My father led me to faith in Christ when I was 8 years old. I believed that I had sinned and that I could not do enough good things to make myself right before a Holy God. The Bible says that the wages of my sin was death (Romans 6:23). I was spiritually separated from God. I understood that Christ came to earth to live the perfect life that I could not live and to die in my place. I placed my faith in the fact that He died for me and that He rose from the dead. I remember the freedom that I felt in knowing that my sins were forgiven.

Fast forward to my adult life—and while I have been forgiven, I am far from being sinless. If I’m honest, I sometimes wonder if Christ knew all that I would do and the ways that I would fail, would He have taken a mulligan? Is He sorry that He purchased me with His blood only to have me missing the mark on a frequent basis? Did He think that I would be better than I am today?

I can choose to stay focused on my “performance” or I can trust in what God has said in His Word. When Christ died for me, all of my sins were yet future. With full knowledge He went to the cross to die for me. There have been no surprises. He didn’t make a mistake. He doesn’t want a “do over.” He loves you and me more than our minds can comprehend. He has paid for all of our sins, past, present and future. Bless God!

Jesus went to the cross so that He could be with us and commune with us face-to-face forever. He desires deep intimacy with us. When I despair over my sin, I can’t clearly see the glory of His lovingkindness. When I hide from Him in my guilt, I miss His mercy. When I trust His unconditional love for me, I stop trying to perform and simply rest and worship.

Hunter Murray, Elder