False Alarm

I got a real scare last night. As I was walking to the kitchen, I accidentally slammed my right "funny bone" into the wall. After about 10 minutes or so, I had no feeling in the entire arm. I started to panic thinking I may have jolted the disc that just had surgery. When I got the the hospital, they took xrays, which thankfully were all negative. They gave me a cortisone shot, and the feeling slowly started to come back. I was released about an hour later. Today, it almost seems funny. But it was not funny last night. I admit I am a worry-wart, but when the feeling left my arm last night, I got visions of that awful night before my surgery.

I wonder if that is how some people feel after their sin. I wonder if some people go into panic mode thinking they have done real damage to their spiritual life. There's no doubt, sin is awful, and should make us feel bad. That "bad" feeling comes from the Holy Spirit and is meant to help us repent. But If we have accepted Christ as our Personal Savior, NO sin will cause permanent damage! I know it seems hard to believe, but the Scriptures are filled with this very fact. Because we are born-again through the Blood of Jesus, no sin will ever separate us from God. Should we feel bad when we sin? Yes. But we need to use that bad feeling to motivate us to repent, instead of sending us into panic mode.

Romans 8:1-2 says, "In Jesus, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."

Father, thank you for forgiving us of our sins. Teach us to never let sin cause us to lose our joy in You. Instead, let it motivate us to repentance. In Jesus name, Amen.