Scripture: 1 John 1:9

DAY ONE

INTRODUCTION

Recently while talking to someone very close to me, I was asked, “were there sins God did not forgive?” I realized then, as a Christian, I had failed to share one of God’s most beautiful traits, his unconditional forgiveness. I don’t always share the many wrongs I have committed and the low places God has delivered me from. But if I did, you would hear countless stories involving God’s Grace, mercy, and forgiveness throughout my life. My point is God forgives and forgives and forgives, I have tested it and know it to be true. Does God’s forgiveness shield you from the consequences of your choices? No. But it will shield you from the eternal consequences. Which I will always be thankful for. 

My personal story of God’s forgiveness may not be enough to convince someone of all that God will bring us back from. But the Bible is full of stories that exemplify God’s great ability to forgive even the most unforgivable. Over the next few days, we will look at an instance in the Bible where God not only forgave but used people that society, maybe even Christians, would have written off.

Scriptures: 2 Samuel 11:2-17, 2 Samuel 11:26-27, 2 Samuel 12:1-14, 2 Samuel 12:18-24

DAY TWO

A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART

David is one of our favorites from the Bible. David was one of God’s favorites as well, as he was noted to be a “man after God’s own heart.” There are many great stories in the Bible about David and if we remember anything, we remember his famous fight with Goliath. David found favor in God’s eyes. He was blessed to rule over an entire kingdom, meaning he had access to much. Over the years, David had proven himself worthy of such a high appointment. 

Although David was a great man, he was still human. A beautiful woman named Bathsheba would cause him to succumb to temptation. David fell into the trap of lust and committed adultery, which led him to commit murder to cover up the adultery. As the old saying goes, sin will always take you further than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay. 

God would forgive David of his sin and restore him, but not without consequences. God would take David’s son with Bathsheba. While this was such a sad story the first time I read it, I have grown to see its beauty of it. It has become a story of forgiveness and restoration, showing God’s love for us in our lowest state. While David would suffer greatly, God did spare his life and allowed him to have more children. God did not turn his back on David, he may have suffered greatly, but God was still there with him. 

No matter how low or deep we find ourselves in sin, God is still there for us when we return. He is there waiting to forgive us and restore us. David is a great example of that. David shows us that God loves us through all of our mess. We may have to pay for our bad choices, but we don’t lose what is most important, our eternal relationship with God. 

Take a moment to reflect on the story of David and Bathsheba. Reflect on God’s ability to treat David as his child. David is disciplined severely and God is very disappointed, but God does not love David any less and he continues to bless David as he promised. 

Is there a past sin you are struggling with, give it to God and leave it there, knowing that God will forgive you. God does not want our sin hanging over our heads, tormenting and shaming us, he wants us to walk freely in forgiveness. The forgiveness Jesus so unfairly died on the cross for. Jesus died so that we could live. Pray, repent, and move forward.

Scriptures: Exodus 2:11-15, Exodus 3:1-10

DAY THREE

MOSES THE MURDERER

When we think of the story of Moses, we may think of many things. We may think of all the great work he did for God, leading the people of Israel out of slavery. His great faith and his leadership. We may even think of the early favor on his life, as he was spared as a young baby taken in by Pharaoh’s daughter. We tend to shy away from the darker part of Moses’ life. We don’t talk much about Moses the murderer, but if we did, we would see the acts he would go on to commit for God as even greater acts. We would tell yet another great story of forgiveness and redemption for a man that society would have cast away. 

God’s ability to forgive the sin Moses committed allowed him to propel Moses into greater things, to rewrite his story. God not only forgave Moses, but he used Moses in a mighty way. He did not condemn Moses for his sin for the rest of his days and hold it over his head, but Moses did face consequences for his sin. Moses would lose the only family he had known and his position in Royalty. He would have to go on the run for years, living amongst foreigners, doing work that had previously been done for him. God would still be with Moses, even in his consequences, preparing him for leadership. 

Moses would go on to become one of our most remembered leaders from the Bible. He would be remembered for his leadership, servantship, and his great faith. He would be remembered and honored because God forgave him and had a purpose greater than the sin he committed. 

If you are struggling today to forgive yourself for a major sin, remember the whole story of Moses, remembering his sin is only a very small part of his story. Even as we sin, God forgives us and does not give up on us or cast us away. Repent of your sin, forgive yourself, and turn toward God, allow him to rewrite your story today.

Scriptures: Matthew 26:14-25, Matthew 26:47-50, Matthew 27:1-5

DAY FOUR

ONE OF THE 12

We remember Judas as a betrayer of Jesus, but I would like to look at his history with Jesus. Judas would have been chosen by Jesus as one of the twelve. Judas would have traveled city to city with Jesus, without a home or new clothes, following Jesus no matter the cost. He would have prayed for endless hours with Jesus and watched him perform great Miracles. Judas would have attempted to lay hands on people in the name of Jesus. Before the betrayal, Judas appeared as a devout follower of Jesus. 

Jesus would have known all along who he was walking with, sleeping with, and eating with. As the money holder for the disciples, Judas had stolen from them, but Jesus never rebuked him or sent him away. Jesus either forgave him or knew he was a part of God’s plan. Imagine the forgiveness you need to walk daily with someone, knowing they are actively stealing from you and will aid in your death one day. Jesus knew Judas’s plan before Judas knew his plan, but Jesus still loved and protected him. 

The Bible says Judas never sought forgiveness and became “doomed to destruction.” It is possible he thought he’d committed a sin too large to be forgiven. It would take a lot of courage to talk to God and ask him to forgive you for aiding in the murder of his only son. It is written that Judas does return the money and realizes he has sinned. Judas would go on to hang himself, allowing his sin to completely destroy him. Even in all of this, Judas was forgivable, just not courageous enough to face God and seek forgiveness. I am sure the devil aided in convincing him of a lie that said this was an act he could never come back from. 

We, too, may feel we are unforgivable, we’ve done things even we are disgusted by and humans may never forgive us for them, but our Father will. Remember, no matter how great your sin, God is always there for us, waiting to love and forgive us. Never allow sin to keep you from God. The devil will prey on our thoughts, speaking negativity, lies, and deceit to keep us from God. These are all tricks the devil plays. Your Father in Heaven loves you and wants to wrap His arms around you and welcome you home, no matter what you have done.

Scripture: John 8:3-11

DAY FIVE

A SECOND CHANCE

The story of the adulterous woman is often told as a lesson in judging others, but at its core, it is a story of Jesus’s compassion and forgiveness. It’s a story that may show us a pivotal turn in someone’s life as a result of love and forgiveness. The Bible does not make mention of the woman again in the Bible, but I’d like to imagine that she used her second chance for a greater life. 

That day, others judged her and treated her poorly based on her sinful acts. Her accusers felt she alone deserved death for a sin that took two to commit. There she stood, alone, scared, embarrassed, and near death. I am sure that God had handed down the very law she broke, she didn’t expect Jesus, the son of God, to forgive her and spare her life. Jesus did just that, He spared her from life, both on earth and in heaven. 

Jesus was sent to us to save us both in this life and the next. His compassion and forgiveness saved the adulterous woman and gave her the opportunity to turn from a life of sin and walk in the blessing of forgiveness. 

The same forgiveness that was offered to the adulterous woman, is also available to us. No matter how embarrassing our sin may be or the unfair circumstances that may have brought us into sin, God forgives us. All we have to do is give God both our sin and our shame and walk freely in him.

Scripture: Luke 23:34-37

DAY SIX

FATHER FORGIVE THEM

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do…”

When I think of forgiveness, this passage always comes to mind. Jesus is suffering a miserable, long, torturous death, but even in his agony, he finds the ability to pray for the forgiveness of others. Jesus isn’t just praying for any sinners, he is specifically praying for those who are currently in the process of brutally murdering him. This, to me, was the ultimate act of forgiveness. How many of us could lie dying in agony and praying for our attackers? If we did pray for them, I am certain it wouldn’t be for their eternity in heaven. 

The men Jesus is seeking forgiveness for were pretty bad men. Here they stood mocking Jesus, humiliating him, and torturing Him. It would have been one thing to simply carry out the orders given to them to crucify Jesus, but they added another level of cruelty to the process. They went out of their way to make the crucifixion of an innocent man one of the worse the people would ever witness, yet Jesus still forgave them and asked God to do so as well. They had no sympathy for Jesus, yet He still cared for their eternity. 

Jesus knew these men didn’t understand the depth of what they were doing. He knew they were carrying out God’s prophecy and that their sinful acts brought Him closer to His purpose on earth. Jesus didn’t have to pray for these men, but His compassion and forgiveness are shown once again in those moments. 

There are times when we may feel we have done the unthinkable and we cannot be forgiven. This passage always reminds me that no one is left out of God’s will for forgiveness. The love of God is unconditional and so is His forgiveness. Don’t let anything hold you back from the love and forgiveness God has for you. Remember, no matter how far we have gone, how much wrong we have done, who we have wronged, and how greatly we have wronged them, He forgives us.

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-22

DAY SEVEN

CONCLUSION

I hope these last few days have been a time of reconciliation with Christ. A time to truly release your sins to God and accept the forgiveness He extends to us all. Remembering that Jesus came to give us life here on earth and in heaven. I hope that as we have explored the Bible, we see how unconditional God’s forgiveness is and how He uses us for greatness, no matter how sinful our past may be. Our sin does not separate us from God, just as Jesus commanded us to forgive 70 times 7, as our Father in Heaven forgives us. Before you go, pray the prayer below and be blessed on your journey to walk in forgiveness. 

PRAYER:

Father God, we thank you for allowing your son to intercede on our behalf, on the behalf of our sins. God, we know His death was an unfair one, to create an unconditional path of forgiveness for us. We thank you that Jesus bore the shame of the world so we do not have to. We come to you today, asking for your forgiveness of our sins. As you forgive us, we forgive ourselves. We lay our sin and our shame at your feet so that we can walk freely. We vow to no longer give the devil place to torture our minds, holding our sin over us, as we know you do not condemn us. Father, as we walk away freely in you, help us to also remember your forgiveness as we are called to extend it to others. We thank you and in Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.