by John Grant
“For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12
Each day hundreds of new applications for downloading on the latest editions of cell phones come on the market. Last week, one caught my eye. It is entitled “Confession,” and is designed to help track of their sins one commandment at a time. While the app cannot grant forgiveness, but can help you keep track of what you need to ask forgiveness for.
The text-based app takes the user through the Ten Commandments, with a slew of questions attached to each. Users can check a box next to each sin they have committed. But why do I need to remember my sins?
It is not that God chooses not to remember our sins. He chooses never to bring them up again. He doesn’t forget because He cannot. But, He doesn’t remember them either; that is, He will never bring them up again. Why? Because they have been forgiven in His Son Jesus.
This is why, when you read Hebrews 11, you will see a listing of great people of faith. Abraham, Moses, David, etc. Yet, none of their sins are listed even though they were sinners. Why? Because God remembers their sins no more.
Jesus told us to forgive as the Father has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). So, if someone does something wrong against you, then later asks for forgiveness, and you forgive him, you are never supposed to bring up that offense again… ever! Maybe you won’t ever forget the offense, but then again, you can choose not to remember it. This is what forgiveness means for those of us who have been forgiven by Jesus.
As we live our lives, we seldom consider the fact that God knows everything that we are doing. Some think that God only knows about the good things we do, others doubt that God exists, or if He does exist, they doubt that He can know everything. No matter our opinion, God says that there is nothing that occurs in your life about which God does not know.
You cannot hide anything from God. He knows every sin that you have ever committed, from the smallest white lie to the deepest darkest sin in your life, but for those who have accepted Him, we are forgiven.
So instead of keeping track of your sins, learn from them and try to not commit them again, but concentrate on counting your many blessings and focus on Him who forgave you of all of your iniquities. (a thought on life from John Grant )
You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/03/17/jg_sin-tracker/
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
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