Accept/Receive Forgiveness

As a Christian, my sins have been forgiven. That means that I have avoided the death that is payment for those sins. And I am talking about all of those sins, the big ones impacting those around me that everyone can see, as well as those that are more personal that I may not even be aware I have committed.

It is great that I have been forgiven of the sins I have committed. But what about those that I will commit, or those that I don’t even realize are those forgiven as well. The short answer is yes, but there is a bit more to it.

“⁴and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

— Luke 11:4 (ESV)

You see, I still have to acknowledge my identity of sinner. I have to be fully aware that no matter how things are in this world, while I am here I am a sinner and will always be. With that in mind, I should be asking for forgiveness continually. Even sitting here at my desk daily I will sin and I have to acknowledge that sin and that I need forgiveness.

“⁴³To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” – Acts 1:43 (ESV)

Forgiveness is offered by Christ through His payment for it in death on the cross when He did nothing to deserve it. Jesus accepted all sin on Himself and died so that we did not have to die in this world due to our sin. We only need to accept/receive the forgiveness offered. Yes, it is an action on our part.

First we ask for forgiveness daily in our prayer as Jesus pointed out in the Lord’s Prayer. Daily acknowledgment of our sin and our need of forgiveness. Once we have acknowledged our sin and asked for forgiveness, we take the next step and accept/receive the forgiveness that is given by God and thank Him for it. We do not just take the gift, we receive it with appreciation and thanksgiving as the gift is a big one.

Once we have accepted Christ as our savior we are adopted into the family of God and have secured our eternal life. But, for something so precious as this, our acknowledgment of it should be continuous. I have to remember that even as I have been forgiven, I have to still acknowledge just what I am being forgiven for and continually express my thanks as I accept/receive that forgiveness daily.

What does your receipt of forgiveness look like? Are you one who says, “I’m good” and has moved on to continue in intentional sin? What if you understood the value of forgiveness that is offered and continually acknowledged your sin and expressed thanks for as you accept/receive forgiveness daily?

Stay Persistent in Your Prayer

“¹⁷pray without ceasing,” — 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV)

Paul, in writing to the church at Thessalonica told them to be in continuous prayer. I see this as being persistent in reaching out to the LORD. Notice that Paul’s directive is not specific for any subject other than prayer and communication with the LORD. I believe this to be the case today.

“⁷And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” – Luke 18:7 (ESV)

Jesus even addressed continued prayer in, “The Parable of the Persistent Widow” that the above verse comes from. The widow comes to a judge all the time for justice to which the judge finally provides for her. Where the judge was worn down thanks to the persistence of the widow.

God will not be worn down. As we know of God’s character, He acts in His time and we are to wait on Him. But, that does not mean that we are not to make out petitions known, even continually. God wants for us to continue reaching out to Him. We are to pray all the time for those things that we are in need. Remember that He does say to ask and you shall receive. So we must keep asking.

“⁸I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” – Luke 18:8 (ESV)

Our faith is demonstrated through our consistent and persistent asking of our Father to be there for us. We are to come to Him day and night, continually. We are to bring to Him all things. We are to ask for His will in our lives. We are to commune with the LORD and He will listen. But not only will He listen, He will provide for our needs speedily. He will address our needs in a timely manner. The LORD will give to us.

The LORD answers our prayers. Maybe not to the extent that we envisioned, but He does answer. Remember that the LORD provides for our needs not always our wants. We are directed to continually and persistently pray, “pray without ceasing”, and the LORD will answer our petition.

How are you praying? Are you asking once and expecting to be given? What if you followed the direction Paul and more of Jesus, to be persistent in your prayer to receive from the LORD?

Honor the LORD Always and Forever

This morning I was reminded that I am to honor the LORD always and forever. I know, how is it that I even need the reminder. Well, it isn’t so much that I need it to get back to doing so, it is the reminder that honoring the LORD is to never stop.

“⁸And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!’

⁹And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

‘¹¹Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.’”

— Revelation 4:8-11 (ESV)

I was led to this passage in my study of the word “honor”. It is titled “The Throne in Heaven”. Where I see the glory of the throne, I also see the honor of the LORD. Reading the passage I was really taken to the creatures and elders continually praising and honoring the LORD. And as written, the LORD lives forever and ever and to go along with that the honor of Him does as well.

I have to take the same look at my worship and honor of the LORD here in this world even before I arrive in heaven at the time appointed by God. Everyday and continually, I am to honor the LORD as the creatures and elders do in the above verses.

The LORD is not He just in my times of grave need. He is there always for me, in times of grave need and in times of joy and celebration. As He is with me always and forever, I will be there to honor Him always and forever. I have to remember to honor Him in the mornings as I do here and all throughout the day. I have to take the moments to praise the LORD in the midday and afternoon and night.

Those who practice the Muslim religion take five times each day to pray. They are dedicated to it and rarely allow the world to get in the way of those prayers. Should I not as a Christian take a similar approach in the honor of the LORD. I should be honoring Him multiple times daily. Maybe to start, I should get on a schedule. I should make it a priority and rarely allow the world to get in the way.

The idea here is not to honor and praise the LORD out of fulfilling some task on a list for the day. I have to get in the habit of honoring and praising the LORD continually, always and forever. When I do, I will find myself in deeper connection with Him and as a result will find more direct answers to my questions and requests. Honor the LORD always and forever.

When are you honoring the LORD? Are you doing so once and moving on? What if you were to take the always and forever approach to honoring the LORD?