The Great "But"

Have you ever thought you’ve blown it with God?  Thought you’ve done too much to be forgiven?

 This is something Satan puts into our heads as new believers and as ones well on our journey with the Lord.  It takes a great deal of courage to accept Jesus into your heart and ask to be forgiven of your sins.  For some people it can take ever greater courage to accept that Jesus died in order to save them from their sins.
   These same thoughts can even come to those who have been believers for years.  Too often we think we should have known better and God is going to be angry with us.   I know I’m guilty of this.  There have been moments when I let my guard down and sin has crouched in.  God has always been faithful to bring it to the light and at time I would beat myself up over it.

God sent His Only Son to die on a cross.  He did this so that we could go to the Father through the Son to accept forgiveness.  God simply wants us to acknowledge what we have done and ask for His forgiveness with an honest heart.  Have you ever made this into a bigger process?  I know I have.  We can complicate this when we say “But…my sin is too big to be forgiven…I’ve done too much…I’m not worth it…that’s for good people, not people like me…I should have known better…”.  Our “but” list just goes on and on.  Nevertheless our “buts” are nothing in comparison to “the great but” so let me introduce you to it!

In Nehemiah 9 we can find Ezra and the leaders of Israel recounting the miracles that God had performed.  There is so much I love about these verses because there is so many lessons to be learned within  them.  God was faithful to the Israelites even though they weren’t always faithful to Him.  Even after God had delivered them from so much and performed many wonders among them we find they still disobeyed.  

“...they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments.  They refused to obey, nor were they mindful of Your wonders and miracles which You did among them; but they stiffened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a captain, that they might return to their bondage…”  vs. 16-17

Here it is, the great “but”:

“…But You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great steadfast love; and You did not forsake them.” vs. 17

I love that!  No matter how many “buts” we can muster up for ourselves, we can say “…But You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great steadfast love; and You did not forsake them…and you will not forsake me!”

Know that God’s love is everlasting and eternal.  It is deeper than any depths we can fathom.  There is nothing too big  (like your sins) or too small (like you may sometimes feel) than God!