Are you on Santa’s “Naughty” list or his “Nice” list?

Sometimes it’s hard to know, isn’t it?

You shovelled the snow off your elderly neighbour’s walkway, so that counts as nice.

But on the other hand, you greedily ate half a pan of freshly baked brownies before sharing them with your family. Not so nice.

You made up for that by running errands for a sick friend, and volunteering to work late at the office to help finish a project. Definitely heading well into “nice” territory!

But then you lost your temper at your spouse, fibbed to get out of visiting your mother-in-law, and illegally parked your car in a disabled space while you dashed into the store to buy milk. Uh-oh! Looks like you’re squarely back on the naughty list.

With Santa, it’s hard to know where you stand on the naughty/nice spectrum.

That’s why it’s good to know that, if you’re a believer in Jesus, there’s only one list:

Forgiven.

If you’re trusting in Jesus’ atoning work on the Cross, your name is added to the “Forgiven” list.

No matter how good you think you’ve been in life, or how bad you know you’ve been, once you express your faith in Jesus, you get His perfect record ascribed to you.

“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)

Even if you feel you’ve led a pretty good life, at some point you’ve sinned: it’s simply a fact. Scripture tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

No matter the nature or number of your sins, they need to be dealt with. The good news is that Jesus did so at the Cross 2,000 years ago. All you need to do is believe in Him.

“I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” (Isaiah 44:22)

Once you exchange your sin-stained record for Jesus’ perfect one, God doesn’t see your past anymore. Miraculously, when He looks at you He only sees the spotless record of His Son.

“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” (Isaiah 43:25)

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

So we can truly say,

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Would you like to have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life?

Believe in Jesus, and join the ranks of the forgiven!

© 2021 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.