As High as the Heavens

"He does not deal with us according to our sins,
Nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far does He remove our transgressions from us"

Psalm 103:10-12

What has happened in your life in the last 9 years? What has happened in the world during that time?

Nine years ago a rocket was launched aimed at Pluto, the furthest planet in our solar system. And just about a month ago pictures were received of this planet. It took nine years to travel at amazing speeds to get to the edge of our solar system.

And our solar system is just a little dot in the universe.

That's how great God's love is for us.

And how far is the east from the west?

If you head east around the globe, you will never start going west. No matter how many times you go around. East never becomes west. There's not a sign that says, "You are now heading west."

That's how far God has removed our sins from us.

God is not keeping a list of our sins.

He is not going to balance out the good with the bad at the end of our lives.

Nor does He zap us with problems because we have sinned so much.

The blood of Christ has cleansed the slate of sins. If we have accepted that cleansing, we are no longer going to be punished for our sins. We are no longer identified by our sins.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Cor 5:17).

Do you want your sins removed? It's not through anything that you have done or could do that it happens, but by trusting in the promises of God.

"He (God) saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).

God has already chosen to remove your sins. But He is waiting for you to let Him.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

David undoubtedly knows that there were "grievous ways" in his heart.

Like the rest of us, he was aware of his sinful thoughts.

He knew about the sins in his life that no one else knew about.

And, like us, he knew that god is omniscient. He knows about those sins, too.

So what does David want god to do?

I think he is asking God to expose his sins.

He wants God to tell him, "These are the things in your life that grieve Me."

He wants to make sure that nothing is hidden between himself and his God.

But he is also calling out for redemption.

"I know You'll find sins, but lead me in the way everlasting. I want to deal with those sins. I want Your forgiveness. I want Your righteousness applied to my sinfulness."

What a glorious hope!

We can't hide our sins from God. And even though He knows about all the sins that no one else even imagines, He is able to forgive them and lead us into the way everlasting (1 John 1:9).

Miracles? Really?

"And to the centurion Jesus said, 'Go, let it be done for your as you have believed.' And the servant was healed in that very moment" (Mt 8:12).

Jesus instructed and the centurion believed. A miracle took place.

How simple is that?

I often wish that these great miracles would happen in my life. Or at least in the lives of people around me. Instead of fighting this cold for the last week, Jesus could just heal it. Instead of living with broken relationships, Jesus could just speak and solve these problems. Instead of friends with cancer and broken bones, Jesus could give the command and they would be healed.

Looking at the miracles of physical healing distracts from the miracles that happen every day. The miracles that Jesus has done and continues to do in my life get derailed by "the big miracles."

Like salvation.

Jesus Christ, the eternal, holy Son of God, became a baby so that He could die on the cross. His death paid the penalty for all of my sins, which had separated me from the presence of a holy God.

By putting my trust in Christ's work on the cross as payment for the penalty for my sins, I have forgiveness from God. I have peace with God. I can anticipate eternity in His presence. No longer condemned, I am declared righteous. No longer guilty, I am free.

Not because of anything that I have done. But by God's grace.

So the centurion experienced a miracle that day. His servant was healed. But the servant probably got sick again. He eventually died. That miracle was great. But it was short-lived.

The miracle of salvation goes on into eternity. It's blessings are much greater than physical healing.

That's an amazing miracle.