The Gift of Forgiveness
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God has given us the gift of Forgiveness
"You need to apologize," Mom said to me while I was still mad about how someone had treated me earlier that day. Out of town friends of the family were visiting and their son and I had gotten into a fairly heated discussion. I don't remember how old we were but I'm pretty sure it was before the age of double digits. I don't even remember what the fight was about. I just remember that it ended badly and my mom wanted me to learn what it meant to do the right thing.
Doing the right thing isn't always easy. And in this particular case, when I felt I was the one who had been wronged, it felt especially hard. But...Mom was right. I had reacted badly and I owned it...and asked for forgiveness. The irony of it all was that as mad as I was with him, asking him to forgive me made ME feel better.
I do believe the saying 'confession is good for the soul'. But it is not just the telling that sets us free. We must also open our heart to receive the forgiveness. The most important confession we will ever make is before our God. The good news is that He has promised to forgive when we do. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) is God's precious promise to each of us. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God has given us the gift of Forgiveness.
Read more devotions written by Denise Harper at Treasured Inside
