December 16

Overwriting the Past

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-18, 21, 22

Song: “Jesus Paid It All”

I accidentally replaced an important document on my computer with an earlier version of the same file. It was horrifying. I lost hours of work, and there was nothing I could do.

Overwriting a file is worse than deleting it. Deletion doesn’t physically remove the data—at least not immediately—so with the right tools, deleted files can often be recovered. But overwriting a file alters the disk. There’s nothing left to recover because the original file no longer exists.

The psalmist has something similar in mind when he says that God removes our transgressions as far from us as the east is from the west. Just as the two horizons can never meet, our past sins can never be used against us once we’ve turned to Jesus for forgiveness. That’s because God doesn’t merely “delete” our sins; He “overwrites” our past unrighteousness with the perfect righteousness of His Son. It’s a permanent change, and there’s no going back.

The day I overwrote that file, I spent more time fretting over what I’d lost than I did writing new material. Sometimes we squander opportunities for spiritual growth, too, by dwelling on our sense of guilt over past sins. God wants us to know that our past is permanently forgiven so that we can spend our time living—really living—in a manner that honors our Savior.

Thank You, Father, for permanently separating me from my past. In Jesus’ name, amen.