wordofgod

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Forgive or Forget?

“Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5B

When I experienced the true forgiveness of Jesus as a Christian for the first time, I was baffled. It was so pure and authentic, yet completely unbelievable. Doesn’t he realize I committed unspeakable transgressions, not to mention all the people I hurt as a result of them? Yes, he knew it all – every despicable, vile thing and, still, he wiped my slate clean.

I began to believe that even though Christ had fully forgiven me, there’s no way he’d forget the things I had done. Over time, however, he helped me believe something more. Not only had he forgiven me, but, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our (my) transgressions from us (me)’” (Psalm 103:12). All this for me!

Jesus didn’t stop at that, though. There was more. Seeing my deep hurt stemming from the decades of sin, he began prompting my spirit into action. He showed me what I needed to do in the power of his Spirit: forgive myself, forgive individuals who hurt me, and seek forgiveness from those I had hurt. It was a hard task list to swallow. My heart began pounding out of my chest as I pondered his strong direction.

I procrastinated in carrying out the assignment for years, making excuses along the way. I convinced myself that ‘doing‘ forgiveness needed to have a warm and fuzzy feeling toward the other party in order to be genuine. Little did I know that forgiveness would be everything but a feel good endeavor.

It’s messy and horribly uncomfortable. It’s diving back into muck I fought so hard to get out of. It’s facing someone who never forgot what I did. Faithfully, the Lord helped me every step of the way down that blackened corridor toward redemption. When I started by forgiving myself, the steps that followed became easier to take. I knew that no matter what the outcome would be in each situation, I had done what Jesus wanted me to do and, maybe, something noteworthy would result.

Well, so much more came out of the process than I originally hoped. There was rawness and vulnerability, reconciliation and healing, humility and peace. To forgive was to forget. It liberated me from a personal prison I had locked myself into. It enabled me to move on and live a spiritually healthy and productive life in which I freely forgive and forget offenses instead of being bound by them.

While I still sin, I strive to trust the Spirit for the power to sin less and quickly seek forgiveness while lamenting the wrongdoing. I never want to take the Lord’s mercy and forgiving nature for granted.

Even as believers, we have a tendency to withhold forgiveness from ourselves and others when Christ never intended that. He came to free us from self-condemnation so that we may forgive ourselves and others. Let us walk, freely, in the ways of forgiveness, since his Spirit within us empowers us to do so.

Precious Jesus, thank you for lavishly forgiving me when I do wrong. Help me trust you for the ability to do the same toward myself and others. In your holy name I pray. Amen.

As you reflect on today’s devotional, ask yourself if you are refusing to forgive someone. If so, pray that God would soften your heart and empower you to forgive them just as Christ forgave you, and then thank him that the Holy Spirit does just that.

By Melissa Talbot
Used by Permission

So Many Hurts

If hurts were hairs—we’d all look like grizzlies!

So many hurts. When teachers ignore your work, their neglect hurts. When your girlfriend drops you, when your husband abandons you, when the company fires you, it hurts. Rejection always does. People bring pain.

Sometimes deliberately. Sometimes randomly.

So where do you turn? Hitman.com? Jim Beam and friends? Pity Party Catering Service? Retaliation has its appeal. But Jesus has a better idea!

Grace is not blind. It sees the hurt full well. But Grace chooses to see God’s forgiveness even more. Hebrews 12:15 asks us to, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

Where grace is lacking, bitterness abounds. Where grace abounds, forgiveness grows. Forgiveness may not happen all at once. But it can happen with you.

by Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: GRACE

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at: http://maxlucado.com/about/

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

No One Shared the Gospel with Me

Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash — Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash

You wake up in the morning, scratch your back and stretch. You grab some coffee and then sit down to read the news. The first story that catches your eye includes a photograph of people doing something that makes your blood boil. You grit your teeth and mutter something under your breath and then share the link with your friends on your favorite social media site with some choice comments.

You decide to go shopping. While walking through the local store, you see a group of teenagers. They are brash, loud, and obnoxious. Several of them have multiple tattoos and piercings. The band logos and art on their clothing are offensive to you. They cast a sneering glance at you as you walk by. You can feel your blood pressure rising. You pull out your phone and write a quick tweet about how much you dislike the younger generation.

I was one of the lost people we see every day.

I could go on, but the point I want to make concerns our attitude as Christians towards the lost people we see every day. This is important to me because I was one of those lost people, and not once did any Christian even attempt to talk with me about the Gospel of Christ. I’ve often wondered why.

I grew up near Houston, Texas, deep in the southern part of the United States. It’s often called “the Bible Belt” because there are so many churches and so many Christians. Presumably, I ran across some of them during those years. If so, not one of them spoke a word to me about Jesus. (While in high school, I did encounter an elderly gentleman handing out Gideon's pocket New Testaments to students. He gave me one but didn't speak. I'm thankful that he showed at least that much care because several years later, God used that New Testament to draw me to Christ).

I went out of my way to try to offend people because I hated myself and everyone else.

Perhaps the Christians who encountered me during those years reacted the way we regularly react to the lost today. We watch the news and are shocked to see young people who are without Christ and without hope behaving like the sinners they are. Had you encountered me during my teenage years, you likely would have been repulsed at my attitude, my language, my clothing, everything. I went out of my way to try to offend people because I hated myself and everyone else. When I see young people running away from God, acting in the most offensive ways they can imagine, I see my younger self. I see lost people who are in desperate need of Christ.

We cannot simply assume that a lost person is a lost cause.

As Christians, one of our primary tasks is to share the good news with those who desperately need it, and who needs it more than those who are lost. In order to do this our attitudes need to be completely re-shaped and conformed to Christ. Rather than hate that lost person because he or she is doing what any biblically informed Christian should expect a totally depraved sinner to do, namely sin, we should pray for them. Show them the compassion and love of Christ. Tell them that life is not meaningless. Tell them that with Christ, there is light at the end of the tunnel, eternal light. We cannot simply assume that a lost person is a lost cause.

In short, if you see young me on the news, or in your social media feed, or in the store, care enough about my eternal destiny to at least pray for young me. If you have the opportunity, tell young me about Jesus. Young me might laugh in your face, but at least old me won’t wonder why no Christian ever talked to young me about Jesus.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Keith Mathison is professor of systematic theology at Reformation Bible College and the author of numerous books, including From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology, The Shape of Sola Scriptura, and Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper.

To read more content by Dr. Mathison, please visit keithmathison.org where this article was originally published.

Click Here to Subscribe to BCL's Free Monthly Newsletter and Weekday Devotional

Recommended Book:

The Shape of Sola Scriptura by Keith A. Mathison

Click Here to Subscribe to BCL's Free Weekly Newsletter and Weekday Devotional

from BLOG - Beautiful Christian Life https://ift.tt/FtvwBI9
via IFTTT

The Lord Confides

“The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.” Psalm 25:14-15

Thought

Where does true deliverance come from? Only from God. Deliverance is found in God through deep reverential respect for his holiness and might, through living in covenant relationship with him, and through maintaining our focus on him. Any other roads to deliverance are false and ultimately prove themselves to be a snare. Like the tight rope walker whose eyes are not on the ground or the surroundings, but on the rope in front of him where he will walk, so too our eyes must be on the Lord. Only by looking to him will he lead us to safety.

Prayer

Precious Father, you have done so much to save me. You who are so holy and righteous, have reached down to take my hand when I was a sinner and in rebellion to your love. Teach me your ways. Correct the wrongs in my life. Guide me into the ways of your truth. I want to not only be saved from my sin, but from days of uselessness and frustration. Make me a vessel that can be used to honor you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware
Used by Permission

The post The Lord Confides can be found online at Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God.

from Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God https://ift.tt/kWtUiRq
via IFTTT

The final judgment

Today on the broadcast I will be talking about

The final judgment

Psalms 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

The great white throne judgment

Revelation 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Matthew 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Born again Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

The Bible teaches that all will be judged

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/Cbc9IwE
via IFTTT

The final judgment

Today on the broadcast I will be talking about

The final judgment

Psalms 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

The great white throne judgment

Born again Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ

The Bible teaches that all will be judged

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/Cbc9IwE
via IFTTT

Storm Survival

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 ESV

My cell phone sounded the emergency signal: “Hurricane approaching! Seek shelter now!”

As the hurricane loomed, news stations cautioned viewers to prepare for a very dangerous storm. Examples were given of those who ignored or procrastinated in past storms and met devastating consequences.

But we were prepared – house boarded, necessary food and water purchased and storm kit replenished. Still, the wind pounding against the house was frightening, especially since the storm shutters prevent you from seeing what’s happening outside. Eventually, it was night and the power went out, so we were blind to what was going on anyway.

All we could do was pray and trust.

Jesus cautioned, “…in the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33 ESV). Tribulation is from the Greek word thlipsis, meaning pressure; confined and without options; a no-way-of-escape kind of pressure. Sounds like a hurricane, but also life’s storms.

Jesus prefaced His warning with, “I have said these things that in me you may have peace.” How do we have peace amidst life’s binding circumstances?

It certainly wasn’t peaceful that night. But the word peace, eiréné, is an inner peace, like peace of mind. Moreover, it indicates wholeness, as in all essential parts joined together. Like “abiding.”

Many leaves and branches blew down when the storm winds ravaged, but I noticed the ones closer to the trunk stayed intact. Are you abiding in Him, so closely joined that nothing can shake you lose?

In John 15:4, Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself...”

Fruit? What is one of the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23?

“Peace.”

Every day without a storm is preparation time. If we have our spiritual storm survival kit equipped, abiding in His Word and prayer, then we will be strengthened and have His inner peace whenever life’s storms surge.

Lord, thank you that as I abide in you, no storm in life can shake me loose.

By Penny Cooke
Used by Permission

wordofgod

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Forgive or Forget?

“Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5B

Further Reading

So Many Hurts

If hurts were hairs—we’d all look like grizzlies!

Further Reading

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

No One Shared the Gospel with Me

I was one of the lost people we see every day.

I went out of my way to try to offend people because I hated myself and everyone else.

We cannot simply assume that a lost person is a lost cause.

Related Articles:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Recommended Book:

The Lord Confides

The final judgment

The final judgment

Storm Survival

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 ESV

Further Reading

30 Ways to Love Christ in the Everyday Moments of Life

Report Abuse

Labels