4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Psalm 102-103
1 Corinthians 7:1-24

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Psalm 103:11-12 (CSB): “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Psalm 103 begins with a call to worship and enjoy our God! Specifically, it’s a call to praise our God for all of the blessings that are ours to claim because He is so gracious to us.

Psalm 103:1-2 (CSB): “My soul, bless the LORD, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. My soul, bless the LORD, and do not forget all his benefits.”

When we get to verses 11-12, we hear the Psalmist calling us to praise our God for two specific things, and he does so with very powerful word pictures.

We are called to recognize and enjoy the love God has for us, and then reminded of how completely God has forgiven us. Let’s consider how the Psalmist worded these benefits we receive from our gracious God.

Psalm 103:11 (CSB): “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him.”

The psalmist didn’t merely say “God loves us” or “God loves us a lot.” He said that if God’s love were tangible, it would go from below our feet all the way up to the heavens. In other words, we are swimming in God’s love. There is no place you can go to get away from His love for you.

If you don’t feel that God loves you, the problem rests within your own thinking or experience, not with God. Why not make a point to dwell on just how much God loves you, looking for evidence of His love all around you? Set your mind to believe what God’s word says is true.

Psalm 103:12 (CSB): “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

The psalmist didn’t merely say “God has forgiven us.” He said that if you could determine the distance from the East to the West, you could determine how far God has thrown our sins away from us, never to bring them up again. And when you are thinking of East and West, don’t think of planet Earth where the East and West meet if you go far enough. We’re talking about outer space, where East keeps going in one direction forever and ever, as West continues in the opposite direction forever. THAT, my friend, is how far our sins have been cast from us by our loving God. We will never, ever see them or their corresponding judgment again.

If you are living with perpetual guilt even though you have sought God’s forgiveness, the problem is with you, not God. Realize that 1 John 1:9 is true and that God will faithfully forgive and wipe you clean if you confess (agree with Him) your sins. Believe that and live in light of it.

As New Testament believers, we can observe God’s love and forgiveness in even more tangible ways. The ultimate way is to look at the cross.

Do you want to know how much God loves you? Look at the cross and what He did so that you can be with Him forever.

Do you want to know how completely God forgives you? Then look at the cross and look at Jesus as He took the punishment you deserved so that you could be set free.

Psalm 103:1-2 (CSB): “My soul, bless the LORD, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. My soul, bless the LORD, and do not forget all his benefits.”

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you to better understand His immense love for you, and His complete forgiveness of your sins.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the infiniteness of God’s love and forgiveness, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that God has removed our sins from us ‘as far as the east is from the west’ (Psalm 103:12)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)