Daily Devotional 9/3/14 The Upper Room Scripture: Psalm 103:8-13 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; “Thats Been Done!” – Grace Linwood-Michaels (Virginia) [Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness. (1 Peter 2:24) Years after the fact, realization of my failure as a mother slammed me like a charging elephant. My children’s father had abused them, and I — their mother — had failed to adequately protect them. Because of my negligence, my sons suffered immeasurable mental, spiritual, and physical pain — pain that I could not heal. Disconsolate, I lived in unrelenting sorrow and self-loathing. I had left my children vulnerable. How could I have done that? I felt I did not deserve to live. But in one of my darkest moments, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart: “Jesus has already died for that; you should live.”And I knew it to be true. Long before I realized the extent of my sinfulness, Jesus died for all my sins, even this one. I could never make atonement, but Jesus already had. Thankful for God’s abundant grace, I began the journey toward healing. Through counseling I learned more about abuse and the way it distorts reality. I combated condemning thoughts by quoting scripture to remind myself that I am forgiven and deeply loved by God. I live — forgiven, accepted, and loved. Thought for the Day: God wants us to live. Prayer: Father of mercy, thank you for being more willing to forgive us than we are to forgive ourselves. In the name of Jesus, who heals our wounds. Amen. Prayer focus: Victims of abuse
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 08:03:54 +0000
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