He Gone

READ: MATTHEW 28:6; LUKE 15:1-7; ROMANS 3:23-24; 1 PETER 2:24

We are all human and we all sin, so, until we see Jesus face to face, there will be times when we mess up.

When we stumble, slip, and fall, sometimes it seems impossible to find our way back. We let our failures keep us from going back to our forgiving, loving God, giving them far too much influence in our lives. Have you ever thought any of the following?

God could never love me after everything I’ve done.

He’ll never take me back now.

He’s probably looking down on me now thinking, “Well, he gone.”

What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just get it right?

My friend, let me tell you some truth: you are never too far gone. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from God’s love in Christ.

We have all sinned and will continue to sin; there is no avoiding it. But the good news is that Jesus Christ, who is God, came to live here as a human and die for our sins. When He died on the cross, He took all our sin with Him. He paid the price for our sins so we don’t have to.

Jesus loves us so much that He died for us—and He has promised that He will never leave us. Because of what He did, we find our new identity in Him, not in our sinfulness. He will go to the ends of the earth to find us and love us with all His being.

On the cross, Jesus got rid of our sin, tearing the veil that separated us from God (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 59:2; Matthew 27:50-52). Then He rose from the grave and made the way for us to live with Him eternally.

Think about it. We can look at our sin and at that empty tomb and gladly say, “He gone.” • Heather Risher

• In times when you feel like you are too far gone, do you have any favorite Bible verses that help you remember how loved you are in Christ? God always wants us to come to Him when we feel unforgivable so He can reveal Himself to us. In addition to talking to God in prayer, who are trusted Christians in your life who can remind you of His love and forgiveness?

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NIV)