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that you love me with an unfailing love. Your mercy and your goodness endure forever. Help me to believe that if I confess my sins to you, you are faithful and just to forgive me of my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), not because of my goodness or anything I have done to earn your forgiveness, but because of your goodness and great mercy.

      There is Beauty in the Way He Cares for His Creation

      Day 2

      “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent”

      —Luke 15:1–7 NIV

      Don’t you find it interesting that there is more rejoicing in heaven over the one lost sheep that is found than over ninety-nine that never strayed? Why is that? Isn’t it more admirable to stay close to the shepherd and always be obedient and follow close to him? Jesus uses this parable to demonstrate his unfailing love for us. Who among us can relate to the ninety-nine? Which one of us can say that we have never sinned or strayed from the shepherd? God in his infinite wisdom knows that each of us has wandered from the fold and lost contact with the sound of his voice. He knows that we can relate best to the one lost sheep because we are that sheep. Each of us has fallen short at times, but God does not leave us alone in the wilderness to die in our sin. He comes after us because he loves us and does not want to see us perish. (See Luke 19:10). He leaves the ninety-nine, knowing they are safe and will remain faithful, and he searches for the lost sheep and finds it (us). He brings us back safely into the fold and rejoices over us along with the hosts of heaven.

      To further extend the metaphor of the sheep, we move to John 10:27–28 (KJV). Jesus says: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” God has expectations that we follow him. He does not expect to continually leave the fold to go searching for the same lost sheep. If we stray, he will come after us, but he desires for us to know his voice and to stay close to him. We achieve that closeness by maturing in the word and spending time with our Lord so that we recognize his voice and obey him. When we know the shepherd’s voice, we will not be led astray or distracted by others. When we stay close to the Lord, we cannot be deceived or enticed by any trick of the enemy. No man will be able to “pluck” us from the hand of the father.

      Prayer

      Dear Lord, please help me to hear and know your voice and to stay close to you. Thank you for the times that you have come searching for me and delivered me from the snares of the enemy. Thank you for the times you have brought me back to the safety and security of your fold. Help me now, Lord, to remain faithful and strong and show others the way to you.

      There is Beauty in Redemption

      Day 3

      “[For] all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”

      —Rom 3:23–24 NIV

      The word of God tells us plainly that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. As humans, there is no way we can measure up to God’s standard of perfection, yet Jesus Christ, being God (and man) on earth, was able to fulfill that objective. He lived a perfect life and paid the penalty for our sin through his death on the cross. He took the shame and punishment we deserve. He conquered sin and death, and by believing in him and turning from our sins, we, too, can have eternal life. When we accept Christ’s forgiveness, he redeems us and sets us free from the chains of sin and death.

      So why do we find it so hard to forgive ourselves? Why do we revisit our past and question whether or not we are truly forgiven? It is, perhaps, because that in our humanity, we cannot truly fathom the kind of love that does not keep a record of wrongdoing, that does not dredge up the past and hold it over the head of the evildoer. We must understand that when we go back in our minds and relive our past faults and failures and question God’s forgiveness, we take value away from what Christ did for us. In our minds we minimize the sacrifice Jesus made. We try to make God smaller than what he is, who he is. We try to fit him into our limited concept of love and forgiveness.

      We have to understand that our forgiveness is finished. There is nothing else that needs to be done. Psalm 103:12 explains that God has removed our transgressions “as far as the east is from the west” (NIV). It is over. We have to let go of our mistakes and embrace the mercy and forgiveness God has extended to us. When the enemy tries to remind us of our failures, and we feel engulfed by waves of guilt and shame, we can turn to the scriptures that remind us of what Christ has done for us. When we begin to truly fathom the love of God and the extent of his forgiveness, we can begin to find true joy and walk in the victory God desires for us. (See also 1 John 3:20.)

      Prayer

      Dear Lord, thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for my sins. Help me to understand your great love and mercy for me. Help me, by faith, to embrace the forgiveness you have extended to me and to forgive myself. Help me to let go of the past and walk in the joy of your salvation.

      There is Beauty in the Battle

      Day 4

      “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints”

      —Eph 6:13–18 KJV).

      Letting go of pain, past offenses, guilt, and fear frees us to pursue God. He has an abundant life in store for us, but we will not enjoy it fully if we are held prisoner by the past or by fear. The enemy has a way of planting thoughts in our mind to keep us bound by those emotions, but God has provided a way for us to be victorious. He instructs us in his word to be clothed with the whole armor of God. This is the key to being armed and ready when unwanted thoughts try to creep in. The armor of God protects the entire body and the mind. We need faith that the word of God is true and to believe that he will do what he says he will do. We need to have accepted God’s plan for salvation and be clothed in his righteousness and truth. We need to live peaceably with those around us, avoiding strife and contention. We need to stay close to the Lord through prayer and through the reading of his word. Every part of the armor is for our defense, our protection, except the sword. The sword is an offensive weapon. God places his word in our hands and in our hearts, so that we can wage battle against the enemy. When those painful thoughts come, it is the word of God that drives back the enemy. Some examples from the scriptures are the following:

      “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7 KJV).

      “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa 59:19 KJV).

      “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31 KJV).

      “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things

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