“And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him." There was no time lapse between Peter’s call to Christ for help when sinking, and Jesus saving him. And there is no interval between the time when we ask Him to forgive us for sins committed, and Him doing it.
How little we know of our dear Lord’s love, mercy, and grace. Is this not because we have envisioned Him to be, altogether such a one as ourselves? How prone we are to wallow in our self-righteous pity, sometimes for hours, even days, and with some, years. We like to think “whipping” ourselves over an extended period of time will earn us some kind of justification before God. What a slap in the face to His blessed atonement. Meritorious acts on our part after sinning, in order to win God’s favor, only voids His mercy!
Joseph’s brothers had sinned against him in a despicable way, but they had asked his forgiveness. This he instantly did, graciously granting their request. At a latter time however, they once again asked his forgiveness, in reference to the same incident. Upon hearing this we are told, “And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.” How it must grieve our precious Saviour’s heart when we emulate this type of unbelief in His Word of promise to us.
Beneath the bloody robes of self-affliction for ones sins, is a person whose tyrannical God is of their own making.
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