LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, November 19, 2025

There can be no true understanding of God’s grace without a deep and heart-breaking recognition of our sin. A book I read years ago that was written by an acquaintance from my distant past has helped me see this connection between grace and sin. The book is entitled The Great Work of the Gospel: How We Experience God’s Grace. In the introduction, the author reviews the story of King David’s sin, he takes us through David’s confession in Psalm 51.

“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. ² Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. ³ For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. ⁴ Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. ⁵ For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. (New Living Translation)

Then he says this on pages 17-18 of the book:

“Nathan’s probing…forced David to consider his life before God. This is the prerequisite work of grace. We must own up to our real guilt. David wept and fasted before the Lord. David discovered what the old preachers called “the exceeding sinfulness of sin” and acknowledged the justice of God’s judgment.”

We would do well to change our attitude towards sin. We will never understand the depths of grace, which in turn will keep us from knowing the depths of God’s love, if we continue to love ourselves so much that we deny the horror of our sin before a holy God. We have adapted to a culture of cover-ups. We hide our sin. We underestimate its repulsiveness to God. We justify its presence in our lives because we think we need the immediate rewards. We choose to ignore the consequences, which far outweigh any of the perceived benefits.

With that in mind, read today’s Scripture verse in Isaiah 53:5. “But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

Consider the cost of God’s judgment against sin. Consider the unworthiness of the Savior to be judged, but His willingness to suffer the wrath of God on our behalf. Consider carefully the consequences of sin, and the amazing grace that God showed to us because of His love for us. Nothing in us was worthy of that love, and until we come face to face with the desperateness of our condition, we will never truly know the grace of God nor will we be able live in the love of Jesus Christ.

Pastor John