Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38 (NIV)
Forgiveness
If you’re struggling to keep up with your student loan payments, you’re not alone. The average debtor owes over $14,000 in student loans. While many see bankruptcy as a last resort of unmanageable debt, the rules are different for student loans. If you successfully declare bankruptcy, you won’t have to continue paying many of your debts, except for your student loan debt. Your student loan debt is ineligible unless it’s been at least 7 years since your last day as a full-time or part-time student. The federal government offers a variety of student loan forgiveness programs.
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One of the greatest gifts anyone can offer to another person is the gift of forgiveness. When we have done or said something that has hurt someone else, we ought to long for them to forgive us. When that forgiveness is offered, we are released immediately from shame and guilt. If this is the case with other human beings, it is even more so when it comes to our relationship with our Creator. In his Day of Pentecost sermon, the apostle Peter says this in Acts 2:38: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” What a great promise from the Lord. When we repent of our sin, we can always, always, count on God’s forgiveness. It is what Jesus provided through His death and resurrection. As a bonus, we then immediately receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes into our lives to fill us with Jesus’ loving presence. God’s forgiveness guaranteed. What a wonderful promise, and a magnificent gift.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley