Released - The One Year Worship the King Devotional
Released
Read: Zechariah 3
See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.
Zechariah 3:4
IN WORD How do you feel before God? That’s not a question you hear very often—rational, Western Christians like to take the focus off of feelings—but it’s a valid one, because your emotions flow out of what you really believe. (You don’t want to base your salvation on emotions, but you can’t help but have them. God gave them to us for a reason.) So when you stand before Him, which feelings fill your heart?
A prisoner who has been set free after a lengthy prison term may not know how to act at first. The truth of his status may take some time to sink in. Freedom is a strange feeling for those who aren’t used to it, and many long-term prisoners suffer anxiety from all the decisions they have to make on their own after they’re released. Some look over their shoulders for months to come with a nagging feeling that their freedom will be revoked. The deep claws of guilt are very reluctant to let go.
In Zechariah 3, God declared the captives free. The sins of Joshua and his countrymen had been absolved, their penalty fully satisfied. And not only had their sin been taken away, it was being replaced with luxurious garments of royalty. From filthy rags to extravagant riches, God’s people were being transformed. They had permission to enjoy all the security and privileges of freedom before Him.
IN DEED That’s not just the story of Joshua and the freed captives. In fact, their story points to ours, the good news of redemption for all who believe in Jesus. The prison term is over. Freedom is to be experienced and savored.
If you don’t feel a deep sense of joy in God’s presence, even after you have confessed your sins and accepted His forgiveness, perhaps you haven’t fully embraced the truth of your cleansing. God has taken away your sin; it’s not yours anymore. Ignore the evidence to the contrary. Faith banks on what He says, not on a guilty conscience. Give yourself permission to feel absolutely free. God already has.
Clean is the one who is righteous, if not in the sight of men, yet in the sight of God.
—AUGUSTINE
