Matthew 6:14 – For if you forgive men their wrong doings, your Father which is in Heaven will forgive you.
Is there any end to God’s forgiveness? As long as we are in this life and our hearts remain yielded and sensitive to the correction of the Lord, His love will never fail, His faithfulness will never cease, and His mercies will be new every morning (Lamentations 3:21-25; Luke 17:4). Our God is longsuffering, not willing that anyone perish (2 Peter 3: 9,15; Romans 2:4).
However, we must be willing to be honest and transparent before God. If at any time we try to justify wrongdoing, we cut ourselves off from Father’s supply to us through Christ Jesus. If we become hard and unforgiving to those around us, then we find ourselves moving outside of the forgiveness of God (Matthew 6:15, 18:35; Mark 11:25-26). If we begin to justify sin instead of being sorrowful about wrongdoing, then we will find ourselves deceived and unrepentant (Hebrews 3:13; 1 John 3:7-8; James 1:22; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 5:6; and Galatians 6:3; Romans 6:17-18; Exodus 23:7). We must all be certain of how God is dedicated to teaching us His ways – and we must remain dedicated to being taught.
The Lord’s longsuffering and forgiveness are revealed time and again in the Old Testament. The Lord’s abiding dedication and mercy were shown from the time the children of Israel turned aside unto idols before the presence of God on Mount Sinai, to the pleadings of Jesus with Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. One of the many great stories of God’s mercy is found in Hosea. There, God commanded the prophet to take a woman of whoredoms to be his wife, and through that relationship, God testified to Israel of how merciful and longsuffering He had been – even though they did not seek for His mercies (Hosea 1:2, 2:6-7, 3:1-3).
Over and over again, the Lord showed His mercy and lovingkindness to an unfaithful people (Jeremiah 7:13, 25:3-5, 26:5, 29:19, 32:33, 35:14-15, 44:4; and Romans 10:21; Psalms 107, 136). How much more will He show His mercy to those who ask for it and are willing to learn to walk in His ways (Luke 1:50; 2 Corinthians 1:3; 1 Peter 2:10; Matthew 18:13; 1 John 4:16; Psalms 25:12).
Oh, turn to God and trust Him now. Do not let the enemy of your soul steal your confidence in Christ Jesus, Who ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25;1 John 1:9, 2:1). If you sin, let godly sorrow work within you a resolve to follow God and a despite for those things that would offend the Almighty. These are the days of the acceptable year of the Lord! Where it was said, “You are not my people,” it is now said, “You are the sons of the Living God!” (Hosea 1:10; Romans 9:24-26).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
