Time doesn't heal all wounds.

In Hosea 7:1-2 the Lord states, "They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets. They do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Their sins engulf them; they are always before My face." Just a few quick comments on this passage . . .

Children, teenagers, young adults, middle aged adults, and elderly people all sin. Yet, it seems safe to say that people sin the most during the earlier stages of life. 2 Timothy 2:22 supports this claim when it says, "Flee youthful lusts." It seems safe to say that temptation and peer pressure are the strongest during the days of one's youth. Additionally, teenagers who are not married are very likely to succumb to sexual temptation. However, as people grow older responsibilities such as a job, spouse and children make most people settle down (at least a little bit!). They may even get back into the habit of going to church, at least occasionally. The days of "wild living" are a distant memory! However, there is 1 HUGE PROBLEM!

The days of "wild living" are not a distant memory to the Lord! Hosea 7:2 states, "The Lord remembers all their wickedness." In spite of the fact that the sins may have been committed years, or even decades ago, the sins are "always before the face of the Lord." The passing of time certainly affects our memories, but it does not cause our sins to fade out of the Lord's memory! In fact, Jeremiah 17:1 says, "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with the point of a diamond it is engraved . . ." In other words, time does not remove our sin/guilt! The sins we committed years ago are still as fresh in the mind of the Lord as the day/night/weekend we committed the sin. Time does not eliminate the guilt! We may not feel as bad about it anymore because "its in the past" and we are "not that kinda person anymore." But the fact remains that we are still as guilty as we were the day we committed the crime.

The goal of this blog is to make people realize that time does not erase our guilt. In fact, it is necessary (and good) for a guilty person to "feel guilty." Unless a person realizes they are sick (have a serious problem) they will never turn to the doctor for help (Matt. 9:12-13). In reality, a person must reach the same point the Psalmist did when he exclaimed, "My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear" (Psalm 38:4). A person will reach this point when they begin to consider all the sins they have committed throughout their entire life (not just the sins this week!). Forgetting about all our past sins can easily lead to a false sense of peace. Please, do not fall into that trap!

The good news the Bible contains is that our sins really can be forgiven because of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:7 states, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sins." The Lord graciously "deletes" all our sins when we confess our guilty, turn to Christ, and place our faith in Him for salvation. All our sins (including the old ones) can be erased, not by the passing of time, but rather through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 3:19 states, "Repent, and be converted so that your sins may be blotted our and times of refreshing may come from the Lord." It is only through repenting (which includes changing your mind about your guilty status) and placing your faith in Christ for salvation that you can experience forgiveness and the joy that accompanies it. I hope you have reached a point in your life where you have been overwhelmed by your guilt, and turned to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness. I hope you can identify with the man in the bible who went to church, but was so humiliated by his life of sin that he refused to even look up to heaven. Instead, he beat his chest, and cried out "God, have mercy on me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). He went home forgiven. The same can be true of you.