God’s loving forgiveness

Living in a Resurrection World

Over Easter weekend I met a young man in a prison infirmary. He wore a Styrofoam helmet to protect his badly damaged skull. His had been terribly incapacitated by the same drunk-driving accident that killed his boyhood friend. As the driver in the accident, this young man was facing a 40-year sentence.

To my new friend, the decades of prison time were nothing compared to the shackles of guilt that weighed on his heart. As I talked with him, he cried out in the unthinkable pain of having caused his friend’s death.

“It should have been me that died!” he said.

I encouraged this young to hold onto the promises of God’s loving forgiveness, looking forward to discover the purposes for which God had spared his life on that tragic night.

Friends, it struck me as I prayed with him that we are all like that young man. We are all guilty of things that merited death, but unthinkably, a beloved Friend has died in our place. We who should have died find ourselves spared!

If we stay in a pre-Resurrection world, if we do not allow ourselves to embrace the miracle of the Atonement, then Easter does us no good. We remain lost and in despair over our sin. Instead, like my friend, we must let the Gospel drive us forward into a new life of forgiveness toward ourselves, forgiveness toward others, and service to hurting people.

Has the Resurrection become your reality? Are you experiencing God’s grace in your life and passing it to others? I pray you’ll consider joining me and Prison Fellowship in the fight to bring God’s grace and peace to a broken world that needs the news of Resurrection. Learn how at prisonfellowship.org.

For His Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship Ministries

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

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