You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. (Psalm 139:2-4)
There are many ways to describe the Bible, but perhaps the best way is to say that the Bible is God’s love letter to His people. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible recounts God’s relentless pursuit of rebels on the run away from Him. When we understand that we are fully known and truly loved, we can come before the throne of grace with no fear . . . no doubt . . . no hesitation. There is nothing that God does not know about us — including the number of hairs on our heads and the myriad number of times we have turned away from Him — yet we still have an open invitation to come to Him because He loves us and will never turn His back on us.
The devil is relentless in his attempts to deceive us. He wants us to believe we have strayed too far away from God and are beyond the reach of His forgiveness. When those ugly thoughts begin to circulate in our minds, we must immediately look to Calvary’s hill. When Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins — all our sins — He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Here is the best way I know how to explain the full impact our Lord’s triumphant shout:
“Debt paid! Atonement made! Sinner saved!”
Let me be clear; God did NOT say, “Your sins are no big deal.” They are a very big deal; the sin debt we incurred was such a cosmically gargantuan deal that it required a supreme payment . . . and that payment was made and fully executed on the cross.
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our loving Lord did not wait for us to get cleaned up. He did not wait for us to get our act together. He died in our place so that we can be in relationship with Him.
Try to imagine for a moment having Someone know everything about you — even the very darkest, ugliest thoughts that you don’t share with anyone — and yet that Someone still fully, unconditionally, and truly loves you! Christian, you have that Someone, and His name is Jesus Christ. The next time you are feeling unloved, undervalued, and unseen, remember that God is love . . . and He has poured out His love on you. “Come to me,” He says to you tenderly, “all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
You are fully known and truly loved — today, tomorrow, and forevermore. Let that truth set you free to rest in His love and to love your neighbor as yourself.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 