How do you want the Lord to look upon you?

"Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness' sake, O Lord." Psalm 25:6-7

How would you have the LORD God deal with you? On the basis of your sins? Or, on the basis of His mercy promised of old and made possible by the atoning sacrifice of God's Son in our stead? How do you want God to judge you on the last day?

David clearly knew he was a sinful man who was deserving of God's wrath and punishment. Read Psalm 25. How many times does David acknowledge His sin and request God's mercy and forgiveness? Count them.

We look to the LORD God to have mercy upon us and save us for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead. With David, we acknowledge our sinfulness and ask God to have mercy upon us and forgive us rather than dealing with us as we justly deserve. Cf. Psalm 130; Psalm 32.

And God provided a substitute for us to be sacrificed on the cross in our stead for the sins of the world! Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God in human flesh is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29; cf. Gen. 22:1ff.). He took our sin upon Himself and suffered our punishment that we might be pardoned, forgiven and have everlasting life (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 2:1-2).

While many would turn away from Christ and go it on their own, we with David pray that the LORD would remember us in His lovingkindness and with His tender mercies for the sake of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for sin. We pray that God would not look upon our sins, but look upon the holy and precious blood of Jesus shed for our sins and remember us in mercy and with forgiveness.

Indeed, it is the only way to stand in God's sight. Apart from Jesus, we stand condemned by God to the fires of hell. In Christ Jesus, our sins are pardoned, forgiven and no longer remembered against us. In Christ Jesus, God deals with us in lovingkindness and mercy. He brings us into His covenant of forgiveness and assures to us life everlasting!

According to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness' sake, O Lord. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. More devotions can be read at www.goodshepherdrogers.org.]

Community on 02/25/2015