God’s Great Love Poured Out

When I was 9 or 10 years old, I rode my bike to the neighborhood apothecary to purchase a balsa wood glider. After assembling the glider, I headed to the field behind our house. After a few successful flights, that glider ended up on the roof of a neighbor’s house. So, rather than wait until an adult could get my glider off the roof, I again rode my bike to that small corner store and picked myself up another glider; however, this time not paying for it. That evening, the owner of the store paid a visit to our house to discuss with me my decision to steal from his store. He did not raise his voice, nor did my parents, but it was clear that the adults in the room were disappointed in me. And there were consequences to be had. Their disappointment faded over time and I was eventually also forgiven, but it took time.

For the next several months, when us neighborhood boys would go into his store to buy Topps baseball cards or candy, the owner always seemed to watch my every move. He simply did not trust me, and rightfully so.

We live in a society that struggles to forgive. We either clearly state a lack of willingness to forgive or we say we forgive but still hold a grudge. Forgiveness has nothing to do with escaping the consequences of one’s actions. Even in forgiveness, there are consequences to our actions. Forgiveness is to let go of an offense, to stop feeling resentful or angry toward the offender. I am sure, if you are like me, you’ve been on both sides of that fence – needing to both forgive and to be forgiven. But be honest, forgiving and being forgiven, both usually lacking in some way.     

Unlike you and me, who struggle to genuinely and completely forgive someone, the Bible is clear that because Jesus paid the price for our sins (Ephesians 1:7), we freely and unconditionally receive God’s forgiveness. But let me be clear here as well, even in forgiveness, there are usually still consequences of our actions. Acts 3:19 tells us – “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

God not only forgives, He also forgets, never holding our past against us. In Micah 7:19 we read these words – “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!” And in Hebrews 8:12 – “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 

We come to know the character of God by His many names. One such name is El Nose, the “God Who Forgives.” We see this very name in Psalm 99:8 – “LORD [Yahweh/Jehovah] our God [Elohim], you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God [El Nose], though you punished their misdeeds.”

The expanse of God’s great love instructs us through our wrong choices and that same pure love offers us forgiveness. How big is God’s love you ask? Picture for a minute a field of sunflowers that seems to go on endlessly. As expansive as that field appears to be, it does have boundaries. God’s love on the other hand has no boundaries. It is vast beyond measure; it extends past our capacity to understand.

So, today, I ask you – Will you repent of your sins and receive the forgiveness of El Nose? And with a grateful heart will you thank El Nose for His great love poured out in that forgiveness? 

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