Hebrews 10:17-18 Then
the Holy Spirit adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no
more." And where these have been forgiven,
there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
Every day, a past mistake or a deep
regret crosses my mind and saddens my heart. I remember clearly the
circumstances of my misdeed and the pain or disappointment that I caused. I
feel ashamed at what I did, either as a teenager or an adult, a child or an old
man. The past haunts my soul for a time and I shake my head miserably. Once
again, I ask God for forgiveness; once again, I pray to Jesus for pardon.
The strange thing about this is that I’m
not letting go of what Christ has already forgiven. Emotionally, I revisit my
sins in a Calvinistic masochistic way. I want to experience my depravity and
punish myself for past foolishness or selfishness. I want to be dour and
depressed, wallow in my waywardness, and spirituality meander in my own
morbidity. I’m only hurting myself. I’m only hating who I am because of pride.
It’s easier to beat my breast and say ‘I am to blame,’ rather than humbling
myself and truly asking for mercy. To be human is to hold on to my sin; to be
divine is never going to happen.
And then I read wonderful verses in the
Bible about God’s love for me, Christ’s mercy for me, and the Holy Spirit’s
grasp of me. My sins are totally forgiven and remembered no more by God. I don’t
need to keep beating myself emotionally, physically, spiritually, or mentally
because Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary is infinitely more than enough to wipe
away my tears and cleanse me of the past. I don’t need to wallow in sin; I just
need to follow Him.
Holy Week does incredible things for all
of us. It reveals our humanity being rescued by Christ’s humanity and divinity.
It takes us from the depths of utter despair to the heights of true happiness.
We journey through this week as dying, hopeless creatures and end up becoming
everlasting children of God. We are forgiven and lifted up because we are meant
and made to be Easter people. This is the Gospel Truth. This is the Good News!
Questions for personal reflection
Is there a past
mistake in my life that I have never forgiven myself for committing? Am I
willing to bring it humbly to Jesus and truly seek His pardon this week?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, our times are in Your
hands, and You know our past mistakes. Help us to let go of our bad choices,
foolish deeds, and sinful events by bringing them humbly and sincerely to You.
Take us from despair and death; lead us to love and life. In Your Holy Name, we
pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to make a comment or ask a question of today’s message, please
send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
drawing is one of John’s Holy Week images for 2014. It’s called ‘Lazarus.’ If
you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the
following link: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/13848753255_9631f3fa5e_b.jpg