Good Words for Today: December 21

“If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness.” (Psalm 130:3-4). I love that phrase–“But with you there is forgiveness.” God makes a habit of forgiving sin. He does not delight in punishing our sin. He looks for chances to forgive us because forgiveness is in his nature. That’s a huge insight because it touches how you see God. He is eager to forgive. He is ready to forgive. He wants to forgive you. God is in the pardoning business, and he pardons abundantly. The familiar line from “O Little Town of Bethlehem” says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” We hope we can be forgiven, but we fear our sins are too great, that we have failed too many times, that we have blown our best opportunity to be right with God. If Christmas means anything, it means that a Savior has been born who will save us from our sins. God is in the forgiving business, and he proved it by sending his Son to the earth 2000 years ago.

December 21, 2016