Dear Faith Family, 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us, (Psalm 103:11-12). 

“Guess what day it is!” Hump day is happy day.  It’s trash day.  You know, roll out the cans full of unwanted garbage.  And return home in the evening. Wah-lah, like magic they’re empty!  I love it!  One of life’s simple pleasures.  Or is it? 

It’s simple enough, right?  Roll full trash can from back yard to front sidewalk.  Leave.  Return.  Roll empty trash can from front sidewalk to back yard.  Fist pump to express delight.  Have I missed anything?  What about all the work it took to pick up the trash, haul it off, and dispose of said trash?  A lot happened between full and empty. 

David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit reminds us that our transgressions have been taken out (past tense)!  All of it!  Our trash can is empty!  What in the world is a transgression?  The word represents our rebellion against God.  We broke our relationship with Him and our disobedience, otherwise known as sin, betrays us daily. 

May I introduce a problem?  Sometimes all we see is a full trash can and an empty trash can.  We fist pump in delight.  But the real danger occurs when we miss the in between.  David isn’t simply highlighting our clean trash cans.  Instead, he’s spotlighting the ultimate “Trash Collector”!  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

In the verses just before and just after Psalm 103:12 (you know – verses 11 and 13), David emphasized the steadfast love and the compassion of our God!  So, the removal of our transgressions is a brilliant display of the character of our Lord. 

Here’s the thing.  Don’t simply bask in the emptiness of your trash can.  Take the time to consider what happened to empty your trash can.  In other words, take time to consider your Lord.  Think about what it cost Him.  Think about His steadfast love.  Think about His overwhelming compassion.  Now He’s something worth basking in! 

Basking, 
Pastor Karl 

PS – when the circumstances tempt you to believe that God doesn’t care, peek back into your empty trash can and let the steadfast love, the compassion, of your God saturate your mind and your heart.