God's Forgetfulness

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” ~ Isaiah 65:17

The prophet Isaiah spoke to the kings and religious leaders of the southern kingdom, Judah. Even as he delivered God’s Word of judgment and retribution for their violations of the covenant, Isiah shared God’s plan for salvation and re-creation. All sin is known to God. Sin always has consequences. Even so, God desires to make our scarlet sin as white as snow. God even deployed a plan that exceeded human capacity. A child is born, a Son given. He will take the punishment for the transgression of sinners and justify them before God by His blood. 

What a fantastic encouragement from the Scripture! Over the last month and a half, those who have journeyed through the entire bible became keenly aware of chosen people’s sin. There is sufficient evidence to support God’s occasional desire to destroy them, but God does not. Even while they are utterly depraved, God still sought to redeem them, if only for the sake of a few covenant-keepers. The LORD even offered signs of a plan to make an unbreakable covenant through one, even THE ONE. 

Given that we are all guilty of sin, which is to disregard God in any way, the fact that we don’t generally do some of the awful things the chosen people did is little comfort. It turns out that one sin is as bad as another when placed under the light of God’s perfect holiness. Even so, the LORD sees in us a soul worth saving for all eternity, and the LORD is willing to do whatever it takes to make it so. Have you ever felt the sadness that comes when someone you look up to gives up on you? When you think that you will never live up to his/her expectations and you feel dismissed as a failure or loser, it is devastating. Everyone needs approval from particular persons in their lives. When those people cruelly reject you, it can break you for a lifetime. 

The Heavenly Father believed in you from the beginning. He sees your sin and your potential.  He gives you guiding principles to live by for His love’s sake. The Father settles your compounding debt before you obtain an accounting of it. He buys your debt with His Son’s blood and then cancels it because of His Son’s love. There is no expectation too hard to meet; no disgusting head-shaking condemnation from an unholy judge. The Father does not give up on you, nor does He consider you a loser - far from it!

Sin’s consequences are evident in all aspects of life in the world. Yet, the effect of over 2000 years of Holy Spirit-filled Christians is equally undeniable. Even flawed, perishable humans can change the world when they are born again in the Spirit. What are you doing with the gift of redemption and your new life in Christ? How have you tapped into supernatural mercy and grace; constructive and creative energies, and profound expressions of beauty? With the LORD’s Spirit, your best is always good enough and you are not a loser. In fact, when you sacrifice self-pity and cease to make excuses, you are presenting yourself as a sweet aroma to the LORD.