Musings from Moore

Cyndi Beam

I was physically SHAKEN...before I was spiritually STIRRED.

I was DOWN for a while...but then I climbed OUT.

I am DISPLACED...but by no means am I HOMELESS.

My HOUSE is in ruin...but my HOME is stunningly gorgeous.

At no point during the storm did I fear for my LIFE...but for the first time in years, I'm truly ready to LIVE.

Jesus was BRUISED for my iniquities and CRUSHED for my sins...but I came out without a SCRATCH.

Some will say a half-inch thick sheet of METAL and a strong supporting FRAME saved my life...while I don't doubt the mechanics of my storm SHELTER, I am also positive that GOD had His finger on the HANDLE.

Paid In Full

"When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." - Colossians 2:13-14

Sometimes when I'm studying for a sermon or even just having a quiet time with the Lord, I wonder, do I really comprehend the incredible gift we were given when Jesus died for our sins? Do any of us? Not that we take this act for granted, but we speak about it so routinely that I think we fail to absorb the full scope of this gift.

It's as though all of our sins were listed on a writing board. And then Christ has come along with a cloth and erased them forever...as though they were never even there. On that board, somebody puts a receipt that says, "PAID IN FULL." That's what the nails of the cross did—paid the penalty for our sin in full. Christ has done it all. Our sins have been nailed to the cross; they've been taken care of. Nothing more is needed for forgiveness other than our accepting this amazing gift.

Move Forward with God’s Forgiveness

by Rick Warren

"Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame." (Proverbs 4:25 TEV)

You don't need to walk around carrying a load of guilt. The Apostle Paul says, “Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins” (Romans 3:23-24 TLB).

God wants to forgive you. Imagine a giant blackboard with all of your sins written across it and God comes along with a giant eraser and erases it all. It's like an Etch A Sketch: You turn it upside down and shake it, then turn it back up, and the slate is clean. That's good news, isn't it?

But we need to accept God's forgiveness. We may know about God's forgiveness intellectually, but we need to believe it, deep down inside, accepting in faith that it is true — because it is!

One thing that often blocks us from accepting forgiveness from God is that we are unable to forgive ourselves. You need to forgive yourself for your past failures and sins, for the habits and hang-ups that led you to sin. Forgive yourself!