Day 13

05 Feb Day 13

Scripture: Psalm 65:3 NLT- “Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.”

Observation: The burden of sin is overwhelming; a weight carried on our spirit that wears us down. To us, it is a heavy burden, but God forgives them all.

Application:  I remember how I felt when I felt the weight of sin in my life. Growing up as the child of immigrants was a frustrating experience in my youth. The richness of the experience was lost on me until I found its fulfillment in Christ. I felt like people would use any excuse to be nasty to me and if they were nice, they were even more worthy of suspicion because their motives seemed untrustworthy. I felt as if I couldn’t be myself and was fearful to let people get to know me.

As a coping strategy, I would stay under the radar, but even with this tactic I was always on edge trying to hold back negative reactions towards me by being overly accommodating to who I was around. It worked for most interactions, but it wore me down eventually, and was part of the reason for the end of a relationship because I couldn’t authentically connect in any meaningful way.

Whether your back is about to break because you’ve been carrying all the weight or your spirit is weak because you’ve run away, it is never too late to give it to Jesus. You are always more than what you seem and Christ can lighten every load. There is no reason to be ashamed or feel guilty. Jesus died for it all. When you are in counsel with God and Jesus, you are among family. It isn’t about right or wrong. There is no sin so great that would cause God to reject you. Jesus died for all sin.

God wants to restore you. God wants to heal you. He wants to show you just how full of purpose he made you to be. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve sinned; remember that God forgives it all. Remember that God can transform. With God working with you, who could be against you?

Prayer:  God, thank you for forgiving all sin. Thank you for the peace you give when I am overwhelmed by my intentional mistakes or unforeseen errors. Thank you for the peace you provide through the blood of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Going Deeper: 

• How is your past keeping you from your present? Whose picture-perfect image are you trying to be? What mistakes have you done that should be left at the cross?
• What obligations or duties are you holding onto that is keeping you from what God has for you? 
• Additional Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12, Ecclesiastes 9

Jeremy Gouveia/Production Team Leader

Jeremy started to serve at The Journey a few years ago. You can usually find him during a gathering bobbing up and down the gathering space with a camera slugged on his shoulder. Being part of The Journey has been a tremendous blessing on his life and he looks forward to continuing to grow and advancing the Kingdom of God. The J-Group he is co-leading is  Snacks, Snacks, and Discussion in the Spring. He will be graduating from JLI (Journey Leadership Institute) in June.