The Weekly Encourager – January 1, 2014 – New Day, New Year

What has been your experience of this past holiday week? We just returned from our niece's wedding in a distant state. Although we were glad to be able to attend, all four of us were sleep-deprived traveling so far the day after Christmas. I got a bad cold and was coughing all through the event. Unfortunately when I'm tired and sick, I don't have my usual filters on, so I was sniping at my husband and rude to my sons for the entire trip. I did not respond to some stressful set-backs with gracious speech. I was grumpy and I let everybody know it! I arrived home Saturday night not only sick and exhausted, but guilty and heart-sick over my sin. Bad experience.

On the plus side, on this same short trip, I had “a godly appointment” to see a friend I hadn't seen for many years. Before our meeting, I had prayed for an opening to talk of spiritual matters. God answered that prayer! The friend took my crankiness in stride and we were able to get down to some serious topics in our short two hours together. I asked her point blank if she believed in God and Jesus, and she said yes, but I sensed that she still has a lot of guilt. I tried to encourage her, saying that if she believes in Jesus, her sins are forgiven. Good experience.

At home, some key verses came up in the daily devotional I'm doing. They were verses about sin and forgiveness. I realize now that the good and bad experiences of my trip are linked together. It turns out that the simple truth of salvation that I wanted to explain to my friend was the very same simple truth I myself needed to hear! Jesus said, “My son [daughter], your sins are forgiven.” - Mark 2:5 NASB

“He has not dealt with with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For 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. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him, for He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” - Psalm 103:10-14 NASB

“Christ has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are standing there before him with nothing left against you – nothing left that he could even chide you for; the only condition is that you fully believe the Truth, standing in it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord, convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for you, and never shifting from trusting him to save you.” - Colossians 1:22-23 TLB

“What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.” - Psalm 32:1-2 TLB

Thanks be to God that today is a new day, and a new year! Christ, by coming to earth as a man [Merry Christmas], then dying to forgive our sin [Happy Easter], has made all things new. As Spirit fights flesh, He is working all things for good. He's making us into His image and preparing us for Heaven. We are forgiven. We are moving forward. Let the clean slate of this new year remind us all of our clean slate before God.

No matter what else is lacking in your life, if you have forgiveness of sins, it's going to be a Happy New Year!

j