TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Did you ever see the movie, “Runaway Bride?” In one of the scenes, Julia Robert’s character puts on a backpack for her honeymoon/mountain-climbing trip and the weight of it sends her toppling over backward.
With that visual in mind, let’s talk about the weight of sin. We all carry it. We even have this misguided notion that some sins weigh more than others. But James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” In short—sin is sin is sin is sin. It’s all equal and therefore, abhorrent in the eyes of God.
The weight of sin is tremendous. After all, it wasn’t the nails that kept Jesus pinned to the cross—it was the colossal weight of our collective sin. But He bore it because, as it says in Romans 5:8, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We can’t carry our own sins. We have to confess them and know that only by the blood of Jesus can we be free from the weight that threatens to overwhelm us.
I grew up Southern Baptist and my husband grew up Catholic. We go to a Baptist church now, but when we were first married, we attended a Catholic church and I even went through the RCIA program. As part of that program, I was expected to go to confession—something I took great issue with. Because of my Baptist upbringing (in both church and the Christian school I attended), I knew that Jesus is our mediator; not man. I see no point in adding a middle-man for confession when we can take it straight to God through His Son, Jesus.
I created a bit of scandal with some of my in-laws when I told them about my meeting with the priest. During that meeting, I confessed (pun intended) to the priest my concerns about the confession requirement. I told him that I saw no point in talking to him nor did I see that he (as a fellow sinner) was qualified to act as an intermediary. I was nice about it, but it was the truth!
But the priest surprised me. He agreed with me and said I didn’t need him for confession. He said his only role was to simply remind me what the Bible says—that God is faithful to forgive a repentant heart.
And that’s the beauty of it all. While the weight of sin pulls us back and weighs us down, the love of God redeems us and sets us free. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God removes the weight of our sins and remembers them no more (Isaiah 43:25) all because we have in Jesus a High Priest, Who advocates for us as no one else could ever do (Hebrews 4:14; 7:24; 7:27).
If the weight of your past is holding you back, look to Jesus. He told us to give it to Him (Matthew 11:28-30). So take Him at His Word! He went to the cross for you after all; we can trust Him to do what He says. Set the load at His feet and be free from the weight of it all.
Today, as you pray, thank God for loving us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you take God at His Word and trust that when you believe Jesus is the Son of God and confess your sins—you ARE forgiven.
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