Several times a year I sit down with different groups of people to talk about faith. We spend an entire meeting talking about how to read the Bible. One of the discussion questions goes like this:

What are some obstacles that keep people from reading the Bible?

Common answers have to do with busy schedules and difficulty making sense of the Bible. I validate those answers as we talk through some solutions. But one brave person recently admitted this:

“Sometimes I don’t read the Bible because I feel guilty.”

Those words immediately struck a chord in my heart. When I am feeling guilty, the accuser is quick to remind me that I do not deserve to sit at Jesus’ feet. 

When the seeds of the accuser sprout into guilt, you and I become like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We hide from God rather than pursue him. Guilt can lead us to drown out his Word with busyness or numbness.

That is why part of you did not want to read this devotion—just like part of me did not want to write it.

But here we are … right where God wants us to be.

It only takes a moment for the grace of Jesus to disarm your guilt when he says, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36).

You are free. You are washed. You are forgiven. You are loved. And your Father would love to remind you of these truths every day—especially on the days when you feel least worthy to receive them.