"If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, 
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness, 
So that we can, with reverence, serve you."
Psalm 130:3-4, NIV

I believe the answer to the question is no one.  No one could stand with confidence in their future.  No one could stand and look themselves in the mirror.  No one could stand boldly in the presence of God.  Without God's forgiveness we're hopeless.  Period.

What would your record look like?  Would it fit on a Post-it Note, or would you (like me) need a few three or four drawer filing cabinets?  From the very first time I cried or whined selfishly as a child to get what I wanted, my sins were counted against me.  There's no way I could have kept track of them, but God did.  That in itself is quite miraculous.  However, it's not as miraculous as Him forgiving me off all I've done.  That's one of those things I have a hard time understanding, and certainly could never explain, but by faith I believe it.  To believe otherwise would lead me to feel that our existence here on this earth is meaningless, that we'd have no greater purpose than to just exist.

True life begins when we ask God to forgive us of our sins.  At that point we enter into a relationship with Him.  If we're diligent that relationship can become a friendship, and eventually, He will be our everything, or as the Bible puts it, he'll become our "all in all."  If our hearts are right, somewhere along this journey we realize that the greatest of all is the servant.  We learn that true joy comes from doing things for other people.  We learn that getting out of our comfort zone to help someone less fortunate than us is not only gratifying, but it keeps us grounded in our faith.  We realize that the most important people in life is anyone but the person in the mirror.

As we mature in this understanding, we hopefully reach the pinnacle of servitude ... reverently serving the One who created us.

Father help me to be humble.  Help me to never be afraid to approach you for forgiveness when I need to.  Help me to serve those around me, and to serve you.  Amen.