A Modest Heart

The Bible features stories of imperfect people—just like us—interacting with Jesus. The woman at the well, the man on the cross next to Jesus…these people were seen by a holy God, and they were recognized as people worthy of His attention.

When we mess up, we feel the need to hide from God. Some of us never want to go back to Him because we feel too guilty. We may even feel like the mistakes we’ve made have created a separation between us and God that can never be repaired.

What is it that makes us think we are somehow worse than those people in the Bible? Even though they did wrong, they were found by Jesus, and He offered them hope. What makes us feel like the sins we’ve done are somehow worse than the other sins that caused Jesus to be nailed to the cross?

Satan uses shame to try to create distance between us and God, but Satan is a liar. There is nothing we can do that can push us out of the reach of Jesus and His love. His forgiveness is too big! It was our sin that Jesus took on the cross. His death paid for it all, and when He rose from the dead, He conquered sin and death forever! He offers us new life, free from sin and shame. His grace is always available to us. Jesus sees us, and we don’t have to hide from Him. • Emily Acker

• Do you struggle with shame, feeling like you’re inherently bad or worthless? How does God offer hope through Jesus (Psalm 34:5)?

• Do you feel like certain things you’ve done make you unforgivable? If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you are totally forgiven and forever part of His family! (Read more on our “Know Jesus” page.)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Philippians 2:1-13; 1 Timothy 2:1-9, 1 Peter 3:3-4