Love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5).
"Remember 5 years ago when you did..."
"Even last Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., you ..."
When it comes to our relationships with others, we love to keep a tally of the all the wrongs we have suffered. We have a list of all the wrongs our spouse has done, another list for our children, employer, and our friends.
All it takes is one wrong word, and out comes "the list". We remind the person of all the wrongs they have done in the past and we continue to hold those wrongs against them.
Many times, we feel that's how God interacts with us. As long as we're behaving properly, He loves us. But if we mess up, out comes the list of all our past sins and we have to beg Him to stay in relationship with us.
But God isn't like that at all. Paul made this clear in his definition of love. He wrote that God keeps no records of our wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5).
God does not remember your sins. He nailed them all to the cross and Jesus' blood washed them away. Because of Christ's sacrifice, God welcomes you into relationship with him with open arms.
Paul put it this way: "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and He gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19).
Step fully into the forgiveness of God and rest in Christ's finished work. The "list" has been destroyed and you are free to enjoy his love.
Let the forgiveness you have received spill out to those on your list. Ask the Lord to teach you how to burn the lists of resentment and wrongs and to remember the forgiveness you have in Christ.
In Him,
Bob Christopher