Lenten Devotion – Live in the Forgiveness of God Through Christ’s Blood
Day 23, 11 March 2024
“For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!” Hebrews 9:13-14
Early Christians had sought to assuage their guilt by offering animal sacrifices to God, but these sacrifices were only a temporary forgiveness and removal of sins as “… gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper”. (Hebrews 9:9).
Similarly, I often fall into the trap of trying to “make it up to God”.
My daily schedule has rendered me intentionally/ unintentionally prioritising work and other commitments over spending time with God or missing cell group sessions.
The Bible teaches us otherwise. The Apostle Paul writes, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3: 1-2)
Even though I have read and internalised these verses many times, my fallibility had caused me to sin time after time, by focusing on the things on earth rather than the things above.
Some times, this cannot be helped (and I believe that God understands) but a certain guilt creeps up on me as I constantly replay how I could have planned out my day or rejected certain commitments to prioritise God. I would try to make up for it by reading the Bible a bit more on the MRT, or listening to Christian music on my way to work but this is all for naught, mere actions to assuage my own guilt. It is only human to try to make it up to someone when making a mistake, but I fail to see and embrace that my sins have already been forgiven and my conscience purified once and for all by the blood of Christ.
During this Lenten season, let us embrace the redemption offered through Christ’s sacrifice. We can release feelings of guilt and inadequacy, and instead, walk confidently in the forgiveness and love of God. As we journey through Lent, let us deepen our relationship with God through prayer, meditation on Scripture, acts of service, and cultivating a spirit of gratitude and humility.
May this period be a time of reflection and renewal, as we wholeheartedly embrace Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and yield ourselves to the Spirit to follow Him more closely each day.
Seow Si Yuan🙏