Colossians 1:21-23
At one time, you were alienated from God and hostile in your thinking, as expressed through your evil deeds. But now Christ reconciled you in his body of flesh through death, in order to present you holy, blameless, and faultless before him—if you continue steadfast and firm in faith, without being moved away from the hope of the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.
Dear Heavenly Father,
No one likes to hear that they are evil or hostile toward You, but Paul didn’t sugar-coat the consequences of our sins. “At one time, you were alienated from God.” In fact, by nature, our sinful desires make us completely unreceptive to You. Because of our sinful nature, there’s no reason we should be able to be in Your presence; You are holy and perfect.
What makes it worse is that we love ignoring our sins and convince ourselves we aren’t that bad. When we say or do something offensive to others, we look the other way instead of facing ourselves in the mirror. But every time we fall short of perfect love, we deserve to be separated from You.
Lord, thank You for Your Word that forces us to look in the mirror and see our many faults, helping us realize how much we need a Savior. But You didn’t stop there. You also restored us through Christ’s body. The perfect life He lived has been credited to us; Paul reminds us, “now we are holy, blameless, and faultless.” And this is not because of anything we have done, but You covered our sins with Jesus’s blood—poured out for us on the cross; we have been restored, no longer alienated from You. This gift is received through faith, which is given by Your Spirit through the Means of Grace—the Word and sacraments.
Now, through faith, we trust that our sins are forgiven, and we are restored to You, receiving the hope of life that only You can give. Lord, thank You for sharing Your gospel; grant us the courage today to be part of Your proclamation to all creation under heaven. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
Rest assured, Christ has already forgiven our sins; He wants us to acknowledge all our unloving acts and iniquities and ask for forgiveness. Trust and believe that your sins are forgiven and that He has secured your salvation and eternal life. These blessings are yours through faith in Him.