The Snake on the Pole

Carrying the bag of groceries on my head seemed like a good idea at the time. But when the glass jar of mayonnaise slipped out of the sack and landed on the brick sidewalk, I immediately regretted that decision.

Growing up, my family’s home sat on a piece of land that bordered my grandfather’s farmland. That hot summer day, a team of men were working in the pastures. My mother planned to prepare lunch for them. We’d just returned from the grocery store with loaves of bread, sliced meat, cheese, and other fixings to make sandwiches for the farm helpers. I left the car carrying a full bag of food, but I left behind a broken, splattered jar of mayonnaise before I stepped on our front porch.

Understandably, my mom expressed disappointment in the loss of the lunch condiment. I don’t remember how we replaced the mayonnaise for the meal that day, but I do remember how I struggled to overcome the sense of disapproval, and I wondered how I could earn forgiveness.

With our Heavenly Father, though, we never have to earn forgiveness—no matter the magnitude of our mistakes. The lunches we accidentally ruin, the acts of rebellion we commit on purpose, the good work we should do but don’t…God‘s mercy to us is sufficient to cover it all. His forgiveness of us in His Son, Jesus, is given freely, a gift we never have to earn—because we never can earn it.

In God’s holiness, He disapproves of our sin. But in His love for us, God offers complete, secure forgiveness in Christ. The just payment for our wrongdoing cost Jesus His life. But His death on the cross is bestowed on us as a free gift as we confess our need for the resurrected Redeemer to save us. • Allison Wilson Lee

• What in your life causes you to doubt God’s forgiveness?

• Have you ever thought there are sins God won’t forgive? Why or why not?

• How does the certainty of God’s forgiveness for those who trust in Jesus encourage you?

• To learn more about what it means to receive the gift of God’s forgiveness through Jesus, check out our “Know Jesus” page.

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Psalm 86:5 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Numbers 21:4-9; Matthew 18:2-4; John 3:1-21; Romans 3:23-25