“When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions” (Psalm 65:3).
Charles Spurgeon preached in a sermon entitled Love’s Logic, “Do not let the devil tempt you to believe that God does not love you because your love is feeble.”
The reason why I sometimes struggle with God’s love is not because God’s love is not great but because my love is so weak.
The thing is, I am a sinner. Not only am I a sinner, but I am a repeat sinner. There are certain sins which I confess on a daily basis because there are certain sins I struggle with on a daily basis. Because of this, there are days when I feel ashamed for asking for forgiveness for the same sins which God has already forgiven me for.
The reason why I doubt and feel ashamed is not because God’s love is not great, but because of my personal experience with how I love. My feeble attempt at love can’t imagine forgiving someone for the same transgressions on a daily basis.
We get into trouble when we begin interpreting and understanding God’s love through our love. It needs to be the other way around. God’s love is agape. God’s love is unconditional. God’s love is complete. We need to relearn how to love as God loves.
We get into trouble when we focus on ourselves and our sins instead of focusing on God’s unconditional love and God’s complete forgiveness. God does not love the way we love.
Of course God wants us to confess our sins and failures, because God’s love always pursues us to be more like him. It is the devil who wants us to believe that God’s done with us and our feeble ways. It is the devil who shames us into thinking that God would shame us.
Think on God’s love. Remember God’s promise.
“When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions” (Psalm 65:3).
Amen!
Praxis: Faith in Action 