PARDON

Scripture for the day: Nehemiah 9:17; Jeremiah 50:20; John 6:37 "But you are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness ...."For I will pardon those whom I preserve".... "And all that the Father gives Me will come to Me and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."

Thought for the day: What a relief! What a difference in outlook must come to a person when they receive the news they've been pardoned by someone with the authority to do so. Can you even imagine the relief that must be felt by the one who's spent years on death row, waiting to be executed for crimes committed, who suddenly gets the news that the leader of his country has decided to set him free instead. Most would be beside themselves with joy and thankfulness at the prospect of not having to face the just consequences of wrong choices made.

Think back to the story of the prodigal son again. When he came over the brow of that hill, perhaps just at dusk when the shadows in the valley were beginning to lengthen and close the whole land in darkness, and saw the old homestead there, looking just as it had when he'd left those months or years before; peaceful, inviting, a light shining in one of the windows. What emotions must he have experienced? A tiny ember, all that was left of the hope he’d once had, was suddenly fanned into a flame within his heart. This was home! This was where he’d once been loved and cared for. Surely his own father would at least allow him to work as a hired hand, wouldn’t he? His back straightened just a bit as he took a single step toward home. “Surely,” he thought, “this is a place where a poor lost sinner can find forgiveness.

But wait! What if they were still angry? He’d squandered half the family fortune and now dared return with nothing more than the rags on his back to show for all his grand dreams. What if he were driven away as he deserved? When he suddenly perceived in the shadows, a man running directly at him, I wonder if the thought crossed his mind that perhaps the person was coming to attack him, even put him to death. It would be no less than he deserved.

Can you even begin to understand the great relief and joy that washed over his soul when that same shadowy figure materialized into a loving father who was suddenly throwing his arms around his long-lost son, wetting his neck with tears of joy? Only the one who has received mercy rather than justice can possibly know the relief, the overwhelming joy of suddenly being pardoned and set free. How much greater the joy of a sinner who, in accepting the pardon provided on Calvary suddenly realizes God is a loving Father, always at the ready to throw His loving arms around any errant soul that chooses to return to Him. He sees every tear we shed. He knows every heartache and hears every groan as we have been weighted down with the cares of this life. And He knows the value of the pardon He provides. He does not forgive by degrees, nor does He require proof of innocence before setting us free. When He pardons, He pardons everything! He takes our past and casts it behind Him and never looks over his shoulder.

Have you experienced that kind of pardon in your life? Can you say you've not only understood but accepted the forgiveness He provides? And can you say you've put those things behind you as He has? He will be found by you when you seek Him with all your heart.

Now go take on your world (knowing you've been forgiven) - Bill