There cannot be many people who have heard me speak or read my writings that don’t know my favourite verses. In case you don’t know or have missed them one of them, probably in the ‘top 5’ is:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus.

I was sitting down chatting with Father when He reminded me of an incident that happened when I was about 9 or 10 years old.

I had been play fighting with my Grandad and I don’t remember it too clearly but somehow it, or most likely I, had got a little out of hand and I know that I ended up in my bedroom. I sort of remember that I had run off there.

Well, after a while, it felt like hours to me, but was probably in reality only minutes, I realised that I had to go back down to my Grandad and say sorry. As I said, I don’t fully remember what happened or what was said. Why I am in my bedroom, feeling sorry for myself, dreading going back downstairs to my Gramps is supposition but the next bit; this is the bit I clearly remember.

I got downstairs, stood outside the door to the front room, building up the courage. I pushed the door open and went running in, “I’m sorry Grandpa, I love you, I didn’t meant to be rude” came rushing out of my lips as I crossed the room to where he was in his favourite chair.

He leant forward, swept me into his arms, sitting me on his lap as he replied, “shush, it’s alright, you have nothing to apologise for, we were playing, I love you too”. He then got up, holding my hand, walking across the room to his bureau. As he pulled the flap down I knew what was coming. Out came a chocolate bar and his letter opener. We always shared the bar, him cutting it with the letter opener and me choosing the half I wanted; always the biggest half!

He cut the chocolate and I went to take the smallest piece, well I was still feeling rotten. He stopped me as I started to pick it up and made me take the larger piece as usual. I swear this time it was even larger than usual.

I really wish I could remember what I had done or said. You see, as a child, I thought it was terrible. I was scared that he would hold it against me, be angry, treat me differently. I was sacred that I had done it. No way back. As a Dad/Grandad he didn’t even notice it. Or certainly he saw it for what it was, an act/comment out of the character of love that I had for him, and he was not going to hold it against me.

To quote the verse from 1 John above, my heart was condemning me, but my Grandad was bigger than that, he was not condemning me. His love for me overcame my self condemnation, his words, “shush, it’s alright, you have nothing to apologise for, I love you too” and his actions, giving me the larger wedge of chocolate gave me confidence in him and his love for me.

Jump forward 40 years. When I sin, when you sin, we feel terrible. It is our human nature to timidly approach Father, sorry for what we have done. Feeling unable to ask for what we want and need because we were so horrid, bad, sinful. But He says “shush, it’s alright, you have nothing to apologise for, I love you”.

You see, we know that Jesus was punished for our wrongdoing, He was crucified for our sins and He took our punishment and the anger of God on Himself so that we can have peace (a paraphrase of Isaiah 53:5).

Just like my Grandpa didn’t look at what I had done, he looked at who I was, so does Father God. He doesn’t condemn us. He loves us. He doesn’t see our sinful actions. He sees our spirit, sealed with His Holy Spirit, and He is ready and able, just like Grandpa gave me the larger piece of chocolate, to give us all that we need and want as we ask Him for it.

Oh Beloved, if Father sees us in love, without condemnation, then we must see ourselves in the same manner, and as we see ourselves innocent through Jesus, we have confidence in our Father, God. We have confidence in knowing that when we pray, talk to Him, He will answer and give us the desires of our heart.

As followers of Jesus, we know that as we try to love Him and love each other, when we struggle He picks up the slack and when we fail, He has already paid the price. As believers in The Lord Jesus we have absolute confidence in the love and provision of our Father. So let not our heart condemn us, for there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus.