Several years back I wrote a book, “The Best Gifts of Christmas”, and the subtitle is “Receiving and Giving God’s Best”. The title came from the realization that no matter how much we might want to give, we can’t until we first receive.
Someone who has never experienced love won’t be able to give love. Someone who has never received a kindness won’t be kind. A person who has never been forgiven won’t know how to forgive. You see where I’m going with this, right?
We receive and then we can give!
“Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You.” Psalm 143:8 NLV
Each morning I spend time listening to the Lord. Each morning I thank Him for his unconditional love and kindness and each morning I ask Him to show me how to love others.
“My lips will praise You because Your loving-kindness is better than life. 4 So I will give honor to You as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in Your name.” Psalm 63:3-4 NLV
“Praise the Lord, O my soul. And forget none of His acts of kindness. 3 He forgives all my sins. He heals all my diseases. 4 He saves my life from the grave. He crowns me with loving-kindness and pity. 5 He fills my years with good things and I am made young again like the eagle.” Psalm 103:2-5 NLV
The Lord wants us to know, to experience personally, His loving-kindness. When we do, we can share it with others and He will receive the glory.
“I give you a new Law. You are to love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, all men will know you are My followers.” John 13:34-35 NLV
Forgiveness is a tangible expression of loving-kindness. Love forgives, kindness embraces. One of the first expressions of God’s love we experience is forgiveness.
“You will tell His people how to be saved from the punishment of sin by being forgiven of their sins. 78 Because the heart of our God is full of loving-kindness for us, a light from heaven will shine on us.” Luke 1:77-78 NLV
I don’t spend time dwelling on my past failures and sins but I daily focus on the love and forgiveness I receive from the Father. I recognize that in His love He has chosen to forget my sins and that He nevers reminds me of them. When I stand in His presence He sees me cleansed from them all.
“I tell you, her many sins are forgiven because she loves much. But the one who has been forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then He said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:47-48 NLV
Knowing I’m forgiven, I can forgive others.
Let the Lord remind you of His loving-kindness today. Reflect on your forgiveness.
What we have received we should freely give.