In a chaotic world like ours, everything seems to be focused on making us to lose our joyful smiles.
Here’s a short devotional of how you can maintain from Pastor Joseph Prince.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:7
The moment you invited Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior, all your sins were forgiven—your past sins, your present sins, and your future sins. Once you are born again, you are in Christ. You do not have to try to get forgiveness. You have the forgiveness of sins through His blood, and this forgiveness of sins that you have is not according to what you have done. But according to the riches of God’s grace—His unmerited, unearned, and undeserved favor!
The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). In other words, the punishment for sin is death. It also tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22 NIV).
Blood is thus necessary for the forgiveness of sins. That is why even under the old covenant of law, sin was covered temporarily through the blood of sacrificial animals.
The good news of the gospel is that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came down from heaven to earth. And he sacrificed Himself at the cross. His perfect, sinless blood provided forgiveness for all our sins.
You and I cannot pay for our own sins, so He did it for us. Now, whosoever believes in Him will never die but will receive the gift of eternal life. Hallelujah!
Why should we maintain a joyful smile?
Dear reader, notice how David describes the blessedness of a man whose sins are forgiven:
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
—Romans 4:7–8 NLT
Oh, what joy and what a blessing it is to receive the forgiveness of sins! Conversely, when believers start to question if they are truly forgiven, it leads to all kinds of insecurities, fears, and destructive bondages.
Fear and insecurity cannot exist in a healthy relationship with God. In a marriage relationship, for example, if a wife never feels secure in her husband’s love for her, she will never draw strength from or find joy in her marriage. Instead of thriving, that marriage will disintegrate over time. Similarly, our heavenly Father does not want us to live trapped in perpetual insecurity because we are never sure of our forgiveness.
Today, based on the Word of God, rejoice and thank God for the blessing of His forgiveness, so dearly paid for and so freely given to us. Let this truth of the gospel anchor and put strength in your heart, and drive away every fear and sense of insecurity.
In conclusion, if you want to maintain that joyful smile you have on your face now, you have to believe God’s forgiveness. I have accepted this reality and have found so much joy in living. Check out similar encouraging devotionals like this here.
