Who Am I Really? A Journey to Discover Your True Identityနမူနာ

According to the KING, you are FORGIVEN.

• In [Christ] I have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. ~Ephesians 1:7
• My sins have been forgiven on account of his name. ~1 John 2:12

My husband picked up the ringing telephone, and I could tell from the look on his face, it wasn’t good.

“Gerry, I don’t want to cause trouble between us… but we need to talk about something your son did. (Definitely not the kind of phone call any parent wants to receive.)

Our next-door neighbor was usually cordial, but not that day. He was obviously distressed. Gerry assured our neighbor that whatever had happened, we would deal with it accordingly. Just as soon as we knew what happened.

“I’ll tell you what happened!” Ron fumed, “Your son drew all over the side of my brand-new Mustang with a rock!”

This was certainly out of character for our, then, four-year-old son. Ben wasn’t in the habit of destroying other people’s property. Trying to discern the situation, Gerry prodded a bit further. “Ron, I can tell that you are very upset and given the situation, I can certainly understand why, but how do you know that it was our son who drew on your car? Did you see him do it?”

“No, I didn’t see him do it; but I know it was him!” Ron shot back adamantly.

“If you didn’t actually see our son do it, how do you know it was him?” Gerry pleaded for our son’s innocence.

Ron countered matter-of-factly, “I think you should come over and see for yourself.”

Sure enough, Gerry walked over and right there in big, bold four-year-old penmanship was the incriminating evidence, B-E-N. Our son had signed his artwork; there was no denying it.

Needless to say, we had a little talk with our boy, explaining the dos and don’ts of cars and gravel driveways. After a stern lecture, Gerry escorted Ben over to our neighbor’s house where he confessed his fault in person. And after apologies were made, Gerry accepted full responsibility and made right what our little boy had done wrong.

Sound familiar?

I know another Father who accepts full responsibility for His children’s errors. Just like our little boy, you and I could never make restitution for our sin. The cost is just too great. We need the help of our Father who takes our debt and marks it “PAID IN FULL!”

Make it Personal:

• Describe a time when you didn’t get the punishment you deserved.
• How does it feel to know that every sin (past, present, and future) has been nailed to the cross and will never be counted against you?
• What grievances (personal sins) are you having a hard time believing are completely forgiven?

Action Step:

Spend time in prayer asking God to help you forgive yourself from those grievances, and then write a letter to yourself from the perspective of God. Applying what you have come to know about God’s character, what do you think He would want to say to you? Let the Holy Spirit guide your words.

Prayer:

Gracious Lord, I am so very grateful for your forgiveness. Thank you for taking away my sin and paying the price I could not pay. I love you with all my heart! Amen.