Forgotten Sin

Bible Reading: Hebrews 8:8-12; 10:16-18

"Aunt Kelly, take off your sandals!" Harriett exclaimed as she ran into the sand.

Her aunt smiled and removed her sandals before stepping into the sand. "It feels very nice on my feet."

"Let's go by the water," Harriett suggested, "I want to see how warm it is."

Aunt Kelly laughed and followed her niece. "Is it warm?" she asked as she sat down in the sand close to the water.

"Medium warm." Harriett shrugged. "I like it."

"I'm glad you could come visit and enjoy the water before it's too cold," Aunt Kelly said.

"Me too." Harriett bit her lip. "Aunt Kelly, do you remember last time I was here how you said God will forgive me when I sin?"

Aunt Kelly nodded. "I do remember that. I told you that Jesus died on the cross so you could be forgiven for the wrong things you've already done and the ones that will still happen, and you decided to trust Him as your Savior."

Harriett looked at the water for a moment. "Does He really forgive all my sins?"

Aunt Kelly smiled. "Yes, He really forgives them. Not only that, but He forgets about them."

Harriett frowned. "He does? I can't forget them--how does He forget them?"

Aunt Kelly stood up and walked over to the water's edge. "Come over here." She wrote the word sin in the sand. "See this? Let's pretend it's your sin, and the water is God." As she said that, the water washed over the word.

When the water went back, the word sin had vanished. "See?" said Aunt Kelly. "The word I wrote is gone. The water washed it away. That's how God forgives our sins. The Bible says that when we admit we've sinned and trust in Jesus for forgiveness, He will remember our sins no more--He doesn't think about them or ever hold them against us." Aunt Kelly looked at her niece. "We can look up verses that talk about God's forgiveness in your Bible if you'd like. Then we can write them down so you can go home and keep them in your room to remember that when God forgives sin, it's gone forever."

"Can we write them on pink paper?" Harriett asked.

Aunt Kelly smiled. "Pink paper sounds perfect."

–Kimberly Brokish

How About You?
Have you ever sinned and not been able to stop thinking about it, even after asking God for forgiveness? Psalm 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions [or sins] from us." That's really far! How awesome is it to know that God loves us so much that He forgives and forgets our sins? Whenever a sin is bothering you, confess it to Him, knowing He will forgive you and not think of it again.
Today's Key Verse:
Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. (NKJV) (Hebrews 10:17)
Today's Key Thought:
God forgives and forgets our sins