Hello Monday and 2015

It's Monday...time for hellos.

Hello to a new year.

Hello to getting back into routine.

Hello to our oldest' first basketball game tonight. He's excited! He's also cute. ;). Goodness he's getting big. 

Hello to keeping our Littles still at said basketball game. I'm thinking stroller and a movie. 

Hello to counting down the days until Spring Break. 

Hello to a new week, a new day and hitting the restart button.  Praise God we can do that because He knows I make a mess of things almost daily. 

Hello to a really late Christmas recap.  

decorating cookies

               

 

Excited Faces

ALL sin

It seems to me that many of us have some trouble accepting forgiveness for all of our sins.  We have no problem telling others (and believing it) that God will forgive them of all their sins when they put their faith in Jesus.  So how come we struggle with being forgiven ourselves?

I think it could be for the same reason we struggle with forgiving others.  Because when we accept forgiveness from God or give forgiveness to others it feels like we're saying,  "what I did was ok.  what they did to me was ok."  It wasn't ok.  It was sin.

Forgiveness doesn't mean the sin was ok to do, it just means you don't have to pay for that sin.  You owe nothing for it.  Jesus paid all the debt owed.

Jesus, in all his Godness and righteousness, willingly gave his life as a perfect sacrifice to pay the debt of all sins.  For all who will believe.

When we do not accept forgiveness for that one sin that just seems so overwhelmingly big, are we saying what Jesus did was not enough for that sin?  How arrogant is that?  Jesus, the son of God.  The perfect plan of God to bring salvation to the world wasn't enough?

My friend, my brother or sister, NO sin is bigger that what Christ did on the cross.  

None of us are worthy, no not one.  We are all sinners.  Romans 3: 10 We are all in the same situation and the penalty of sin is death and hell.  But, the good news is, the best news is, Christ paid the penalty and is offering to give us his cloak of righteousness in exchange for our dirty filthy cloak of sin.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ~2 Corinthians 5:21

Just like that.  Believe.  Put your faith in Jesus Christ.  Repent of your sins and get to know God.  He loves you.  He's waiting for you.

If you've been a believer for a while but can't let go of that one sin or if you struggle with putting your faith in Jesus and believing that your sins can really be forgiven, my prayer is that you realize now that your sin isn't bigger than what Jesus did and let it go.  (sorry if I put that annoying song in your head :)  When you do that, you will truly be free.  Freedom in Christ is just that, a sinner who is forgiven.  Live your life free from your sin.  Not perfect.  Not without hard times.  Not without sin.  But free from the penalty of sin.

Us on Christmas Day.
Missing two beautiful Littles that I wish I could share.