by Rev Douglas Brauner

A truth you can count on.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

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 103:11-12 English Standard Version

Our home was built in the 1980’s. At that time the city of Colorado Springs planted Cottonwood trees in parks nearby because they grow quickly and made the neighborhood look established.

As the neighborhood has aged, these trees have not aged well. Not only are they dirty, dropping branches at the slightest breeze, they also have a short lifespan. Ugh. Many of these trees are now dying and need to be removed before they do serious damage in a windstorm.

This tree has been marked for removal and is on the road to becoming firewood. The caution tape lets us know that this tree is destined for removal. However, what you don’t see in this picture is a large, orange “x” that the caution tape surrounds. For some reason, my black and white film didn’t see the orange color.

Our sins have been wiped out with a large red “x”, a mark made by the blood of Jesus. He has canceled our sins. His death and resurrection had declared us to be right before God. We are forgiven. You are forgiven.

So why is it that we live as though our sins have not been forgiven, as if they have not been marked by the blood of Jesus? We might see the caution tape, but we don’t see the reality that our sins have been canceled. We continue to hold on to them, thinking that somehow we must carry our failures with us until we die. 

Satan’s greatest lie, one that we too often believe, is that only some of sins have been forgiven. All our sins–all your sins–have been removed as far as the east is from the west.

That is the truth.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado