Hi and welcome to today's encouragement from our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled Etch-Sketch forgiveness was written by Katara Patton.

The little red rectangular box was magical.

As a kid, I could play with it for hours.

When I turned one knob on the box, I would create a horizontal line on its screen.

Turn the other knob and voila, a vertical line.

When I turned the knobs together, I could make diagonal lines, circles, and creative designs. But the real magic came when I turned the knobs together, I could make diagonal lines, circles, and creative designs.

But the real magic came when I turned my etch-a-sketched toy upside down, shook it a little, and turned it right-side up.

A blank screen appeared, offering me the opportunity to create a new design. God's forgiveness works much like that etch-a-sketch.

He wipes away our sins, creating a clean canvas for us. Even if we remember wrongs we committed,

God chooses to forgive and forget. He's wiped them out and doesn't hold our sin against us.

He doesn't treat us according to our sinful actions, but extends grace through forgiveness.

We have a clean slate, a new life awaiting us when we seek God's forgiveness.

We can be rid of guilt and shame because of

his amazing gift to us. In Psalm 103, the psalmist reminds us that our sins have been separated

from us as far as the east is separated from the west. That's as far away as you can get.

In God's eyes, our sins no longer cling to us

like a scarlet letter or a bad drawing.

That's reason to rejoice

and to thank God for his amazing grace and mercy.

Today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading is from Psalm 103,

verses 7 through 13.

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