It amazes me how Christians, who are supposed to be the forgiven ones, the righteous ones and the loved ones, actually seem the most miserable at times. It is as if all of Christianity so often forgets the central fact that God forgives our sins.

Religious Christianity can so quickly become a guilt trip, as some preaching only seems to heighten the sense in many that we never quite do things right. We never pray enough, love enough, sing enough or attend enough. The Christian life becomes full of things we feel duty bound to do. This is a million miles from the Gospel Jesus taught.

Always remember the wondrous love of God, the greatness of his grace and the riches of his mercy. He loves you completely. He doesn’t give us a license to sin, but he does want us to simply confess our sins, receive forgiveness and to walk as best we can in his will. As we come close to him, it is he that will help us to live lives worthy of the calling he has given us. Don’t allow guilt to keep you from God’s presence. Confess your sins and receive forgiveness by faith.

An extract from Jarrod Cooper’s book “Glory in the Church”