The Joy of Being Forgiven

Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

Psalm 32:1–2 NLT

The power of God’s forgiveness is life‑changing. Whatever we have done—born into sin and prone to it—can be completely removed when we come to God and ask for His forgiveness. The psalmist says our sin is “put out of sight.” That doesn’t mean hidden away in some back room. Psalm 103 says it even more clearly: “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

What immeasurable joy this brings to the forgiven child of God.

When I was a child growing up in a pastor’s home, I sat through many church services. Often, I felt the conviction of the message and realized I wasn’t ready should the Lord return. Sometimes that guilt would send me down the hall in the middle of the night to wake my parents and confess my latest wrong‑doing.

There was no greater feeling than going back to bed knowing I had nothing to hide. No secret behavior waiting to resurface. No fear of exposure. As the psalmist writes, “Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”

You can know this same joy. Jesus still takes away the stains and power of sin. Don’t live your short life ignoring your sin and ignoring God, hoping for some kind of last‑minute conversion to get you into heaven. God loves you and, just like my patient parents, He wants you to come to Him, confess, and receive the joy of sins forgiven. Not once were they upset when I came seeking a clear conscience.

Come to Him—and experience the joy of the Lord in your life. Confess to Him and know the joy of a clear conscience. Follow Him and learn the way to the joy of eternity in heaven.

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