Noble Doss was happily married for six decades. He was a father and grandfather. He served in the navy during World War II and appeared on the cover of Life magazine with his University of Texas football team.

But the memory of one dropped pass at a moment in history has faded too slowly. Doss says he think of that moment often and it’s a daily disappointment that he has never shaken. Fifty years later, his shame still brought him to tears.

Embracing the perfect forgiveness that is ours through Christ can be a daily struggle. When Jesus healed the paralytic man in Matthew 9, he didn’t simply heal the man’s legs. He also bolstered the man’s hope when he announced that his sins were forgiven.

What have you done to overcome a pattern of dwelling on past failures?

Many of us fear we have “outsinned” God’s patience. “God’s well of grace must have a bottom to it.”

We reason. “A person can request forgiveness only so many times,” our common sense contends.
“Cash in too many mercy checks, and sooner or later one is going to bounce.”

The devil wants us to doubt that God really has unconditional love for us, a love that will survive any offense, no matter how often we make it.

You may know in your head that God says he’ll always forgive, but does your heart believe it?

How does your spirit respond to this?

The great news of the gospel is that God’s grace is real.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned.” John 3:18

Excerpt from Max Lucado’s Book “Fearless” and Fearless Bible Study Guide