Category: Forgiveness

Posted on

Back Sliding Isn’t Fun

Yesterday I told you that one of our Christmas tree cuttings had an added adventure that we weren’t expecting. Now, let me tell you the rest of the story. This image is a picture I took from the top of that mountain.

We went up to cut our Christmas tree. We backed off on a side road to turn around and slid 100 yds down the mountainside. Two hours later, after much work, we were finally back on the main road and heading home. We would gain a foot and then lose 6″. It seemed almost impossible to get any forward momentum. Inch by inch we gained ground, but we had to make sure we had good traction and that meant cutting pine boughs to put under the wheels – we needed a firm foundation.

Backsliding created some real stress and anxious moments.

I’ve had those same type of experiences emotionally as well. A failure or hurt can be daunting. Friends leave, loved ones don’t understand and so we can get stuck in our failure and live in self-pity or even become suicidal. Maybe you’ve had a “tremendous” sin in your life that has held you back from serving God. Leaving you with the thought that God couldn’t possibly love or forgive me after what I have done but He can. He does and He already has.

“So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. 2 We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.” Hebrews 12:1-3

To go on with God we need a couple things; one, to be looking in the right direction – looking forward and looking up and then two, we need good traction – something solid beneath our feet.

“Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time. Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time…19. And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. 20 We enter through a new way that Jesus opened for us. It is a living way that leads through the curtain—Christ’s body. 21 And we have a great priest who rules the house of God. 22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ. 23 We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what he promised.” Hebrews 10:10-14,19-23

The solid foundation Christ has given us is His sacrifice that offers us forgiveness and a right relationship with God (that’s our traction), it gets us out of the ditch of self-pity and off the slippery slope of unworthiness. The blood of Christ can and has cleansed us from a guilty conscience and put us on the right road with God.

When we’re wrapped up in guilt, and we all go there from time to time, we’re looking the wrong direction. The victory comes in looking at Jesus – looking forward, not back. Looking back, we magnify our failures and sin; looking forward we magnify Jesus and what He did for us on the cross.

Get on track and run the race looking to Jesus and don’t get “stuck” in your past.

Posted on

First Thoughts

What was the first thing you thought of when you saw the picture I used for this morning’s blog?

Ooooo! I thought of weariness. To be so dirty, they must be tired.

I was reading John 13 where Jesus was having the last Passover meal with His disciples and midway through the evening He got up from the table, took a towel, wrapped it around His waist, got a basin of water and went from disciple to disciple and washed their feet.

This is something the servant of the house should have done. It was customary to wash all the guests’ feet. But since Jesus and the disciples were in a home that wasn’t theirs it’s apparent there was no “servant” to perform the task, so Jesus took it upon Himself.

Peter protested. But Jesus told him that it was essential. The thing that amazes me about this is not the interchange between Jesus and Peter but that Jesus washed Judas Iscariot’s feet also. He knew that Judas was going to betray Him and that Peter would deny Him but Jesus lovingly served them like all the rest.

” But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus answered, ‘You don’t really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8 ‘You will never wash my feet!’ Peter replied. ‘If I don’t wash you,’ Jesus told him, ‘you don’t really belong to me.’…11 Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, ‘except for one of you.’…Then he said: ‘Do you understand what I have done? 13 You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. 14 And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. 15 I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. 16 I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them. 17 You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them.'” John 13:6-17 CEV

Jesus made Himself servant of all. He didn’t discriminate. He knew who truly loved Him and who would betray Him but He treated them all the same. It was and is unconditional love.

Do you know someone with dirty feet? Maybe not filthy dirty, might just be a bit dusty? Would you volunteer to wash their feet? There may be some in our circle who have betrayed us and others who have remained close and loyal. Jesus tells us to treat them all with unconditional love.

Is there someone today who needs you to show them that kind of love? Our first thought may be to exclude them, but let’s wash some feet!

Posted on

Washed Away

For the last several days Dave and I have sat and watched the waves of the Aegean Sea come rolling in. There’s been a sea wind they call “Meltemi” and it has kept the otherwise calm sea, breaking its waves over the rock jetty with some considerable strength.

Boats have stayed safely moored in the small harbor.

As we were sitting in a local taverna yesterday we were directly at the waters edge. I watched each wave and enjoyed the sea spray on a warm afternoon.

Later last night I began to think about the waves and how they wash the rocks as they roll in and recede.

Washed. Washed clean.

Kind of like what the Lord does in our lives.

“God our Savior showed us how good and kind he is. 5 He saved us because of his mercy,
and not because of any good things we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning. 6 God sent Jesus Christ our Savior to give us his Spirit.” Titus 3:4-6 CEV

By the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives we are washed cleaned and given a new, fresh beginning!

“…But now the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of God’s Spirit have washed you and made you holy and acceptable to God.” I Corinthians 6:11 CEV

The things in our lives that we are ashamed of have been washed clean. Those things that make us embarrassed, that hold us by a grip of guilt, unworthiness and shame are the very things that are washed away by the Spirit of God and because of that washing we are cleansed.

“The Law of Moses is like a shadow of the good things to come. This shadow isn’t the good things themselves, because it cannot free people from sin by the sacrifices offered year after year. 2 If there were worshipers who already have their sins washed away and their consciences made clear, there would not be any need to go on offering sacrifices…21 We have a great high priest who is in charge of God’s house. 22  So let’s come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let’s keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water.” Hebrews 10:1-2, 21-22 CEV

Religion has no power to make us clean. It only serves to remind us of our sins, our misdeeds and our failings. However, when we come to Christ (our high priest), His forgiveness purifies our hearts and gives us a clean conscience. We are free from guilt and able to live each day knowing we have been washed clean.

“A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. 26 He made the church holy by the power of his word, and he made it pure by washing it with water. 27 Christ did this, so he would have a glorious and holy church, without faults or spots or wrinkles or any other flaws.” Ephesians 5:25-27 CEV

The power to cleanse comes from Christ alone. His death removed the guilt and stain of sin from our lives. Through the power of His word we are reminded daily of that cleansing. We are a holy people without spot or flaw.

All our sins have been washed away!

Posted on

The Lost Sheep

My Bible reading this morning took me to a chapter and verse, Isaiah 53:6, that I had memorized as a young girl. We are like sheep who have gone astray and gotten lost. We needed to be rescued.

This chapter tells us that Jesus wasn’t an attractive man. It also tells us that the abuse He took at His trial and crucifixion were considered by most to be punishment from God but in reality, it was the pain that He was willing to suffer for our rescue.

“…2 He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground. He has no beautiful body and when we see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He was hated and men would have nothing to do with Him, a man of sorrows and suffering, knowing sadness well. We hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was hated, and we did not think well of Him.

4 For sure He took on Himself our troubles and carried our sorrows. Yet we thought of Him as being punished and hurt by God, and made to suffer. 5 But He was hurt for our wrong-doing. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so we would have peace. He was beaten so we would be healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone the wrong way. Each of us has turned to his own way. And the Lord has put on Him the sin of us all.

7 Men made it very hard for Him and caused Him to suffer, yet He did not open His mouth. He was taken like a lamb to be put to death…8 He was taken away as a prisoner and then judged. Who among the people of that day cared that His life was taken away from the earth? He was hurt because of the sin of the people who should have been punished. 9 They gave Him a grave with the sinful, but with the rich at His death, for He had done no wrong, and there was nothing false in His mouth.

10 But it was the will of the Lord to crush Him, causing Him to suffer. Because He gives His life as a gift on the altar for sin, He will see His children. Days will be added to His life, and the will of the Lord will do well in His hand. 11 He will see what the suffering of His soul brings, and will be pleased. By what He knows, the One Who is right and good, My Servant, will carry the punishment of many and He will carry their sins. 12 So I will give Him a share among the great. He will divide the riches with the strong, because He gave up His life. They thought of Him as One Who broke the Law. Yet He Himself carried the sin of many, and prayed for the sinners.” Isaiah 53 NLV

This is what Jesus did for us! I hope you will read this chapter again, slowly, considering all that Jesus did for us because of His great love.

Jesus wasn’t punished by God. He took our punishment for sin. We were sheep who needed to be rescued. The price for our rescue was great. It cost the Good Shepherd His life!

If you ever wonder “do I matter”, consider this; you were a lost sheep worth dying for!

Posted on

It’s A Gift!

This morning as I sit here, I am replaying in my mind some of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite western movies, Crossfire Trail.

Tom Selleck was cast as the story’s hero, and he had some great one-liners. My favorite – “It’s a gift”.

That line grew so large that it was my only focus. I sat here mulling it over, “Lord, what do you want me to see. What are You saying to me”?

And then it jumped off the page of my Bible:

“ But God has a way to make people right, and it has nothing to do with the law. He has now shown us that new way, which the law and the prophets told us about. 22 God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same. 23 All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ. 25-26 God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people’s sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26 ERV

It’s a gift!

Our right standing with God – our forgiveness, our salvation, our peace is a gift. It’s nothing we could ever earn, not something we can buy or acquire by our own goodness. It’s a gift.

Recently we were at our granddaughter’s sixth birthday and when it came time to open her gifts, she was reluctant. Everyone was standing around watching and she was self-conscious but once the first gift was opened and she found something she always wanted, she eagerly opened all the others.

Not once did she look at any of us gift-givers and say “Oh, you shouldn’t have. I haven’t been good enough. You need to take this back until I’ve done something to earn it”. That would have been silly and unrealistic. It’s a gift.

She used to childlike faith to accept the gift freely and eagerly and said thank you.

“So do we have any reason to boast about ourselves? No reason at all. And why not? Because we are depending on the way of faith, not on what we have done in following the law.” Romans 3:27 ERV

God’s gift to us should be accepted the same way, with childlike faith. We have no room to boast on our own goodness. We receive right standing with the Father the same way Kristine received her birthday presents – with joy!

If you have felt you needed to be good enough, more pious, or needed to earn your salvation let all of that go and enjoy what Christ has done for you.

It’s a gift!

Posted on

Incomprehensible!

Some concepts in God’s word are almost impossible to understand. I feel that way about the unconditional love of God. But I know it’s true because He said it was.

Unconditional!

Growing up I had the impression that if I wasn’t a good Christian it somehow affected God’s love for me. It was hard and each time I failed I felt condemned, like God loved me less because I had failed!

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. 2 That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 ERV

I didn’t understand that even though I sinned the sacrifice of Christ had made me free. The book of Romans is a book of grace. Paul points out that God’s love and forgiveness are unconditional but that doesn’t give us a license to live anyway we choose. To quote Paul, God forbid!

“Sin must not have power over you. You are not living by the Law. You have life because of God’s loving-favor. 15 What are we to do then? Are we to sin because we have God’s loving-favor and are not living by the Law? No, not at all!” Romans 6:14-15 NLV

There is a big difference between condemnation and conviction. Condemnation is accusatory, belittling, insulting in nature. Conviction is a loving and concerned correction, I see it as the Holy Spirit saying, “You’re better than that, I can help you overcome that weakness or action”.

“ At one time you were held by the power of sin. But now you obey with all your heart the teaching that was given to you. Thank God for this! 18 You were made free from the power of sin. Being right with God has power over you now. 19 I speak with words easy to understand because your human thinking is weak. At one time you gave yourselves over to the power of sin. You kept on sinning all the more. Now give yourselves over to being right with God. Set yourself apart for God-like living and to do His work.” Romans 6:17-19 NLV

Yesterday’s blog was about knowing the depth of God’s love to us through Christ. Did you take time to think about just how much God loves you? I did. It’s overwhelming, awe-inspiring, almost unfathomable, but it’s true! The unconditional love of God.

“For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! 39 The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NLV

Let me take this moment to encourage you to not only read but to study the book of Romans.

“Men become right with God by putting their trust in Jesus Christ. God will accept men if they come this way. All men are the same to God. 23 For all men have sinned and have missed the shining-greatness of God. 24 Anyone can be made right with God by the free gift of His loving-favor. It is Jesus Christ Who bought them with His blood and made them free from their sins.” Romans 3:22-24 NLV

God’s unconditional love made a way, through Christ, for us to be free from sin – now that’s almost incomprehensible!

Posted on

Free to Forgive

How hard is it for you to forgive? Sounds like a loaded question doesn’t it?

When we look at forgiveness from a strictly personal, human perspective it can seem almost impossible to forgive some and easy to forgive others. It all depends on how deeply we have been hurt or wronged. Forgiveness seems to be based on our feelings and quite frankly, we often don’t want to take responsibility for letting them go.

However, we are free to forgive because we have been forgiven.

“We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.” Colossians 1:14 NLV

In this morning’s reading Jesus was teaching on this very thing.

 “Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, speak sharp words to him. If he is sorry and turns from his sin, forgive him. 4 What if he sins against you seven times in one day? If he comes to you and says he is sorry and turns from his sin, forgive him.”

5 The followers said to the Lord, ‘Give us more faith.’ 6 The Lord said, ‘If your faith was as a mustard seed, you could say to this tree, ‘Be pulled out of the ground and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.’

7 “What if you owned a servant who was working in the field or taking care of sheep? Would you say to him when he came in from his work, ‘Come and sit down to eat?’ 8 No, instead you would say, ‘Get my supper ready. Dress yourself and care for me until I am through eating and drinking. Then you can eat and drink.’ 9 Does the servant get thanks for doing what he was told to do? I am sure he does not. 10 It is the same with you also. When you do everything you have been told to do, you must say, ‘We are not any special servants. We have done only what we should have done.’” Luke 17:3-10 NLV

Jesus talked to his disciples about forgiveness. They tried to make it a “faith” issue. Jesus quickly refuted that and told them they didn’t need more faith – even a small amount of faith was sufficient to make earth moving changes.

What he did talk to them about was their obedience. Verses 3 through 5 don’t seem to tie together with verses 6 through 10 but read it again and you will see the correlation. Jesus starts in verse 6 telling them their faith is sufficient and then immediately goes into a teaching on obedience, the obedience of a servant.

The disciples, servants of Jesus, are being challenged to obey what the Master has said. Forgive!

Take forgiveness out of the realm of feelings and place it where it belongs – it is an act of obedience. We don’t need to struggle with doing something we are commanded to do. Just obey!

Obey because it’s what the Father has instructed us to do. Obey and know that we have done our duty as a servant of the most high God. We have been forgiven and we are charged with following His lead.

We’ve been forgiven so we are free to forgive!

Posted on

Lather Up!

It’s important that we have the proper covering in life. I was thinking about that the other day when the grandkids were here.

They were dressed in their swimsuits, and we were ready to head out the door but first things first. Time to lather up – they needed to be covered with sunscreen and they also needed to have their hats on.

The Arizona sun is so hot!

We don’t always think about being covered because the water is cool and inviting but it’s important that we keep from getting sunburned. As excited as they were about getting up to the pool they waited, not so patiently, until each one had been sprayed and had their hats in hand.

It made me think, I should never start the day without being covered.

“How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! 2 How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false.” Psalm 32:1-2 NLV

Because of God’s great love for us we are forgiven, we have our sins covered. That was the example of the Old Testament. The blood sacrifices that were made covered their sin. However, in the New Testament, the blood of Jesus not only covers but completely blots out our sins.

“ David tells of this. He spoke of how happy the man is who puts his trust in God without working to be saved from the punishment of sin. 7 ‘Those people are happy whose sinful acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered. 8 Those people are happy whose sins the Lord will not remember.’…25 Jesus died for our sins. He was raised from the dead to make us right with God.” Romans 4:6-8, 25 NLV

Over exposure to the sun’s harmful rays can cause skin cancer. Over exposure to the world’s way of thinking and living can cause a cancer of the soul.

“He will cover you with His wings. And under His wings you will be safe. He is faithful like a safe-covering and a strong wall…14 Because he has loved Me, I will bring him out of trouble. I will set him in a safe place on high, because he has known My name. 15 He will call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will take him out of trouble and honor him. 16 I will please him with a long life. And I will show him My saving power.” Psalm 91:4,14-16 NLV

Oh, I didn’t forget about the hats. God has taken care of covering our heads too.

“17 The covering for your head is that you have been saved from the punishment of sin. ” Ephesians 6:17 NLV

I’ll say it again. We need to be well covered before we face the harsh elements of the day. Let’s make sure that we are aware that we are completely covered with the Father’s love.

Posted on

Religion or Relationship

I love when we get together with friends and our conversation focuses on our relationship with the Lord!

For so many years I lived by religious rules. Church attendance was required. There was Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night and the reoccurring youth get togethers. Sad to say most of it was a religious act and didn’t build my relationship with the Lord. It didn’t matter that through the week I felt lonely, out of the inner circle and abandon. There was an ache in my heart a deeper connection with the Lord and I wasn’t finding it.

“Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won’t turn any of them away.” John 6:37 CEV

Last night we visited with friends and shared from the heart about our walk with the Lord. We have been in churches and religious surroundings where we were treated like outcasts. But you know what? We were in good company because Jesus faced the same treatment from the religious rulers of His day.

“God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the kingdom of heaven.11  God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12  Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.” Matthew 5:10-12 CEV

Jesus faced down the religion of His day. The religious leaders said he was unfit because He ate with sinners and the lower class of society. Jesus’ response was: “I came to seek and to save those who are lost”. Religion and their opinions didn’t stop Him.

It shouldn’t stop us either.

We have pharisees living among us and at times, if we aren’t careful, we could act just like them. We judge because of someone’s appearance and/or lifestyle. But that’s not God’s way. God looks at the heart and to Him sin is sin, no big sins or little sins – just sin.

“They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, ‘If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her! 8′  Once again he bent over and began writing on the ground.” John 8:7-8 CEV

 “If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. ” James 2:10 CEV

Religion judges. Relationship forgives and restores.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” Romans 5:6-8 CEV

Let’s cultivate relationship with our loving and forgiving heavenly Father and stay away from religious judgements.

Posted on

Covered by Love

I have a fleece throw that I use every day – warm days, cold days it doesn’t matter. I find a sense of comfort in cuddling under that blanket. I like being covered. I guess that’s why these verses mean so much to me.

 “The mouth of the one who is right with God is a well of life, but the mouth of the sinful hides trouble. 12 Hate starts fights, but love covers all sins.” Proverbs 10:11-12 NLV

I’ve been taught when we have a heart of love we don’t expose someone else’s weaknesses or their wrongdoing. We cover them. This is a true teaching but it goes deeper than that.

It has to do with me and my Father. He loves me and His love covers my short comings and my wrong doings. He doesn’t come to you and tell you all the things I’ve done wrong. He doesn’t go to my husband or my kids or my friends and point out how many times I’ve missed it.

He covers me – He covers me with His love and in His mercy, He forgives, and He forgets.

WOW!

Does that mean we don’t have to accept any responsibility for what we do wrong? Not in the slightest. If we drive drunk, there are consequences. If we steal there are consequences. If we gossip or lie there are consequences.

However, we have the Father’s promise that He will and has covered them and He won’t use our past failures to embarrass us or berate us.

“With one sacrifice Christ made his people perfect forever. They are the ones who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says, 16’This is the agreement I will make with my people in the future, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts. I will write my laws in their minds.’ 17 Then he says, ‘I will forget their sins and never again remember the evil they have done.’ 18 And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins. 19 And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus.” Hebrews 10:14-19 ERV

Because of Christ’s sacrifice our sins are not only covered, but they are also completely blotted out and forgotten. We are forgiven, we are free to enter the Father’s presence.

When I was a kid we sang a song in church and the meaning of the words were lost to me until I was older. Now, when I sing them, my throat tightens, and tears come to my eyes:

“Calvary covers it all,

My past with its sin and shame;

My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there,

And Calvary covers it all.”

I don’t know about you but I am certainly glad that His love covers my sins!

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress