Finding Forgiveness, October 23
By David Gira
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NIV).
Your cancer journey may bring to the surface deep regrets, missed opportunities, and mistakes. Memories of hurting others and letting God down may overwhelm you. Feeling helpless to right any wrongs, you may cry out like David, “My sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me” (Psalm 40:12 NIV).
Or maybe you are angry and confused because have always been a good person. You didn’t do anything wrong to deserve this. You never needed anyone’s help, including God’s. Now, cancer has unmasked the truth: your good deeds and abilities can’t heal you, save your life, or give you peace. You need God, and your greatest sin has been trying to live without Him.
The Bible declares, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). Your cancer journey can also be the time you face this reality of our fallen humanity. It may also, more importantly, be the time you meet and truly get to know Jesus, the Lamb of God, the One who can take away all your sins.
It’s important to understand what sin is. Sin with a big “S” is living separated from God. God loves you, and created you to love Him. But maybe you pushed God away and refused His daily invitations. You never got serious or gave God your whole heart. You put God off to another day. Or maybe something happened along the way, you got mad and dumped God, and started “seeing somebody else.” God offered you His one and only Son to forgive you and bring you back, yet you refused to come home.
Sins with a little “s” are the things we do that disobey and fail to honor God. The Ten Commandments present sin in broad strokes: lying, stealing, adultery, not honoring your parents, etc. (See Exodus 20.) Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments in two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.… Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39 NIV). We can sin by what we do and what we fail to do.
All of us struggle not to sin. At times it’s hard to tell right from wrong and even harder to do what’s right. With Jesus, we can! We have the Father’s love and acceptance, Jesus’ presence and power, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. When we separate ourselves from God, even briefly, we hurt ourselves, make life more difficult, and can miss out. “Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master” (Romans 6:23 MSG). With Jesus, we also have assurance that when we do sin, we remain loved and forgiven.
Now is a wonderful time to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and recommit your life to Him. Today I invite you to join me:
Pray: Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I committed the big Sin and many sins. Please forgive me. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sin and invite You to come into my heart and life. Heal my sin-sick soul and my broken body. Amen.
Your Turn: The song “O Come to the Altar” by Elevation Worship is a powerful invitation to confess sin, reach out to God, and experience His grace.
Michael David Gira, Jr., Cancer Survivor
David was an ordained United Methodist Pastor and graduate of Duke Divinity School. He and his wife, Amy, lived in Raleigh, North Carolina with their three children. In 2017 he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. In his book, How Cancer Cured Me, he shares many ways he experienced God’s healing. After a seven-year battle with cancer, David is now joyously singing praises in God’s glorious throne room. His legacy lives on through his writing for Cancer Companions, as he continues to proclaim Christ’s hope and healing power to others experiencing cancer. https://www.davidgira.com/how-cancer-cured-me
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
To learn more about our ministry and the services we provide visit our website by clicking here.
