Tired of carrying the burden of guilt and condemnation? Find out how you can experience God's never-ending mercies and start fresh every single day.
New Every Morning — Aneel Aranha
Hello and welcome to The Hope Podcast. I’m Aneel Aranha. Today, we will talk about how the mercies of the Lord never come to an end; they are new every morning.
Have you noticed how often we look to the beginning of a new year to make a fresh start? Unfortunately, we get this opportunity only once every 365 days. Fortunately, we don’t need to wait that long because Scripture tells us that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning!” (Lamentations 3:22-23). We can renew ourselves every single day!
Guilt is a terrible burden to carry. Like a sack of potatoes, the longer we carry it, the heavier—and smellier—it gets. We would be wise to heed Jesus’ call to us. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” he invites, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The rest comes from the forgiveness he offers without question and the reassurance he gives us that his grace will see us through.
“But,” you ask, “how many times can I keep repeating the same sin and go to him?” As often as you make it! Let us not believe that God runs out of patience or has a sealing on the limit of times he will forgive us. When Peter once asked Jesus: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Which, translated, means as often as necessary!
I know that we can be very condemning of sinners, especially those who have sinned against us, and hold their sins against them for the rest of our lives. We should be happy that our fate doesn’t rest in the hands of men but in Christ, who is quick to forgive. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We are brought back into total righteousness when we confess our sins to God.
So, my dear friend, it doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. And it doesn’t matter how many fingers point at you in accusation for what you did. Know that” there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Come into the open arms of God, who longs for the restoration of intimacy with you and says to you: “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace!” (Luke 7:48,50).