As Far As the East is from the West

As Far as the East Is from the West

Psalm 103:12 (NLT)

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

Isaiah 43:25 (NLT)

“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”

Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

1 John 1:9 (NLT)

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Matthew 6:14 (NLT)

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.”

Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

I love the message in the song Holy Water by We the Kingdom. There is something so beautiful about realizing that God's forgiveness isn't something cold and distant. It is sweet. It is life-giving. It reaches into the darkest places of our past and reminds us that grace can still grow there.

And oh, how I need that reminder sometimes.

Because if I am honest, there are days when Satan tries to drag out the old files of my life. He loves to remind me of who I was, what I did, and the terrible choices I made.

But Satan is an accuser.

Jesus is a Savior.

There is a difference.

I have shared before that my childhood and early life were filled with violence, pain, anger, and survival. By the time I was twelve years old, I had learned to protect myself the only ways I knew how. I was angry at the world, angry at people, and honestly, I didn't think much of myself either.

One day, at only twelve years old, I took a .22 pistol and went hitchhiking with the intention of robbing whoever picked me up.

An elderly woman, probably around seventy-five years old, stopped and offered me a ride.

I got into her car and placed the gun in my lap.

I only sat there for a few seconds before something happened that I never expected.

She looked at me and said something along the lines of, “Okay, child. I'm taking you home, and I'm going to make you some cookies.”

Cookies.

Kindness.

Concern.

She didn't see someone to fear.

She saw a child.

And I couldn't handle it.

I demanded that she stop the car, jumped out, and ran into the woods.

You see, I understood anger.

I understood fear.

I understood violence.

But kindness?

I didn't know what to do with kindness.

Somewhere inside me, I believed I didn't deserve it.

I had spent so much of my life believing that people were supposed to hurt me, fear me, use me, or leave me. So when this sweet woman looked beyond the angry, frightened child sitting in her car and responded with compassion instead of fear, it shook something deep inside me.

I often wonder if she ever knew what she did that day.

I wonder if God showed her.

Because her simple act of kindness changed something in me.

That day, I began to realize something important. Maybe I didn't really hate people as much as I thought I did. Maybe what hurt the most was feeling like no one ever truly saw me.

But she did.

She saw past the anger.

She saw past the hard exterior.

She saw a broken child.

And for just a moment, she responded to me with grace.

Her kindness may have kept me from walking down a road I never truly wanted to travel.

Isn't that what forgiveness and grace can do?

They can interrupt a life.

They can stop someone in their tracks.

They can say, “I see what you did, but I also see that there is more to you than your worst moment.”

And isn't that exactly what Jesus has done for us?

God knows every single thing about me.

He knows the things I have done that I wish I could forget.

He knows every ugly thought, every bad decision, every selfish moment, and every sin.

Yet when I came to Him in repentance, He did not say, “Well, Penny, let's pull out the list and go over everything one more time.”

No.

The Bible says He forgives.

He cleanses.

He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west.

Think about that for a moment.

East and west never meet. You can travel east forever, and you will never reach west.

That is how far God removes our sin from us.

And Isaiah gives us another incredible promise. God says He will blot out our sins and will never think of them again.

Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes I can forgive myself a lot slower than God forgives me.

I can remember things from decades ago and suddenly feel ashamed all over again.

But that is not the voice of our Father.

Conviction brings us to repentance.

Condemnation keeps us chained to the past.

When we confess our sins and sincerely turn to God, His forgiveness is not partial. He doesn't forgive us halfway. He doesn't put us on probation. He doesn't hold our past over our heads every time we make another mistake.

Jesus paid the price.

It is finished.

But then comes the part that can be a little harder.

Because once we understand how much God has forgiven us, He asks us to extend that same grace to others.

And let's be honest, that isn't always easy.

Some people have hurt us deeply.

Some wounds changed the course of our lives.

Forgiveness does not mean pretending something didn't happen. It doesn't mean saying abuse was okay. It doesn't mean allowing someone to continue hurting you. And it certainly doesn't mean you have to trust someone who has proven they are not trustworthy.

Forgiveness simply means we stop carrying the debt.

We release the desire for revenge.

We place justice in God's hands.

And sometimes, forgiveness is not something we do once.

Sometimes we have to wake up and choose it again.

And again.

And again.

Ephesians tells us to be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God, through Christ, has forgiven us.

That little word just is powerful.

Just as He forgave us.

Not because someone deserves it.

Not because they apologized.

Not because they understand the pain they caused.

But because we know what it feels like to receive mercy we didn't deserve.

Ross and I have lived long enough to know that life can be messy. People can disappoint us. We can disappoint others. We have both made mistakes, been hurt, and had to learn how to let things go.

And honestly, the older I get, the more grateful I become for grace.

Grace for my past.

Grace for my mistakes.

Grace for the things I didn't know then that I know now.

Grace for the people who are still growing.

And grace for myself.

Maybe today Satan is whispering something in your ear about who you used to be.

Maybe he is reminding you of a sin that God has already forgiven.

Maybe you have been carrying guilt that Jesus already carried to the cross.

Or maybe there is someone you need to forgive—not because what they did was okay, but because you are tired of allowing what they did to continue controlling your heart.

Today, remember this:

You are not who you used to be.

You are not the sum of your worst decisions.

You are not defined by the darkest chapter of your story.

If you belong to Jesus, you are forgiven.

Completely.

Fully.

Forever.

And perhaps the greatest way we can show the world what God's forgiveness looks like is by extending grace to someone else.

I will never forget that elderly woman who chose cookies over fear.

She saw a frightened child holding a gun.

But instead of seeing a criminal, she saw someone who needed kindness.

That day, without knowing it, she gave me a small glimpse of the kind of grace I would someday find in Jesus.

Perhaps someone needs that same kind of grace from us today.

Not a lecture.

Not condemnation.

Not a reminder of everything they have done wrong.

Maybe they simply need someone to see past the mess and say, “I see you.”

Because sometimes kindness can reach a place that anger never could.

And forgiveness?

Forgiveness can change everything.

Let Us Pray

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your amazing grace and forgiveness. Thank You that You do not hold our confessed sins over our heads and continually remind us of who we used to be. Thank You that through Jesus, our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west.

Lord, help us to truly accept Your forgiveness. When the enemy tries to bring up our past, remind us of what You have already done. Help us to recognize the difference between Your loving conviction and the enemy's condemnation.

And Father, help us to forgive others. Some hurts are deep, and we cannot do this in our own strength. Give us the courage to release bitterness and place justice in Your hands. Help us to be kind, tenderhearted, and full of grace.

Teach us to see people the way You see them. Help us to look beyond anger, mistakes, and brokenness and recognize that sometimes the person standing before us is simply hurting and lost.

May our kindness point someone toward You.

May our forgiveness reflect the forgiveness we have received.

And may we never forget how much grace has changed our own lives.

In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

The Lord's Prayer (KJV)

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED. AMEN. BOBBA ❤️

God has removed the past. Keep walking toward the light.

Now look ar your own life and remember how one unexpected act of grace can reach into a wounded life and begin changing its direction, yours or someone else’s,  God is always working. Amen