder for political debates and can spark emotions on every side of the issue. As we move closer to the end of this age and the rise of Antichrist, we shouldn’t be surprised that this continues to be a bigger and bigger issue.
But abortion is also a deeply moral, personal issue. If you’ve ever had an abortion, you probably know that. Or, perhaps, you know someone else who has? You may be contemplating an abortion now.
What do you believe God says about your possible choice? What are your reasons for contemplating that choice? Are you simply scared and don’t know what else to do?
Are forgiveness and peace possible after an abortion, or are there some sins for which we never find redemption?
Whether we’ve been there, are contemplating these things personally, or just live in this fallen world with other sinners like us, we need to know how to answer these questions.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I might as well live it up, I’m going to hell anyway?” Maybe that’s you. The feeling that our spiritual condition is hopeless and not worth the effort is nothing new. Is there hope for us if we feel like we have gone too far and that our sin is beyond redemption?
Also, read about God’s faithfulness to those who continue to follow Him even in the midst of an evil world, how our hearts can so easily deceive us, and how important it is for all of us to give and receive encouragement.
We all know forgiveness is important. In fact, if we have been a believer for any length of time we know that God commands us to forgive. But sometimes, we just don’t know how to do it.
So what is forgiveness? Does it require us to forget or to act like the hurt or the sin never happened? What does it mean to forgive as God forgives us?
Maybe you have questions, too. I hope to answer some of them in the next two posts.
We’ve all heard it, read it, and probably been told it at some time or another: “Just forgive!” Or sometimes it is put in more secular terms: “Get over it!” Those of us who are walking with the Lord know we...
