Dodger: Hi there! How was your week! Mine went pretty well. I had some fun times. What about you, Lilly?
Lilly: Oh, I guess I had an okay week. Sort of.
Dodger: Uh, are you okay? You don't seem like yourself today.
Lilly: Well, to be honest, I've been better.
Dodger: What's wrong?
Lilly: I did something bad yesterday. Really bad.
Dodger: What was that?
Lilly: I don't really want to talk about it. The deal is that I really hurt someone, and I feel terrible. I don't even know if I can pray.
Dodger: What? You don't know if you can pray? Lilly, you can always pray!
Lilly: Yeah, but Dodger, I've messed up badly. I just don't know how to move on.
Dodger: Did you apologize to the guy you hurt?
Lilly: Yeah, of course I did. He forgave me too.
Dodger: Did you apologize to God?
Lilly: Yes.
Dodger: Then that settles it.
Lilly: What?
Dodger: You've already been forgiven, Lilly! You need to stop beating yourself up about it. You can't remain stuck on your past mistakes! If I did that, I'd never do anything else!
Lilly: But I still feel guilty!
Dodger: But it's not about your feelings. It's about God's forgiveness. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9 that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NKJV) Lilly, God has forgiven you! He takes your sins far away from you. In fact, the Bible says in Psalm 103:12 just how far. "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." (NKJV)
Lilly: How far is the east from the west?
Dodger: Really, really far. Each of us makes mistakes, Lilly. But the blood of Jesus Christ redeems us from our sins and mistakes and makes us brand new. If God isn't dwelling on our mistakes, than why should we?
Lilly: I see what you mean. So, what do I do?
Dodger: It's simple. You repent, pick up, and move on.
Lilly: Huh? What does that mean?
Dodger: Well, repent means to turn away from the sin and refuse to do it further. Pick up means you remember that life will go on, and so can you. Move on means that you continue to live your life, remembering that the grace of God is bigger than any sin you commit. Colossians 1:13-14 says that "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (ESV) As a Christian, Lilly, you're washed clean with the blood of Christ. Either it takes away all of your sin or it won't take any of it. And the Bible says that it takes all of it.
Lilly: That's pretty comforting.
Dodger: It should be. I know I've felt pretty lousy for stuff I've done in the past, but it does me no good to dwell on it. Instead, God wants me to repent, pick up, and move on, remembering the sacrifice of His blood that He gave for my sins. And He didn't do it just for me. He did it for everyone.
Lilly: So what do I do when I feel guilty?
Dodger: Well, sometimes it's hard, but the best thing to do is remember what the Bible says, and that God is smarter than you are. And don't listen to the devil, who wants you to keep feeling bad. The Bible calls him the accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12:10. He's always accusing you, but Jesus is praying for you and making intercession for you. And Jesus always beats the devil. The motto of a Christian should be "always forward towards Christ". Instead of fixing our eyes on ourselves and our sins, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 NIV 1984) When Jesus has already taken our sin, we need to live our lives for Him, and when we mess up, remember that He still loves us and is in control.
Lilly: Thanks, Dodger. I feel a lot better.
Dodger: Don't thank me, thank God! He's the One Who loves and saves you!
Lilly: Alright. Thank you Jesus, for your forgiveness, and for the fact that You love me regardless of what I do. Thank you that Your blood takes away my sin. Help me to fix my eyes on you at all times, Jesus. In your name, Amen.
Dodger: Well, Lilly, I think we have to go.
Lilly: Yeah. Thanks for coming and hanging out with us today!
Dodger: Yes, thank you! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Aloha!
Lilly: Oh, I guess I had an okay week. Sort of.
Dodger: Uh, are you okay? You don't seem like yourself today.
Lilly: Well, to be honest, I've been better.
Dodger: What's wrong?
Lilly: I did something bad yesterday. Really bad.
Dodger: What was that?
Lilly: I don't really want to talk about it. The deal is that I really hurt someone, and I feel terrible. I don't even know if I can pray.
Dodger: What? You don't know if you can pray? Lilly, you can always pray!
Lilly: Yeah, but Dodger, I've messed up badly. I just don't know how to move on.
Dodger: Did you apologize to the guy you hurt?
Lilly: Yeah, of course I did. He forgave me too.
Dodger: Did you apologize to God?
Lilly: Yes.
Dodger: Then that settles it.
Lilly: What?
Dodger: You've already been forgiven, Lilly! You need to stop beating yourself up about it. You can't remain stuck on your past mistakes! If I did that, I'd never do anything else!
Lilly: But I still feel guilty!
Dodger: But it's not about your feelings. It's about God's forgiveness. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9 that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NKJV) Lilly, God has forgiven you! He takes your sins far away from you. In fact, the Bible says in Psalm 103:12 just how far. "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." (NKJV)
Lilly: How far is the east from the west?
Dodger: Really, really far. Each of us makes mistakes, Lilly. But the blood of Jesus Christ redeems us from our sins and mistakes and makes us brand new. If God isn't dwelling on our mistakes, than why should we?
Lilly: I see what you mean. So, what do I do?
Dodger: It's simple. You repent, pick up, and move on.
Lilly: Huh? What does that mean?
Dodger: Well, repent means to turn away from the sin and refuse to do it further. Pick up means you remember that life will go on, and so can you. Move on means that you continue to live your life, remembering that the grace of God is bigger than any sin you commit. Colossians 1:13-14 says that "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (ESV) As a Christian, Lilly, you're washed clean with the blood of Christ. Either it takes away all of your sin or it won't take any of it. And the Bible says that it takes all of it.
Lilly: That's pretty comforting.
Dodger: It should be. I know I've felt pretty lousy for stuff I've done in the past, but it does me no good to dwell on it. Instead, God wants me to repent, pick up, and move on, remembering the sacrifice of His blood that He gave for my sins. And He didn't do it just for me. He did it for everyone.
Lilly: So what do I do when I feel guilty?
Dodger: Well, sometimes it's hard, but the best thing to do is remember what the Bible says, and that God is smarter than you are. And don't listen to the devil, who wants you to keep feeling bad. The Bible calls him the accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12:10. He's always accusing you, but Jesus is praying for you and making intercession for you. And Jesus always beats the devil. The motto of a Christian should be "always forward towards Christ". Instead of fixing our eyes on ourselves and our sins, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 NIV 1984) When Jesus has already taken our sin, we need to live our lives for Him, and when we mess up, remember that He still loves us and is in control.
Lilly: Thanks, Dodger. I feel a lot better.
Dodger: Don't thank me, thank God! He's the One Who loves and saves you!
Lilly: Alright. Thank you Jesus, for your forgiveness, and for the fact that You love me regardless of what I do. Thank you that Your blood takes away my sin. Help me to fix my eyes on you at all times, Jesus. In your name, Amen.
Dodger: Well, Lilly, I think we have to go.
Lilly: Yeah. Thanks for coming and hanging out with us today!
Dodger: Yes, thank you! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Aloha!
(NIV 1984 means New International Version 1984)
(ESV means English Standard Version)
(NKJV means New King James Version)
