Thursday, July 20, 2023

I once attended a church that focused a lot on sin. I was quite irritated that they kept referring to me as a “sinner.”

It made me feel guilty and shameful. I felt the need to try harder and harder to earn God’s love, and I thought “being perfect” was the only way I could do it. Well, that is an impossible and frustrating task. I became critical of others' sin … and my own. I became self righteous. I was such a mess from trying to save myself that I eventually drifted away from that church.

Thankfully, several years later, I heard the Gospel message presented in a way that really resonated with and helped me. I finally understood that although sin is what separates us from God—who is holy and pure—he loved us so much he made a perfect plan to save all of us. Through Christ, God reconciled us to himself.

Paul puts it this way:

Colossians 1:21-22
²¹ This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. ²² Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

I love these verses. They are so encouraging to me, and I hope they are to you as well. When we think about our lives in comparison to a holy God, it is so easy to become discouraged and feel like God could never love us—that we are too far away to be saved. And yet, these verses remind us this is not true.

We are all loved by God, and no sin is too great to forgive. We don’t have to save ourselves or be perfect, and in fact, neither is possible. We are saved when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. And not only are we saved, but Jesus also made us holy and blameless.

The Gospel is not about us at all. It’s about what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Questions:
What is sin? How does sin separate us from God? How does it make you feel that God loved you so much he sent his Son to die for you?

Next Steps:
Praise God for all he has done for you! Share your story with others, and invite them to CedarCreek.

Text “readit” to 419-419-0707 to join us as we read through the book of Colossians during this series.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I am overwhelmed by your great love for all of me. You are so holy and pure that you cannot permit sin. I was far away from you because of my sins. Yet, you loved me so much you sent your Son, Jesus, to be an atonement for my sins and reconcile me to you. Lord, fill me with love and gratitude for all you have done for me and will do for me. Help me to tell others about you. I love you so much and I am forever grateful. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Colossians 1:23
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.