Overcoming The Separation That Comes From Sin - The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional
Overcoming the Separation that Comes from Sin
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”
Matthew 18:21-22
IS THERE ANYTHING in contemporary experience that parallels the excitement of Adam and Eve before the Fall? I believe there is—“falling in love.” It is an emotional experience fully as spontaneous as that moment when Adam first saw Eve. The experience of falling in love has the same elements as that initial meeting: feeling amazement and that we belong to each other; feeling something within each of us that cries out for something deep within the other; sensing that God arranged our meeting; experiencing a willingness to be open with each other and to share our deepest secrets; and being willing to give ourselves totally to each other.
What happens to all of those emotions after marriage? The same thing that happened to Adam and Eve. We sin, and sin separates us. We come to distrust each other, and as a result, we keep our distance to protect ourselves. What’s the answer? Confession, repentance, and forgiveness.
Confession means I admit that what I did or said was wrong. Repentance means I am willing to turn away from that sin and walk in a new direction. And forgiveness means I am willing to accept your confession and repentance and let you back into my life.
Jesus told Peter we must be willing to forgive a repentant person over and over again—because that’s the way God forgives us! It’s not always easy, but you can have an intimate marriage if you are willing to deal with your failures.
Father, I thank you for your remarkable forgiveness. Thank you for forgiving me when I am repentant, even when I do the same thing over and over. Please give me this same attitude toward my spouse. I pray for a growing atmosphere of intimacy in our marriage as we learn to confess, repent, and forgive each other.
Intimacy
