Psalm 103:12
Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 103:12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:12
This is a beautiful passage that shows how complete His forgiveness is of our sins. First, the idea of the first part of this verse; as far as the east is from the west, denotes as far as possible apart. We cannot imagine this distance because it is so vast. And this is how far he has removed our sins from us Christians. They are removed to an eternal distance by the great mercy of God.
However, not only will He separate our sins from us by an infinite distance, but He will also remember them no more. Note these verses. “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.” Hebrews 8:12. And, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25. The meaning of this is that our sins are not charged against us anymore. We are no longer to be punished for these just as if we never committed them. This is how God forgives us.
So, if this is so, and our sins are no longer charged to us, and God will never bring them up to us, we should not remember our past sins either. God has forgiven us, and we should forgive ourselves as well. So often we look into our past and we go over and over those sins we have committed: that we have confessed to God and He has forgiven, but we have not forgiven ourselves. If God has forgiven us, we need to forgive ourselves as well. To hold these things in our hearts and think upon them, condemning ourselves for them, we will not find the peace that God desires of to have. God spoke through Paul the following, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14. We must forget sins we have done in the past for they will only hold us back. They will cause us to condemn ourselves and the enemy will use them against us. We must put them permanently behind us, just as God has put them as far as the east is from the west, pressing forward in doing the things God has called us to do.
In order for us to be dedicated to the work God has called us to, we must focus on the fact He has truly called us to be His hands and feet on this earth. Our past is irrelevant because He has forgiven us. All that matters is us pressing forward, growing in Him and His word; evangelizing the lost and discipling the body. We are to help the helpless, feed the hungry, and encourage the downtrodden. We must forget our past. As I said above, it will only hold us back and minimize what we can do. He desires us to forgive ourselves as He has forgiven us. And He desires us to live in the peace He provides as well.
William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.