Day 139 "In order to be forgiven we must first be remorseful."

Day 139 Matthew 16:13-17 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” The disciples have finally become familiar with who Jesus is. Not long ago, had He asked the same question, no doubt the answer from His disciples would have more closely mirrored that of the people. By being close to Christ, they realized that He was much more than a prophet, for no prophet before Him had ever testified to being the Son of Man nor the Messiah and then backed it up with miracles and signs and wonders such as these. But who do you say that He is: your savior? your redeemer? your crutch? your life ring? or maybe your excuse? The question is, of course, not meant to be accusatory, but rather, I pray, thought provoking. You see, I feel like many of us have gotten too far used to having Jesus to fall back on, while, yes, He is a God of mercy and grace, he does require change as well. Far too often I hear statements like this: "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask for permission" or "Oh, that’s just the way so and so is; it's no big deal." These can be very dangerous statements. You see, if we approach our Savior with such complacency and lack of remorse, how can we be assured of His forgiveness? After all, in order to be forgiven, don't we need to be sorry? If we water down the seriousness of our sin, are we not watering down the blood that cleanses us and minimizing the sacrifice that Jesus made? Sin is a serious matter, and we should treat it as such. Maybe we would do well to live every day as if we didn't have a Savior, as if works was our only way to salvation. Before you call me a heretic, hear me out. I am not suggesting that we should truly live by works; however, an attitude that reflects such would cause us to be more careful would it not? After all, everything I work for has greater value to me than the things that are given freely; there is something about earning it that makes it more sincere. I pray that none of you adopt a lifestyle of works, for you would be contradicting the Word of God. Ephesians 2:7-10 tells us we cannot work our way to salvation; however, we must have faith to believe in order to receive. I also pray that none of us ever become complacent about sin and transgression and that we always remain aware of the cost of our forgiveness and the price that was paid by our Savior. Daily Prayer: Father, may it be so. May we never discount the sacrifice Jesus has made for our sins nor the love You have shown by our free redemption by His blood. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "In order to be forgiven we must first be remorseful." Pastor Gene Burroughs