Posts tagged with 'Forgiveness'

Thankful for the Holy Spirit

  • Posted on November 26, 2023 at 3:48 pm

Our extension of love and forgiveness toward our enemies is possible only because, as believers in Christ, we are indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit. God is greater than the wrongs committed against us. We glorify him greatly by demonstrating this truth to a fallen world.  ~Cole Richards (President of Voice of the Martyrs)

Christians are supposed to be different. We are all born with a human nature, but when we come to know Christ, He fills us with His Spirit, which empowers us to conquer our fleshly desires in order to do some things which even fellow Christians can’t always understand. As I read the above lines in the latest Voice of the Martyrs magazine, the line that stuck out at me was “God is greater than the wrongs committed against us.”

My family dealt with a situation last year in which we were greatly wronged, and I confess it has been hard to forgive. I still don’t know that I fully have, but I pray frequently for strength to keep moving forward in God and to let Him deal with the wrong. I need God’s forgiveness in my life, and I don’t want to hinder fellowship with Him by refusing to forgive others.

The Holy Spirit is probably the most neglected member of the Godhead, but I’m thankful for the way He gives strength for every trial I face, for the comfort He provides, for wisdom beyond my own when I need it. One of my favorite songs is “I Wish I Could Have Been There” by the Perrys, and I do think it would have been cool to walk with Jesus when He was on Earth, but I know that I am in the time period in which God wants me. I have seen His hand at work in many ways. I have seen Him perform miracles. I feel His presence often. I know that “He walks with me, He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.” I don’t want to constantly long for the “good ol’ days,” but I want to be faithful to praise Him for what He’s doing now.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I want to once again thank each of you who continue to read my blog. I know my posts have gotten few and far between as my life has gotten busier, but it’s such a blessing to have an outlet to share my thoughts, and I trust that God will use something I say to encourage you to draw ever closer to Him. God bless you!

Push Back the Pendulum

  • Posted on October 24, 2022 at 5:52 pm

It’s sad to me that there is more emphasis today on God’s forgiveness than there is on the need for holiness. I understand the desire to reach out to sinners and assure them that God can forgive them no matter what they’ve done. There is a need for that. I also know that it’s important to extend hope to the Believer who lost his way for a time and now worries that God will have nothing to do with him. We are doing a disservice when we preach forgiveness without repentance, however.

Stories are told about preachers of old who would speak of hell fire and brimstone. No doubt some decided that there needed to be a balance, and so began the lighter preaching that we have today. Unfortunately, the pendulum has swung too far the other way. We should be preaching love and judgment, forgiveness and righteousness. The aim should not be to scare people into the Kingdom, but neither should we coddle those whose hearts are not where they need to be with the Lord.

I have come to appreciate churches who preach through the Bible since it makes it harder to gloss over the portions of Scripture that we would rather not talk about. I miss songwriters like Keith Green who challenged people not to be Asleep in the Light. We are living in an age of overall apathy and contentedness. I would like to challenge us all to dig into the Word, go back to the absolutes as the Freemans sang, learn what is right and what is wrong. God does forgive, and I am so thankful for that, but He first calls us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him. If you are a pastor, worship leader, evangelist, or a layperson who has opportunities to share your faith, be sure that you are presenting a balanced message so that your listeners understand what it really means to be a Christian.

The Golden Rule

  • Posted on March 24, 2022 at 4:04 pm

It saddens me when people do things out of spite, selfishness, or just to be mean. Many quarrels could be ended with one act of kindness but too often, people are focused on their own hurts and feelings that they don’t even try to put themselves in another’s shoes.

We live in a society where the emphasis is on not being walked over, pushed around, etc. Yet Christ taught us to turn the other cheek, to pray for those who persecute us. I don’t believe that this requires anyone to remain in an obvious abusive situation, but I will say that people get offended way too easily and, often, that offense leads to actions that do not honor God.

A number of years ago, I began to question certain things in order to discern right from wrong. I decided that, if the response to a situation was not clearly outlined in Scripture, a good rule of thumb is to follow Matthew 7:12:

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

I realize that this does not always work. For myself, a latte and a hug from a friend does wonders to cheer me up while others detest coffee and really are not that huggy so these things would not bring comfort to them at all. Some people want to be left alone when they are in a valley while others wish they had someone to talk to. In these cases, a key is knowing a person well enough to minister to them in a way that will cause them to feel love. That said, you cannot often go wrong with basic courtesy.

I knew someone who would attend a church for a while and then become upset with the church and leave. When she left, she disliked everyone who still attended said church. This resulted in her going out of her way to avoid them whenever she could. Every once in a while, someone would see her and go to give her a hug, but she would intentionally keep her arms down to make it known that she was not reciprocating any warm feelings for this person. When asked about this later, she replied that she didn’t want to be a hypocrite, but the saddest part was that many of these people did not do anything to her. She just held them guilty by association.

I don’t believe that it is ever wrong to show love to someone no matter how much they have hurt you. If the offense was serious, you don’t need to be friends with the person, but it should be a rare occasion that you would be rude. Don’t lie to a person and say “Good to see you” if you’re not happy to see them, but it’s not wrong to nod an acknowledgement in passing or at least smile as you walk by.

When you feel your anger start to get the better of you and you want to punish someone for how they have “hurt” you, ask yourself how you would want them to respond to you. For myself, I want to receive forgiveness and mercy when I do things that annoy others. I want people to bear with me when I drop the ball. Therefore, I want to show these traits to others. Jesus said:

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  ~Matthew 7:2

This isn’t talking about righteous judgment, but rather harsh judgment and retaliation. We are to shine God’s light here on earth, and we can’t do that if we are busy focusing on ourselves and our “rights.” The world does a good enough job at this, but it does not befit a Christian.

Loving the Unloveable

  • Posted on December 8, 2021 at 6:43 pm

Life always seems to have ups and downs, doesn’t it? I will say, though, that the downs probably cause me to be more grateful for the ups. I’d like to say this isn’t the case, but I expect that I at least notice them more than I would if life were full of constant gaiety.

One of my “downs” lately is that someone has decided to get a burr under their saddle towards me to the point that I can’t do anything right. I hear the comments from a third party who is getting the brunt of the animosity, but it doesn’t make it easier knowing that someone feels this way about me. Thankfully, these feelings are not coming from a friend, and my antagonist is not a Believer so I can’t really expect her to understand why I do the things I do. I also wonder, if I crumble when a few unkind remarks are said, how I would stand if I had to face real persecution. So I turn my hurt and frustration to prayer, asking God to keep me focused on what He has called me to do and praying that He will save the one who may just be unhappy with her own life that she is taking it out on me.

Everyone wants to be liked. I would like to say that’s the way we were created, but the reality is that this desire is rooted in pride. We may say that there is no good thing that dwells in us (Romans 7:18), but at heart, we really think we are pretty likable. Someone told me one time that he thought he was easy to get along with until he got married. I suspect that many can relate to that. When you do understand that you have flaws and idiosyncrasies that others have to look past in order to love you, it makes it easier to love others. I consider myself overly blessed to have friends all over the country that I believe love me and pray for me, but it’s when you live together or have close personal contact with someone over a long period of time that you know how deep that love really goes.

If I have an admonition this evening, it would have to be 1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

Father, thank You for Your amazing love. Help us to love others as You love us. Give us the strength we need to love the unloveable, to bear with those that we don’t understand, and to shine for You in every circumstance You place us in. Thank You that Your strength is perfect, and that You will strengthen us to do whatever You ask of us. We love You, Father. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Be Cleansed

  • Posted on July 29, 2019 at 11:45 pm

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  ~1 John 1:9

If you grew up in church, no doubt you have heard this verse ever since you were a child. Maybe from a Sunday school teacher who wanted you to confess your sins and know that God would always be there, ready to forgive every sin that you commit. I’m guessing, though, that some of you may not have thought about what it really means to be cleansed from unrighteousness.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.  ~1 Corinthians 6:9-11

When Christ cleanses, it is once for all time. Sin will not define a true child of God. Yes, it’s true that, if we sin we have an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1) but it’s also true that Christ has provided a way of escape so that we can flee temptation instead of giving into it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

People rely so much on God’s forgiveness that they are not too inclined to refrain from sinning. Sure, God is able to keep you from falling (Jude 1:24) but if you are determined to commit a sinful act, more than likely He will let you, and you will have no one to blame but yourself. My admonition to each one of us is to “walk in the Spirit, and you (and I) will not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

 

Photo by Gláuber Sampaio on Unsplash

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