A Word for Our Arbor Family
This week I had an incident. When I was leaving the place where I parked my pickup truck, I hit another car because I didn't notice it was passing behind me.
As I apologized to the person and analyzed the damage, I thought for a moment, "I'll have to take it to a shop and find out how much I'll have to pay", etc. In the end, we decided to let the insurance cover the damage. When I contacted the insurance company, they told me, "Don't worry, Mr. Soto. You're covered for this type of incident and don't have to pay anything." That's when I said, "I'm glad I have insurance!"
I meditated on the fact that many times things happen where we fail God. We try to fix it by doing things on our own - without stopping to think that, on the Cross, Jesus' blood was enough to forgive all my sin. It's already been paid for! It's important that we recognize that it's not our efforts that open the doors of Heaven, but rather His blood, shed on the Cross, that secures our eternity (Ephesians 1:7).
When I try to pay for my sins with guilt and shame, that only brings me condemnation. God continues to show me that it was His blood, applied to my life, has bought my forgiveness. And He he doesn't shame or condemn. He just gives me love. He gives me Heaven in the eternal phrase:
Your sins are forgiven!
As I apologized to the person and analyzed the damage, I thought for a moment, "I'll have to take it to a shop and find out how much I'll have to pay", etc. In the end, we decided to let the insurance cover the damage. When I contacted the insurance company, they told me, "Don't worry, Mr. Soto. You're covered for this type of incident and don't have to pay anything." That's when I said, "I'm glad I have insurance!"
I meditated on the fact that many times things happen where we fail God. We try to fix it by doing things on our own - without stopping to think that, on the Cross, Jesus' blood was enough to forgive all my sin. It's already been paid for! It's important that we recognize that it's not our efforts that open the doors of Heaven, but rather His blood, shed on the Cross, that secures our eternity (Ephesians 1:7).
When I try to pay for my sins with guilt and shame, that only brings me condemnation. God continues to show me that it was His blood, applied to my life, has bought my forgiveness. And He he doesn't shame or condemn. He just gives me love. He gives me Heaven in the eternal phrase:
Your sins are forgiven!