Notes from the editor: February issue

That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Queasiness. Clammy hands. Deep, overwhelming regret.
That’s the way I usually feel in the moment when I realize my careless words have hurt someone’s feelings or my inattention to detail caused me to make a big mistake at work. But none of that really compares to the way I feel when I recognize and admit that I have sinned against God. Devastated might be a better word.

I’ll admit that it hasn’t always been that way. There was a time in my life that while I understood I was a sinner in need of forgiveness, I’m not sure I comprehended the depth of my sinfulness or the fact that sin didn’t just displease God, it dishonored Him. That choosing to sin was like throwing God’s grace and goodness back in His face and telling Him I knew better. There came a point, though, when I realized my attitude toward sin didn’t quite match up with God’s. I found myself facedown on the floor repeating David’s words from Psalm 51, crying out for forgiveness.

I finally understood in that moment that sin really is a big deal. We like to think it isn’t or justify our actions by saying we can always ask for forgiveness later, but those attitudes mock a holy God who can have nothing to do with sin. We don’t take sin seriously. But God does.

But God also takes restoration seriously—and if there’s one thing you get out of this issue of ec, I hope it’s that. That God takes sin seriously, but He also takes loving you seriously and is willing and able to forgive and restore you. You’ll find that message of hope and restoration in Cynthia Hopkins’ cover story, “What’s the big deal with sin?” and in nearly every devotion this month. Take it to heart and dwell on it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s true for everyone but you or that God couldn’t possibly still want you with all your flaws, sins, and bad choices. He loves you, and His love is relentless.

Let His relentless love overwhelm you this month. Let it change your attitude toward sin and challenge you to a life of obedience. Let it show up in the way you treat others and what you do and say on Facebook (see p. 46). February is the month of love, and I couldn’t think of a better time to celebrate the God who gave His one and only Son so that we could have a relationship with Him than now. Jesus loves you—and that’s a fact, not just a song you sang as a child. Believe it. Trust Him. Live in the overwhelming power of it.

You are the one Jesus loves. Be loved.