IN DEBT? YOU CAN BE FORGIVEN OF YOUR SINS.

If you have sins that have not been resolved, like a person in financial debt, your mental health and emotional well-being are at stake.  The Psalms show us how to be debt-free from sin.

In the Psalms, we learn about God’s mercy toward those who have sinned. We observe the highest manifestation of mercy in the form of forgiveness. The Psalms reveal that God is willing and ready to forgive and redeem us not because we deserve it but because of His Amazing Grace.

Let’s pray and then get right into the topic of forgiveness.

Oh Lord, open our hearts to receive your love and mercy. Help us understand what it means to be forgiven. “In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Psalms (Lesson 7)

Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

Day 1

Many of the writers of the Psalms are spiritually broken, spiritually poor, and deep in debt to God for the sins they have committed, and they have nothing that they can offer to release them from debt.  Thus, the psalmist in Psalms 40:17 makes his appeal before God.

17 But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God. (Psalms 40:17)

You see, the writers of the Book of Psalms clearly understand that they are deeply in debt to God for their sins and have no way of getting out of it. Thus, they realize they need God’s mercy to release them from debt.

They also recognize that they cannot earn God’s mercy because of their good behavior.

In other words, they have nothing to offer God in response to his hand of mercy toward them. They clearly understand that, like all of us, they need grace, God’s Amazing Grace.

No wonder the psalmist declares in Psalms 57:19,

“I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds” (Psalm 57:9, 10, NKJV).

Thus, in the Book of Psalms, we learn that we must depend totally on God’s mercy to free us from sin.

The great thing about God’s mercy is that it is not temporary, like the grace that a lender might give for a mortgage or student loan. God’s mercy is everlasting.

Psalms 136 reassures us of this as it talks of God’s work of creation and of His interaction with his people, the Israelites, whom he freed from Egyptian slavery.

In fact, when we compare the Everlasting God with human life, our life is like grass. Our life on this earth is only a few days, and then we die. But our God has pity on us.

He extends his mercy and renews our strength; he forgives us of our debts. Psalm 103:3, 5, and 15 expresses this saying:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. (Psalms 103:3, 5,15)

Though our life is only a few days on this earth, God gives us the promise of everlasting life.

Knowing that God is faithful and that he always keeps his promises, the people of God put their trust in God, and no matter how bad things get and how bad their lives have been in the past, their hearts are filled with hope. Therefore, they pray to their Father in heaven, who loves and cares about them.  Hear what the following verses in the Psalms say about God. He is compared to a loving father:

Psalms 103:13

13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. (Psalms 103:13)

Psalms 68:5

5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. (Psalms 68:5)

Psalms 89:26

26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ (Psalms 89:26)

With each new experience of forgiveness, we learn more and more about God’s mercy and love. These fresh new experiences of God’s grace and love give us the strength of mind to worship and serve God and him only, for we realize that He is the only true and living God. He is the only one who can forgive sin.

Thus, we must not sink down in discouragement. The fainthearted will be made strong; the desponding will be made to hope. God has a tender care for His people. His ear is open unto their cry. (This Day With God, p. 60)

Just how enduring is God’s love and mercy? Pause and read Psalm 136. Then view the next segment of this video: Day 2: His Mercy Endures Forever

Psalms (Lesson 7)

Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

Day 2: His Mercy Endures Forever

Psalm 136 calls for us to praise the Lord for His mercy. Verse 4-9 expresses that God’s mercy is revealed in everything he has created.

4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;

5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever;

6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever;

7 To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever—

8 The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever;

9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136:4-9)

Not only can God’s mercy be seen in His creation, but Psalms 136:10-22 expresses that God’s mercy is seen throughout Israel’s history.  “Mercy” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “steadfast love.”

Thus, the word mercy indicates that God’s love is never failing or changing. It existed at creation and was displayed in his covenant with Ancient Israel, and it extends to us today.

As declared in Psalm 136:2, 3, the Lord is the “God of gods” and “the Lord of lords” (Psalm 136:2, 3). (Spleop)

This is a Hebrew way of saying that there is no other god but God. God is the only true God; any other gods are false gods.

Continuing to reveal God as the only true and living God, the psalmist seeks to illustrate God’s mercy and greatness toward us sinners in Psalm 136:4, saying:

4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever; (Psalm 136:4).

In other words, God’s mercy is permanent. Once he forgives us, he does not, like us humans, bring our transgression back up again.

In fact, God is so great and so loving that He created the heavens, the earth, the stars, the moon, and all the heavenly bodies for us. Yet, instead of worshiping Him, some worship the things that God has created.

God in Deuteronomy 4:19, knowing how amazing His creation is, warned the Israelites not to worship them as the other nations did, for they were not intended for worship. They are his creations given for our benefit but not for us to worship. Deuteronomy 4:19 says

19 And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. (Deuteronomy 4:19).

Consequently, for those bent on worshipping God’s creation rather than God the creator, the Book of Psalms helps us to understand that these “gods” are only things God created and made to help us learn of him, but they have no source of power or control. They are mere products of God’s creation. And there is a vast difference between the Creator and His creation.

In Psalm 136:12, the psalmist talks of God’s hands and arms. He uses this as an image to portray how powerful God is and the extent of his forgiveness and his loving mercy.

It reveals that God’s mercy is far-reaching; it is extended to every human who is willing to accept it and live according to His divine word. (Split)

The psalmist in Psalm 19:1-3 says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3). . . . All these wonders in the heavens are only doing the work appointed them. They are the Lord’s agencies. God is the superintendent, as well as the Creator, of all things. The Divine Being is engaged in upholding the things that He has created. The same hand that holds the mountains and balances them in position, guides the worlds in their mysterious march around the sun. (Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 293, 294.)

God’s mercy and forgiveness toward us should place a trust in Him that inspires us to remain faithful to Him and His promise.

If you count the refrain in Psalm 136, the psalmist repeats: God’s mercy endures forever” 26 times. What does that say to you?

This gives me hope that the Lord doesn’t change. We can come to him for forgiveness for our sins and any bad thing we have thought or done.

 The same mercy that God extended in the days of the psalmist is extended to us today. The refrain shows that the favor God showed then is repeated today for all who are open to receive it. 

Psalm 136:23 NIV declares 23: He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever (Psalm 136:23 NIV).

The belief in God’s enduring mercy should fill our hearts with joy and give us the desire to openly worship Him.

In Psalm 136:23-25, the psalmist closes his psalm by talking about how God cares for everyone and everything on this earth. As a matter of fact, he points out that God extends His hands of mercy to all creation, thereby emphasizing the universality of God’s saving grace. Grace is not something that we deserve, for we are all sinners, but He extends it to us.

23 Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;

24 And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;

25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever. (Psalms 136:23-25)

The Book of Psalms lets us know that God’s saving mercy is for everyone. Thus, the psalmist invites everyone to praise the Lord.

Read Luke 2:10, John 3:16, and Acts 15:17. They confirm that God’s mercy is not limited to the people of Israel, but through Jesus Christ, it is extended to all people.

Jesus’ death on the cross shows us in a powerful way that God’s love and mercy continue forever. It is for every generation.

Why do we need God’s mercy, and how can we be sure of receiving it?

Pause and Read Psalm 51, give attention to verses 1-5, and observe why the psalmist is asking for mercy. Then Continue to the next segment of this video: Day 3: Create in Me a Clean Heart.

Psalms (Lesson 7)

Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

Day 3: Create in Me a Clean Heart

King David wrote Psalm 51. In this psalm, King David is pouring out his heart to God for an awful sin he committed at a dark time in his life.

During this time, King David had sex with another man’s wife, and then, as King, he ordered the man to be killed in war. To learn more about the sin David committed, read 2 Samuel 11 and 12.

Psalms 51:1 helps us to see that forgiveness is God’s extraordinary gift of grace. It is something that we do not deserve, God gives it to us.

David appeals to God, saying in Psalm 51:1

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. (Psalm 51:1)

Transgression is the act of breaking a moral law, a moral rule, or a moral duty.

Being convicted of the evil he had done, David’s appeal to God was not to treat him with what he deserved for the sin he committed.

Instead, he asked God to give him mercy. This shows God’s faithfulness, compassion, and willingness to forgive him for the evil he had done.

David lets us know in Psalm 103:10 that.

10 He (God) has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:10) (Split)

Iniquities are gross injustices or immoral acts.

King David recognized that he had sinned against God, but David appealed to God’s character.

Exodus 34:6, 7 tells us that:

…“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

Pause and Re-read Psalm 51:6-19. What do these verses tell us about God’s forgiveness? What do you see as the goal of His forgiveness, as opposed to man’s forgiveness?

God’s forgiveness is a cancellation of a debt or penalty owed because of an evil act. Moreover, God’s forgiveness changes the person owing the debt. He changes them from the inside out. Notice what it says in Psalm 51:6 and Hebrews 4:12.

Psalms 51:6

6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. (Psalms 51:6)

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

God’s forgiveness makes our lives brand new. Notice what it says about becoming a new person in Psalm 51:10; John 3:3-8

Psalms 51:10

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10)

John 3:3-8

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8)

The Hebrew word for create means “to make.” It shows the divine power of God. God can make anything He wants out of nothing!

God is the only One who can create or make something from nothing. Only God can change our sin-infested hearts. This is the point that 2 Corinthians 4:6 makes when it says:

6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

So, in Psalm 51:7, David asks God to clean his heart with hyssop.  As identified in Leviticus 14:2-8, hyssop is a plant that Israel’s priests used to cleanse and heal those who were infected with leprosy.

King David feels that his guilt separated him from God in the same way a leper, or contagious person, is quarantined and separated from their friends and family.  They must live apart from their family until they recover.

 David plea in Psalm 51:11 says

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. ( Psalms 51:11)

David feels that his guilt is so bad that no animal offerings can make him worthy of being in the presence of the Lord.

He knows that no gift that he can bring to God will pay for his terrible sin of premeditated adultery and murder.  

Exodus 21:14, Leviticus 20:10 says that for such a sin, the person should die.

Exodus 21:14

14 “But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die. (Exodus 21:14)

Leviticus 20:10

10 ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)

But God’s unconditionally saving grace makes room for Him to accept David’s “broken and contrite heart.” The only thing David can offer as an offering for his sin is a heart of genuine sorrow for what he has done. That’s why David says in Psalm 51:16:

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:17).

When David asks God to cleanse his heart with hyssop, he expresses the desire to be back in the presence of God.

If God can forgive David for murder, adultery, and deception, he can forgive you.

Our sin separates us from God, but when we come to God, like King Davis, God forgives us of our sins and treats us as if we have never sinned. He cancels every charge against us.

Pause and Read Psalm 130. Considering the psalmist’s description of sin. How bad is sin, and what hope do we have of escaping the penalty for sin?

View the next segment of this video, Day 4: “If You, Lord, Should Mark Iniquities.”

Psalms (Lesson 7)

Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

Day 4: “If You, Lord, Should Mark Iniquities”

Suffering is often the consequence of our sins. This is the point that the psalmist makes in Psalm 130:3 and 8.

He expresses that he and the sins of his people are so great that they threaten to separate them from God. He says.

3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

8 And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities. The people’s sins are bad enough to separate them from God forever (Psalm 130:3, 8).

He talks about the suffering that has come because of his sins and the sins of his people.  (Psalm 130:3, 8).

As a matter of fact, Daniel 7:10 and Revelation 20:12 talk about books that will be open at the time of Judgement to review how we lived on earth.

Exodus 32:32, Psalm 69:28, and Revelation 13:8 indicate that those who refuse to confess and forsake their sins names will be removed from the Book of Life.

 

Thus, King David, in Psalm 51:1 and 9, asked God to forgive him. He recognizes God’s forgiveness is his only hope for erasing his sin from the record books in heaven.

According to Psalm 51:1 and 9, God erases or blots out our sins and transgressions.

 Jeremiah 31:34 lets us know that God will forgive our iniquities and sins and will remember them no more.

 Then, Micah 7:19 tells us that God will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.

LaRondelle, in his book “Deliverance in the Psalms”, points out that the psalmist, King David, knows that “God is not angry by nature. His love is everlasting. His ‘anger’ is aroused only by man’s failure to appreciate His love. . . . The purpose of His anger is not to wound, but rather to heal man; not to destroy but to save His covenant people (see Hos. 6:1, 2).”—Hans K. LaRondelle, Deliverance in the Psalms (Berrien Springs, MI: First Impressions, 1983), pp. 180, 181).

God is love. Because He is love, rather than punishment, He finds pleasure in forgiving us of our sins. This is the point made in Psalm 130:4 and Romans 2:4.

Psalms 130:4 tells us that with God, there is forgiveness and

Romans 2:4 tells us that God’s goodness leads us to repentance.

 Therefore, the psalmist in Psalms 27:14 admonishes us to:

14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalms 27:14)

Then, in Psalm 37:34, we are instructed to again.

34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. (Psalms 37:34)

Thus, as God’s children, we must learn to be patient and wait on the Lord. 

What does it mean to wait on the Lord?

 Does it mean that we sit around and do nothing while waiting for him to answer our prayers? Not!

When we wait on the Lord, we grab hold of the Lord’s promises in faith and hold on tight.

The psalmist’s hope in the Lord comes from God’s words.

He says in Psalms 130:5

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. (Psalm 130:5).

So, our waiting for the Lord is worth our time. Waiting for the Lord isn’t a time when we do nothing. Help from God will come when we need it most.

The Hebrew word for wait means “to stretch” it is the root word for hope. This tells us that waiting on the Lord is not a passive surrender to our miserable circumstances.

It instead involves moving, “stretching” with the eager, hopeful anticipation of the Lord’s intervention.

What’s more, we can be certain that hopefully and faithfully waiting on the Lord will not be in vain.  

Even after the darkest night, the morning of divine deliverance comes.

Interestingly, in his distress, the psalmist is not merely concerned for himself. He asks God to help his entire community, saying in Psalm 130:7 and 8,

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalm 130:7, 8)

The psalmist’s prayer for his people shows that he understands his well-being is connected to the well-being of his people. So, he prays for himself and the whole community.

In other words, our individual welfare is inseparable from that of the whole. Thus, we should remember to pray for ourselves and the well-being of others.

We must keep in mind that if God kept a record of our sins, where would we be? But God is merciful and gracious according to 1 John 1:9. It says:

 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

Pause and Read Psalms 113 and 123 and observe how eager God is to be involved in your affairs.

Then View the next segment of this video: Day 5: Praise to the Majestic and Merciful God

Psalms (Lesson 7)

Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

Day 5: Praise to the Majestic and Merciful God

God is majestic, powerful, and merciful. Psalm 113 and Psalm 123 praise God for His mercy and His majesty power. The greatness of God’s name and his exalted place on his throng reveals his majestic power.

God is more powerful than any leader on Earth or in the universe. The psalmist in Psalm 113:4, 5 and Psalm 123:1 expresses that God is above all nations and above all heavens.

Psalms 113:4-5 says:

4 The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high, (Psalms 113:4-5)

Psalms 123:1 declares

1 Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. (Psalm 123:1).

The palmist statement in Psalm 113:5, “Who is like the Lord our God,” is a display of his faith. He firmly believes that no one on earth or in heaven is more powerful than the God of Israel.

 Thus, he declares in Psalm 113:6 that God is the one:

6 Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

In other words, the Lord’s throne is high above the earth. Therefore, he must humble himself and “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (Psalms 113:6 NIV).

God is willing to stoop down to watch over His creation.

You see, God sees everything that happens here on earth. The Lord is filled with mercy. We see here that in his loving mercy and grace, he is ready to rescue the poor and needy from their troubles.

Though He lives far away, The Lord doesn’t hide Himself from us.

So, although God may dwell in the distant heavens, he is not hidden from us.

Although we may not be able to understand the transcendence of the Almighty God, we can see it in his loving mercy and compassion toward us. 

Especially as it relates to the poor, the needy, and the oppressed.

Moreover, lives are changed as we observe the mighty power of God working to perform miracles to turn things in our favor.

Through these experiences with God, we come to know that we are no longer servants of Satan but servants of God.

We are His beloved children. He is our creator and sustainer. He takes care of us.

Because of his power and graciousness toward us, God deserves our praise and our worship.

He is the One who made us, and He is the One who keeps us alive. We can praise God anytime and anywhere.  The wonderful thing about God is that he is not limited by time and space; this is what the Psalmist means in Psalm 113:2, 3 when he says:  

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore!

3 From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord’s name is to be praised. (Psalms 113:2-3)

God’s majesty, mercy, and willingness to forgive is revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus was willing to stoop down from heaven and come to this earth to save fallen humanity.

Jesus died on the cross to bring us back into a relationship with God. This is the point Paul makes in Philippians 2:6-8 when he says,  

6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

 (Philippians 2:6-8)

What a Love!

Certainly, the Cross is the number one reason we should worship and praise God. For through the Cross, we have the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life.

Why do you think it is necessary to think about and ponder in your hearts what Jesus did for you when He did on the cross?

Pause and read Psalm 103; the psalmist lists many benefits of worshipping God.

List some of the benefits you have received from worshipping Him. Then continue to the next segment of this video: Day 6: Forget Not All His Benefits

(Lesson 7)

Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

Day 6: Forget Not All His Benefits

Psalm 103 lists the many blessings God gives us, recounting “all His benefits,” as expressed in Psalm 103:2

Psalm 103:3-6 talking about the Lords, says he is the one:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. (Psalms 103:3-6)

 These blessings listed here are grounded in God’s character. His character is love. The Lord also gives us these blessings because of his promise to His people; it is based on the covenant he made with Israel, as expressed in Psalm 103:7-18.

Referring to God’s mercy, Psalm 103:17-18 says:

17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

18 To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them. (Psalm 103:17-18)

Knowing we are weak and our lives are only a few days. Psalms 103:13-17 also let us know that just as a father has compassion for his children, the Lord remembers us and has compassion for us.

Now, remembering here is more than thinking about something that happened in the past. Remembering her involves acting on a commitment made in the past. Thus, when it talks of God remembering, it says that God delivers on his commitment to His people and sustains them, as demonstrated in Psalm 103:3-13.

In Psalm 103:11-16, the psalmist uses powerful images to show that God’s mercy and grace can be compared only to the vastness of the heavens. This same image is used in Isaiah 55:9 when our thoughts and ways are compared with God’s ways and thoughts.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

How, then, should we thank God for His mercy?

First, as in Psalm 103:1 and 2, we should bless the Lord. According to Genesis 49:25 and Psalm 5:12, blessing someone is the same as giving material and spiritual benefit to someone.

But everything we own or have comes from God. So, how can we bless God when He already owns everything we have?

When we look at 1 Kings 8:66 and Job 29:13, we find that a person in an inferior position can bless a person in a superior position, as in the case of the Israelites with King Solomon.

When God gives good gifts to his children, He blesses them. Then, they, in turn, bless Him with praises and worship.

Second, just as it says in Psalm 103:2, 18-22, we thank God for his mercy and grace by remembering His promise, His covenant, and what he has done for us in the past. Our indebtedness to God’s faithfulness to us should lead us, therefore, to respond to him with love and obedience to his commandments. 

Ellen G. White suggests in the Book Desire of Ages, “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 83.

Sin separates us from God, but when we come to God, God forgives us of our sins and treats us as if we have never sinned. He cancels every debt against us. If you have sinned and want your debt canceled, go to God. Ask him, like King David, to forgive you, to create in you a clean heart, and give you the right spirit.

Holy Father, forgive us of our sins, blot our transgressions, and give us a new start in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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