February 23 – Immeasurable Love

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:11-12 (NASB)

If we travel East, do we actually distance ourselves from the West? The moment we stop and turnabout, we find ourselves face to face with the West. We can measure the distance from sea level to the various named levels of our atmosphere, but the true expanse of the heavens is infinite⸺so is God’s love. We’ve considered how God promised to wipe our transgressions from his memory. Today we read how He removes them an immeasurable distance from us. He completely separates sins from sinners by forgiving them. How are we to comprehend  how this is possible? When God declares the separation of our sins from their existence it’s not a matter of hyperbole. It is a result of God’s steadfast love for us. Verse 10 explains, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” What we deserve is removed from our account by Jesus Christ. Better than clemency or pardon which forgives guilt but the record remains, it’s divine expungement of all that is on our record. Wiped clear, scrubbed clean, and never brought back up to accuse us, this is what salvation in Christ means to us.

198

April 16 – Permanent Peace

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 (ESV)

Today's verse might be very familiar to you, or perhaps you have not read it previously. It has a truth that is good to think about often – in fact, we really can't think about this truth too often. How do you react to these three words: peace with God? Have you experienced that peace? When you realize that Jesus has done all that is necessary to remove everything that has separated you from God, doesn't fill your heart with gratitude?  Everything that is required for us to have peace with God has been accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do and there was nothing we ever could do on our own. We can live today, not apart from God, but in a close relationship with Him. Even though He is the Great God of the universe – God Almighty. He is the One in control of all things and we can live every day with Him as part of our lives. Let's be thankful today for the truth of this promise – we HAVE BEEN justified by faith through Jesus.  We HAVE peace with God.