"Therefore, there is
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ
Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and
death." (Romans 8:1-2 NIV)
No matter what you’ve ever done, there
is no condemnation in Christ. He sits at the Father’s right hand, not as an
accuser, but as an advocate willing to give His life for you.
God began the work to bring you back
into His presence long before you were born. God knows you can’t make the
journey home on your own, so while you “were still helpless,” Christ died for
you (Romans 5:6 HCSB).
Jesus offers mercy, not condemnation.
He says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13 NIV). His objective is
to bring you back into intimacy with the Father, so He’s not interested in
making you jump through hoops to prove yourself worthy or to earn back God’s
love.
God’s word to you is this: “These
things you offer to do and the promises you want to make in exchange for your
forgiveness, they’re just offerings to help you get over your guilt. I’d rather
give you forgiveness and grace as a gift; I desire mercy, not these sacrifices
that make you grovel in hopes of winning back my love. You never lost My love!”
“My purpose is not to condemn you but
to let my life run free within you as the Holy Spirit connects you directly to
the Father” (Romans 8:1-2 NIV, author paraphrase).
“Besides, you can’t wash all the stains
away. So, let Me do it for you. My blood will be the bleach to wash you white
as snow, and My Spirit will begin to live directly in your heart.”
Now wrapped in Christ, we find no
condemnation and we’re able to “approach God's throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”
(Hebrews 4:16 NIV).
When you feel condemnation coming at
you like a furious flood, stand on Jesus Christ the Rock, who said, “I no
longer condemn you. Go and sin no more” (John 8:11 NLT, with author
paraphrase).
NOTE :
This
devotional © Copyright 2012 Jon Walker. All rights reserved. Used by
permission.
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