PRAYING LIKE JESUS DAY 25
GOD FORGIVES FREELY
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
When was the last time that someone gave you a gift? We all give and receive them frequently; we all know how to give and receive. The last time someone gave you a gift, did you have to pay them in order to receive it? When you last gave a gift, did you want them to pay for it before they could open it up? Of course not! When someone gives you a gift for your birthday, we know that we don’t need to pay for it. It has already been paid for! The gift wasn’t free, but it was free for us.
Forgiveness is a gift that God chooses to give to us. When God forgives us it is not free - it cost the death of his perfect son, Jesus - but it is free for us. “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21.) Because Jesus has already fully purchased our forgiveness we don’t need to pay for it or earn it. Forgiveness is a free gift that God offers to anyone who will receive it.
It may be difficult to receive a gift when you are looking at the price tag, or when we feel like we don’t deserve to receive it. But when we truly understand that the gift of forgiveness has already been paid for by Jesus, we can receive it freely. We could never buy the gift of God’s forgiveness, but we don’t need to - Jesus has already purchased our forgiveness and made receiving God’s forgiveness free for us. He did this by dying on the cross for us. God accepted the suffering of Jesus instead of punishing us for our sins. God has chosen to give us forgiveness because he loves us.
Once we are forgiven, we are free to come to God and receive the life he made us for. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16).
QUESTIONS FOR CONTEMPLATION
Have you received God’s gift of forgiveness?
Do you truly believe that you are forgiven?
- In what ways are you trying to earn the gift of forgiveness, instead of receiving it freely?
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES
Hebrews 4
Psalm 91