March 11, 2015
We are forgiven!
Forgiving God, You clearly can see what we do and do in fact
see past our actions and forgive us. We
don’t deserve it, but You forgive us out of Your great love for us. Thank You for this gift of grace and
especially of Your Son’s sacrifice for each of us on the Cross of Calvary. For this offer was not just for a select few,
but for all of mankind, including each of us gathered here with the white bead
of the salvation bracelet as Your forgiven children on this Wednesday of
Lent. AMEN.
If one were to look at the entirety of the Old Testament
there appears to be nothing but lists of who begat whom, destruction of peoples
and places and stories of individuals wandering in the desert. Yet, if you look a little further, there is
clearly a concept that the people of Israel were imparted from God. It wasn’t deliverance on their time table or
overcoming those who were their masters, the concept that the people of Israel
had as a thread from the Garden of Eden, wandering through the desert, their
entrance into the Promised Land and the building of the Temple in Jerusalem had
a simple phrase as their unspoken, but believed mantra. Simply, it was, “We are forgiven”! And tonight we make that connection with each
of us that gather here to hear and learn more about the white bead of the Salvation
Bracelet. “We are forgiven!”
Isaiah the prophet foreshadowed, reminded and prophesied for
the people of Israel and for us tonight this concept of “We are forgiven!” For Isaiah knew the history of the people of
Israel and understood their human condition.
Hear Isaiah, “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says
the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.” Isaiah in this brief excerpt of his book pin
points what God does for the people of Israel.
The people of Israel continuously sinned and turned away
from God. They were strong willed and
sought only what they desired and felt would get them the results they desired,
which in most cases was against God’s divine plan. And every time they followed their own plans,
they continuously encountered problems.
But even though they encountered problems, God walked with them. And God not only walked with them, but God as
Isaiah said, turned what was scarlet into white as snow. In essence God forgave them each and every
time.
What can we who gather here tonight take away from
this? We like the Israelite people need
to hear from God, “We are forgiven!” God
has reached down into our lives here in Goodland, KS and forgiven us. Why does God do this? Because God loves us and wants us to hear, believe
and share the message “We are forgiven!” In this white bead of the salvation bracelet,
we are reminded of God’s great compassion for each and every one of us in our
present circumstances. God reaches down
into each of our lives and wants us to feel the forgiveness He so freely wants
to offer us. We can share this clearly,
without question and with uncompromising vigor.
This is why the salvation bracelet is such a powerful tool.
This simple bead of white, clearly shows and shares with us
God’s love for us. “We are forgiven!” We no longer are defined by the scarlet sin
as Isaiah said, but made clean by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Like lint on a table or dust cloth that
changes the appearance of many homes, God removes the lint of our lives that
weighs us down and forgives us. And we
are empowered to share this message of forgiveness.
When we wear the salvation bracelet, we have the opportunity
to start a dialogue with others who may never have heard about Jesus
Christ. The bracelet offers the
opportunity and the Holy Spirit inspires us to share what God offers us through
His Son Jesus Christ. And this simple
white bead, reminds us of God’s gift to and for all of mankind, but especially
each and everyone of us gathered here this Wednesday of Lent who believe this simple
message, “We are forgiven!” AMEN.
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