Well, hey friends, welcome back to the weekday podcast. We're so thrilled that you're part of this what Only God can do series. And and I'm grateful you're back today. Today I want to think about a word that we all love in theory, but honestly, I think we all struggle with in reality. And that word is forgiveness. Romans 5, 8 says, But God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Now, this isn't just forgiveness, though. That's amazing. This is actually full forgiveness. This is forever forgiveness. This is no asterisk, Mark. Forgiveness. Paul uses a powerful word down in verse nine. He says justified. Now that's a legal term. It means more than not guilty. It means you're declared righteous. It's like the sin never happened. And that's what's interesting. God doesn't just pardon your sin, he removes your guilt. And that's huge because, let's be honest, in our world, forgiveness often comes with strings attached, like, I forgive you, but I'll never forget it. I forgive you, but I'll remind you next time, I forgive you, but our relationship won't ever be the same. But God, God doesn't forgive with a footnote. He forgives with finality. I once met a woman who carried a secret for over 20 years. She had made a decision in college that she has wrestled with the rest of her life. She had a lot of shame and she constantly wondered if God could ever really forgive her. I asked her, did Jesus die for all sin or just something? And she said all. I said, then who are you to say your sin is too big for his forgiveness? She broke down and she began to experience freedom from the first time in decades. Today, friend, God's forgiveness isn't partial, it is permanent. And here's the part we sometimes miss. God doesn't just forgive you for something, he forgives you for something. In other words, in verse 11, he says, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. That word, reconciliation means he doesn't just wipe the slate clean. It means he establishes a brand new relationship. That God didn't just save you to make you a slightly better person, he saved you to make a brand new creation. So when you think about it that way, forgiveness isn't the finish line. It's actually the starting line of transformation. That's what only God can do. He takes your past, the part you're ashamed of, and he redeems it. He takes your pain and he begins to repurpose it. He takes your story and he uses it to bring hope to other people. I've got a friend in our church who spent years addicted and broken. But Jesus met him in the middle of his mess and now he leads a recovery ministry. His darkest days became the foundation of his greatest ministry. Man, I'm telling you, only God can do that. God doesn't make bad people good. He makes dead people come alive. So let me ask you, what part of your story are you feeling like you're disqualified? What if that's the exact place where God wants to transform you? What if that's the exact place God wants to redeem you? And maybe, just maybe, it's time to stop living like someone's still in a prison when the door has already been flung wide open. Because forgiven people, they're not just free from sin, they are now free for a purpose. Well, today I want to encourage you to swing by our resource tab at easterinsugarhill.com. you'll find more tools there, more devotionals, and also you'll find all things Easter in Sugar Hill. I hope you'll make plans to join us on easter Sunday at 8, 9:15, or 11. And of course, if you're distant from us, you can join us at Live Sugar Hill Church and you can stream online. Thanks for being with us today. We can't wait to see you back tomorrow for another episode of what Only God can do on the Weekday Podcast.
