HEBREWS 8:10-12 – For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
THEME OF THE DAY. MOVED TO SIN LESS. Every Christian knows, painfully so, there is no arrival point of sinless perfection in this world. But every Christian should strive to sin less in this world. Now I am not calling us to a life of increased morality by attempts to “do” Christianity in the strength of our selves. Nor am I drawing our attention to the Biblical manner God would have us pursue holiness or sinning less. I want us to go a little deeper than the actions of sinning less to what moves us toward those actions. We may even ask, “What motivates us to a life of sinning less?” We could explore multiple answers, but let’s focus on one. It is found in today’s scripture and particularly, the last sentence.
We will find few things more motivating and sustaining in our hearts, minds, and wills to live a life of sinning less and pleasing God than the truth – “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Just pause and be overwhelmed by this declaration and promise of our God. And as we do, make the distinction between God not remembering our sins and Him forgetting our sins.
First, God does not forget our sins. He can’t. Even if He could, we don’t want Him to do so. Why? Well, if God may forget our sins, then He also may forget His promises. And it is by His promises we become Christians, walk as Christians, and finish the race, fight the good fight, and keep the faith. The worst thing to happen to us is to have the God of promises be able to also be the God who forgets His promises.
Next, though God is aware of our iniquities and sins, He chooses not to remember them. There is strong encouragement for us. Here is what our Lord is saying by not remembering our sins, “Yes, I know your iniquities and sins, but I am deliberately choosing not to hold them against you. My Son dealt with all of them, once and for all, never to be held against you before Me.” Doesn’t such love, such grace, such mercy, lead us to gratitude, appreciation, praise, and a relentless determination to sin less?
In the next few days, get alone with the Lord, your Bible, meet Him, and be motivated to sin less, not become sinless, but sin less because of God’s willful and purposeful decision to not remember all our iniquities and sins.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for not only forgiving my sins but choosing not to remember them.”
QUOTE: “Let the thought of being forever forgiven motivate you to live sinning less out of gratitude.”