When was the last time you truly blew it – you fell so hard that you could barely get up again? And even when you did get up, you were so afraid to look God in the eye and ask Him for His forgiveness.

It’s not a nice feeling, is it? Some days we stumble and we think to ourselves, “Nyah, that wasn’t so bad. God’ll forgive me for that one.” But other days … man, we make such a hash of things – in thought, word and deed, damaging relationships, dishonouring God – even if we started the day with the very best intentions of doing what’s right.

And the shame of that floods our emotions and completely overwhelms us because we should have known better; because Jesus gave His all to set us free from that sin.

If you believe in Him, then you know the theory: the blood of Christ has cleansed you of all sin. In other words, if you put your faith in Jesus you’re freely forgiven by God. But in that moment of shame, that powerful truth just doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Romans 5:2 Through him [Jesus] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (ESV)

Your faith in Jesus has (in addition to your initial forgiveness when you believed) also given you access into this grace in which you now stand.

Grace? Grace is when God gives you something, when He blesses you, when you absolutely don’t deserve it. In fact, grace can only be grace when it’s undeserved – otherwise it’d be an entitlement.

So, from the grace in which you now stand, rejoice. Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.