"You make beautiful things out of the dust...."

Don't get all excited about me posting two blogs so close together...I doubt this will become a habit, although I am trying to do better. :)

Anyway, forgiveness in the Bible has always been a topic that I could not get enough of.  Perhaps it is because of the heart that I have for people that are battling addictions, more likely it is because I have done a lot of dumb things in my short life.  Whatever the reason, tonight I find myself, once more, blown away by the extent of God's forgiveness....even to the point of tears.  There are a lot of things about God that completely astound me(I mean He is God after all right?).  However, I think that perhaps the thing that astounds me most is His ability to forgive.  I can picture in my head all the miracle that Christ performed, and I can attempt to wrap my head around how God is outside time....but the fact that God can look down on the worst sinner that has spit in His face and sinned against Him over and over again, even those who mock His Son that was sent to die for them and then completely wash their sin away as if it did not exist and call them His child.....that is truly awesome.

I think perhaps love in it's purest form is forgiveness.  A lot of people can be kind to others, and sacrifice for others, but to have someone completely do you wrong and then to turn around and forgive them and not hold it against them....that's love.  One of my favorite things about God is that I can talk to anyone....no matter what they have done, and share with them that there is a God that has the power to forgive all their past, the horrendous murderer, the sex addict, the liar, the thief...anyone and that He can make them pure and white as snow.  How cool is that?!  And not only does He forgive them...but if they follow Him, He will use them for great things and to further his kingdom.  On a side note, yet also related, it also blows me away and greatly humbles me that God loves everyone...no matter what they do.(yes I do believe that, sorry Calvinist friends) :).  God's awesome guys!

I'll leave you with a few verses on forgiveness that spoke to me:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 
1 John 1:9 

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,"
Acts 3:19

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,"
Romans 8:1

"Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.""
Isaiah 1:18

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."
Ephesians 1:7

"Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more."" 
Hebrews 10:17

"The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;"
Daniel 9:9

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:13-14 

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

P.S.  Way to be Gungor for making songs that speak to my heart.   And shame on you Eminem....you're disgusting.