“Why should I forgive you?

    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn by gods that are not gods.
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes. Jeremiah 5:7

            There’s really no good reason God should forgive us.  Look at our record of lying, false prophesy, worshipping other gods, seeking harm to others, trapping people, deceit, seeking power, not looking out for the poor, unfaithfulness.

            God does punish us with the hope that we will see the error of our ways, repent and humbly turn away from our sins.

            In the end, God waits for us to turn to Him asking for forgiveness and, guess what, He offers it…every time.  Why?  We always seem to gravitate back towards sin again and again.

            The only good answer to why God should forgive us is…He loves us.  Parents get mad at their children, then their children do something kind and repair the damage and just like that—all’s forgiven.  God still punishes us and it hurts.  That pain is meant to restore the relationship and unfortunately, only pain seems to get our attention.