READ: PSALMS 34:5; 89:14, 30-34; ROMANS 8:1

When you were younger, did you ever get hurt while doing something you knew you weren’t supposed to do? Like, maybe as a toddler your parent told you not to touch the hot stove, but you did anyway and got burned. Or maybe when you were a bit older you went ahead and built an amateur ramp to jump your bike, even though your babysitter told you not to, and you ended up breaking your arm. The best thing to do when we mess up and get hurt is confess what we’ve done and ask for help. Similar to how we’d confess our disobedience to the adults who were trying to keep us safe, we confess our sin to God. Like a caring parent, God very quickly forgives His children for disobeying. Yet, the pain of the injury might stay for quite a while.

As we grow up, we come to find this same principle still holds true. When we disobey God and go against His good ways, He is eager to forgive us. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, believing in His death and resurrection, all our sins have been paid for—past, present, and future. But God doesn’t always take away the natural consequences of what we’ve done. We sometimes have to face those consequences, even after we’ve been forgiven for our sin. Those consequences might look like broken trust, hurt relationships, lost opportunities, injuries, addiction, and more.

But the good news is, Jesus will walk with us as we face all these consequences, holding us in His love and giving us comfort and strength. It helps to remember that, for those who trust in Jesus, the consequences of sin are only temporary. Because He took the punishment for our sin when He died on the cross, we don’t have to face the ultimate consequence of sin—eternal separation from God. So one day, when we see Jesus face-to-face, we’ll never be in pain again.

God always forgives those who trust in Jesus, but He doesn’t always take away the consequences of our sin right away. In this broken world, we often experience painful results of wrong things we’ve done. But if we know Jesus, the consequences won’t last forever. Because of His great love for us He willingly experienced death, the ultimate consequence of our sin, so we don’t have to. And He rose again so we could have eternal life with Him. • A. W. Smith

• Can you think of a time you had to face the consequences of a sin, even after you confessed it? How could remembering that Jesus walks with us, even when we mess up, give us hope?

• As Christians, we don’t have to carry the guilt and shame of our sin anymore because Jesus has set us free! Find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you. Psalm 89:14 (CSB)