Psalm 103:10-12 - He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
God "does not deal with us according to our sins." What if He did? If God dealt with us according to our sins, what would happen? What do we deserve? We do not really want to hear the answer to those questions. Because of our sinful rebellion against God, we would be separated from Him for all eternity, condemned to eternal suffering and to life now and forever without hope. That is what we deserve for our sins. We can hardly bear to think about such things. But thanks be to God, through Christ our Lord, God does not deal with us as we deserve. He does not deal with us according to our sins.
In His steadfast love and His grace—His undeserved favor toward sinners—God chose to deal with His sinless Son according to our sins. For us, Jesus endured the suffering of the cross, the hopelessness of being forsaken by God and, finally, the penalty of death for our sins. For us, Jesus rose to life in victory over death. He paid in full the debt of sin that we owed. We are forgiven because of what Jesus did for us. God will not deal with us according to our sins because those sins are gone from His sight forever. God's steadfast love for us is so great that it is as "high as the heavens are above the earth." Scientists may measure layers of atmosphere and tell us where "outer space" begins, but how high are the heavens above the earth? That is the immeasurable expanse of God's love for us in Christ. In His love beyond all measure, God has removed our sins from us "as far as east is from the west." He does not remember those sins now and He will not remember them on the Day of Judgment.
Living within the high, wide, and deep love of God, how will we deal with those who sin against us? Will we deal with them according to their sins? We look to our Savior, who prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him, the Savior who taught us to pray: "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). We live within the endless measure of God's love, and we pray that the Holy Spirit would help us share with others the love that we have experienced in Jesus. We pray that when we forgive others, they will see in that forgiveness a tiny glimpse of the immeasurable love of God.
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, teach me to share Your immeasurable love and to forgive as I have been forgiven. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
1. Are you a forgiving person? Would people see you that way, do you think? Why or why not?
2. Why would God not deal with us "according to our sins"? What has He done instead?
3. What can you do to become a more forgiving person toward others?
Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 25-26 Mark 1:1-22
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