Remembering What God Forgot…

People have a hard time letting go of the past. Perhaps you have regrets. Did you do something stupid last semester? Did something embarrassing happen to you? Maybe memories of those events are keeping you from trying again? If so, you are letting your past wreck your today.

Or maybe you committed a certain sin last semester that particularly haunts you. Your conscience brings that sin up over and over. The devil continues to remind you that you deserve God’s punishment for that sin. Maybe you even think God is punishing you at this very moment as various things you try don’t work out.

If that is the case, it is time to open your Bible to Romans 8:1. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus paid for your sins, including that sin. Since Jesus paid for all of your sins, there is no reason for God to punish you. Certainly, God may discipline us by allowing consequences of our sinful actions to affect us, but His motive is not punishment. It is love. He wants us to avoid the same mistakes, and He wants us to know that He is there to forgive.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). When God forgives sins, he forgets sins (Isaiah 43:25). Don’t let remembering what God forgot put you in a place of despair.

Furthermore, God’s loving chastisement is temporary. Check out Hebrews 12:11 (along with the entire chapter): No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

If you continue to have trouble dealing with the past, contact your pastor to talk about the issue. Don’t remember what God forgot. Remember that God forgives…