Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Jesus Christ died to secure your forgiveness {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

Do you have regrets as you look back on your past? We all have moments we’re not proud of. Maybe you’re currently struggling with sin, and you’re consumed with guilt every time you mess up again. The more I learn of God’s holiness, the more I become aware of how I sin against Him every day. 

We’re spending this month looking at the benefits we receive from Christ’s death and resurrection. Our debt has been paid, and we’ve been justified by God’s grace. Today we will see that because Christ shed His blood for us, all our sin has been forgiven. 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

When we confess that we are sinners and need the salvation Christ provides, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins. 

God is faithful to forgive our sins because He always keeps His promises. Psalm 130:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” You can count on Him to forgive you today and every day, because He never fails to do what He says He will do. 

God is just to forgive our sins because our forgiveness was secured by Jesus when He bled and died for us. First John 1:7 tells us that “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” God poured out the punishment we deserved on Christ—God won’t demand payment for that sin again. His justice has been satisfied by Christ, and our forgiveness is the glorious result. 

God is faithful and just to forgive all our sin—past, present, and future. There is no sin so great that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice can’t cover it. For all who hope in Him, forgiveness is completely secure. We can rejoice as we celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection for us, knowing we are fully forgiven. 

No matter what you face this week, Jesus Christ died to secure your forgiveness. 

Share

Jesus Christ gives you His perfect record {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

My daughter has been obsessed with cleaning lately. (It’s pretty much the best thing ever.) If you come to my house after one of her cleaning sprees, you’ll see spotless kitchen counters. And if you haven’t read this devotional, you’ll assume that I’m great at keeping my counters clean. But the truth is, my kitchen is usually a mess. 

But my lackluster housekeeping skills aren’t my biggest problem. I am a sinner, and I cannot stand on my own before a holy God. The good news of the gospel is that I’ve been given a righteousness I didn’t earn. Just as I benefit from my daughter’s work on my behalf when my kitchen counters sparkle, I benefit from my Redeemer’s work on my behalf and receive a spotless record in God’s sight. 

This month we are looking at benefits we receive from Christ’s death and resurrection. Last week, we saw that our debt has been paid. But the good news gets even better! Christ died and rose again not only to remove our sinful record but to give us a perfect record of obedience. By His death and resurrection, we are justified—declared righteous by a gift of God’s free grace. 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23–24)

These verses tell us that we are justified by God’s grace as a gift. Our justification is undeserved and unattainable on our own. We can’t earn it—we can only receive it by faith. Jesus Christ earned our justification when He lived a perfect life in our place and then took the punishment our sin deserved. 

When Jesus took your punishment, He gave you His perfect, sinless record. If you are in Christ, when God looks at your life He sees what Christ has done. You can walk in the joy and freedom of God’s grace. 

No matter what you face this week, Jesus Christ gives you His perfect record. 

Share

Jesus Christ paid your debt {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

It’s happened to me twice now, and each time was surprising and impactful. I’ve pulled up to the Starbucks window and found out that my (grande, non-fat, one-pump-caramel) latte was paid for by the driver in front of me. It feels strange to receive my drink without giving anything to the cashier. I accept the gift of a free latte because someone I don’t know paid the debt I owed. 

It’s a beautiful picture of the gospel. Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” 

Condemnation is not a word we like to discuss. But God’s Word is clear that we are all sinners, and our sin deserves God’s punishment.  

So how can Romans 8:1 say there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus? Has God decided to look the other way? Did He change His mind about sin? Is He just being nice? 

There is now no condemnation because Someone else paid for our sin. 

On the cross, Jesus took the punishment our sin deserved. God is fully satisfied with Jesus’s sacrifice and will not demand payment from those who are in Christ. Our debt has been paid. We freely receive the gift of God’s grace. 

As we drink deeply of His grace, we are set free from trying to convince God and others that we’re good enough. We don’t have to keep looking around, hoping to be a little better than the next guy. We don’t have to keep striving, hoping the good works will outnumber the bad. 

This month we will be looking at benefits we receive from Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. One of the many benefits we receive is this payment of a debt we could never pay on our own. I can’t wait to explore others with you in the coming weeks! 

No matter what you face this week, Jesus Christ paid your debt.

Share

More Than Conquerors {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

I hate to lose. Whether it’s Candyland with a preschooler or the biggest college football game of the season, I want to feel the thrill of victory. (Although I’ll admit, I’ve stacked the deck to let a 4-year-old win Candyland before just out of desperation for the game to end. Anyone else??)

Even as a child, I struggled with losing. My parents taught me to say to the winner, “Congratulations. Maybe I’ll win next time.” The sentiment is not heart-felt, and I often spit out those words through pouting lips with a touch of resentment. Maybe that’s why, even at the age of 41, I haven’t deviated from the script. I still mutter these words when my kids beat me at Uno.

We’ve been looking at the end of Romans 8 the last few weeks and learning that God is for us, God provides for us, and God’s verdict is sure. Today we see that God has made us conquerors through Jesus Christ:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

I’ll be honest, most days I don’t feel like a conqueror. I feel defeated, discouraged, and distracted. I’m barely hanging on sometimes. But even when my feelings don’t match up, God’s Word says this is true: God has given me the victory in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57).

The victory doesn’t depend on me—Christ secured it when He rose from the grave. Now anything that threatens me has been defeated by my Savior. Even death has been swallowed up in victory and lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). We still have trouble, but Jesus Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33).

And because of Christ’s love, we are included in His victory as if we are the conquerors. We can say with Paul, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Christ’s victory over all, given to you because of His love for you, gives us courage when we think we can’t go on. Your circumstances may seem uncertain, daunting, or even impossible, but God has made you a conqueror. He knows how He will bring you through the battle to victory.

No matter what you face this week, Christ’s love makes you a conqueror.

Share