Iniquities 

   “If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?  But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.” (Psalm 130: 3 – 4) 

   My sins and iniquities are many.  No matter how hard I try I will never be able to be sinless in this life.  Though I want to, it simply isn’t possible.  However, I believe that my desire to be sinless pleases God even though I can’t succeed.

   If God was an accountant, keeping tracking of the good and the bad I do on a balance sheet, I fear I wouldn’t stand a chance of entering heaven.  But that isn’t how He looks at us.  As we will never quit loving our children and hoping for the best in them, we are His children, His love and mercy is endless.  No matter how we have sinned, when we come to Him in sorrow and repentance He will forgive.

   “Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?’, says the Lord God, ‘Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from is evil ways that he may live?’”.  I think some people look at God as One who seeks to punish us for our sins.  But in fact, He wants to forgive them and forget they ever existed.  But it is up to us to, in effect, give Him permission to do so.  We must approach Him recognizing our sinfulness and the fact that we can never deserve His mercy and forgiveness.  We have to make an honest effort to avoid sin and return to Him in sorrow when we fail and sin again.

   When we approach God in this manner and ask of Him, “A clean heart create for me God, renew within me a steadfast spirit.” (Psalm 51: 12), He will rejoice that we have returned to Him. 

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us.” (Psalm 103: 12)