Read His Words Before Ours!
Romans 3:21-26
Romans 6:12-23
Hosea 14:1-9
All sin is equal.
Bride, Day 15
Did anyone else feel like you just rubbed your pet’s fur the wrong direction or like you drew your fingers across one of those mermaid sequin pillows?
All sin is equal.
It’s a bit of an uncomfortable thought, isn’t it?
All sin is equal.
The more I ponder those four words, the more the reality sinks in.
All sin is equal.
Uncomfortable moves to concern.
All sin is equal.
Concern reaches full on conviction.
All sin is equal.
I am a sinner.
As I review my week….
My thoughts have not been kind towards some.
My pride has reared its ugly head.
I’ve fallen into the trap for comparing myself to others.
I’ve sped while driving. (Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Everyone may speed, but it is still the law. Matthew 22:21).
I could make the list longer if I slowed down enough to truly reflect on my shortcomings.
(pretty sure – okay positive – more sin is hidden in multiple facets of that statement.
Isn’t sin sneaky?)
Nowhere did I commit murder, cheat on my taxes, do something sexually inappropriate, cause physical harm, but I did sin.
Anyone ever find herself in that land of justifying sin
based on the severity of the natural consequences?
I did not say what I was thinking to that person.
I did not get caught.
I didn’t commit a misdemeanor or felony.
No one got hurt.
However, the Lord does not have sin on a sliding scale.
My sin is not less than yours.
Your sin is not better than mine.
Sometimes I forget that reality, and the reminder to myself today is that regardless of the outcome, and whatever level of grace and mercy present in the scenarios, I still sinned.
The words of Hosea 14 echo through my heart with the sweet mixture of conviction and hope.
“Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him,
“Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously,
that we may present the fruit of our lips.
Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses;
nor will we say again, ‘Our god’ to the work of our hands;
for in You the orphan finds mercy.”” Hosea 14:2-3
Oh Lord, I have sinned. I have fallen short.
Let me count the ways. Please take away my sins and draw me close to you.
Have you read all of Hosea 14 yet?
If you haven’t, go ahead. I’ll wait.
The Lord, in His infinite goodness, speaks the truth boldly, confidently, and without sugarcoating at the start of the chapter.
“Return, O (insert your name here), to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.”
In what ways have you stumbled recently? Remember, no sliding scale exists with Jesus.
There is no minor or major sin. It is all equal in His sight.
The next two verses show us how to respond to that truth. We take our sin to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness, and ask Him to receive us graciously.
To receive us graciously.
To. Receive. Us. Graciously.
Sometimes it is easier to accept the reality of being a sinner
than it is to accept the gracious reception of the Lord.
What does that look like? Reread Hosea 14:4-8.
Let the words soak in like a fragrant oil.
Work it into the hurting muscles of your heart.
Massage them into the temples of your mind.
Ingest them as life giving water.
For this is the gracious reception of the Lord:
I will heal your apostasy.
I will love you freely.
My anger has turned away from you.
I am the dew that causes you to blossom like the lily and be rooted like the cedars of Lebanon. You will be beautiful and fragrant.
I answer you.
I look after you.
I cause your fruit.
This is no small reception.
This is a full embrace and outpouring of the One who deeply loves you.
It is His love that provides the conviction.
His ways may not make sense to us at times, but they are for our good and our gain.
He loves us enough to call us out on our sin.
He loves us enough to remove the sin when we ask.
He loves us enough to pour out redemption beyond what we could ask or imagine.
All sin is equal.
Call a spade a spade and take it to the Lord with a repentant heart.
Lean in to His gracious reception and find the fullness of life!
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