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FORGIVENESS

Blessed! Part Two

by TerryLema

I wrote yesterday about being blessed by God. Blessed is a word Christians use often because we see it often in our Bibles. But God’s blessings are far deeper and more profound than the way blessing is described in our contemporary thinking (as enjoying happiness, bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune.)

In Scripture, blessing is often linked to endurance and perseverance. It is not dependent upon circumstances and can be found even amid poverty, sorrow and other like conditions.

When I think of being blessed by God, I think primarily of three things. God’s love. God’s forgiveness. God’s inheritance for us.

God’s Love: “Who (what) can separate us from the love of Christ …. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our LORD.” [Romans 8:35-39 HCSB]

God’s Forgiveness: “We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” [Ephesians 1:7 HCSB]

God’s Inheritance: “He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” [1 Peter 3-4 HCSB]

I am blessed by God. I am loved. I am forgiven. And I have a future that nothing in this world can destroy.

And so do you. 

We are Blessed.

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Willing to Forgive

by TerryLema

There are two things that we must do in order not to develop a root of bitterness that will strangle our spiritual life.  The first is to not fall into the trap of taking offense. The second comes into play when we do not do the first … we must grant forgiveness to the one that offended.

Forgiveness, like humility, does not come naturally. Forgiveness is not our first thought when we have been offended. But forgiveness is God’s first thought. It comes from the Spirit of Truth that takes up residence within us when we come to Christ Jesus as Savior and LORD. We receive God’s forgiveness (while we are still His enemies) and He now expects us to grant forgiveness to others in like manner.

We make two mistakes about forgiveness. The first is to think that forgiving someone is to benefit them. It may benefit them, but God requires us to forgive for our soul’s sake, not that of another. Forgiveness releases us from being chained to that person in anger forever.

The second mistake we make is to think that forgiveness is always a one-time event. We forgive, matter settled. All our feelings and thoughts about the offense will simply cease to exist once we forgive. That would be nice, and it may happen that way on occasion, but for most of us it is a far different experience. For most of us, the enemy of our soul continually tries to drag us back to and resurrect all the emotions of that offense. I think we must change our perspective of forgiveness and understand that forgiveness is not usually a once and done.

Perhaps most importantly, we need to be “willing” to forgive even if we do not think we are “able” to forgive. If we are willing, God will empower and enable us to forgive.

We must see God’s forgiveness of our offenses (through the eyes of the Spirit of Truth) and then we can become willing to forgive in like manner those who have offended us. I know deep in my heart, that I have offended God with my rebellion and arrogance far greater than anyone has ever offended me.

If Jesus can forgive me, I can be willing to forgive others.

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One Other Thing … Forgiveness

by TerryLema

Besides learning how not to take offence, there is one other thing we must do if we are going to avoid bitterness taking root in our souls and thus fall into a trap set by the enemy of our soul. That “other thing” is forgiveness.

There will be times when we do succumb to the enemy’s temptation to take offense. There will be times when we must deal with actual offenses, not just ones we perceive as such when we misjudge another’s motives.

When those times come, we must learn how to forgive, and learning to forgive just might be one of the most difficult tasks required of a Christian. Yet the Scriptures make it clear that forgiveness is one extremely important part of Christian life.

“Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.” [Colossians 3:12:13 HCSB]

God forgave us when we were His enemies. “Just as the LORD has forgiven [us], so [we] must also forgive.”

With use of that little word “just,” Paul attached our forgiving to the LORD’s forgiving. Our forgiving is to be in like manner to the LORD’s.

Is it easy? No, it is not. It is not easy because the enemy of our soul constantly seeks to take us back to the occasion of the offense so that we become angry and bitter all over again. We have to learn a vital point about forgiveness … tomorrow.

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Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee …

by TerryLema

“How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is the man the Lord does not charge with sin and in whose spirit is no deceit!” [Psalm 32:1-2 HCSB]

I am singing this morning with the psalmist … how joyful it is to have our sin forgiven, our transgressions cast into the midst of the sea never to be held against us again!

Sin is heavy, and the guilt and shame we bear before our God for our sin even more so. It weighs us down. It is like a great rock on our necks so that we cannot lift our heads. When we repent, confessing our sins (both as individuals and as the church corporate) that great rock is lifted from us. Suddenly we are free to dance before our LORD, to sing joyfully in His presence.

The psalmist declares the joy of the person whose sin has been put away, the person who can stand before His LORD with a clear conscience, “a spirit in which there is no deceit.”

No longer are we seeking to hide from Him, lest He see the unrighteousness in us. Now because of all that Christ Jesus has done for us, our forgiveness is there – it is complete and makes us whole.

Ephesians 1:7: “We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” [HCSB]

What a glorious day! Thank you, Jesus! Amen & Amen. 

 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=joyful+joyful+we+adore+thee&docid=608024475698004297&mid=FAB5EEA47D8F08E45D14FAB5EEA47D8F08E45D14&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
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I REMEMBER

by TerryLema

When I came to the LORD nearly 50 years ago, I had no idea what to expect. I was raised by religious parents in a liturgical church setting. I knew there was a God, that He was Father, Son, Holy Spirit. I had a vague idea about salvation, that Christ Jesus had come to save us. I thought however, that while He made the “down payment,” I was responsible for the installments to keep myself saved. I did not understand forgiveness, instead I lived in fear—because as I was well aware, I was a sinner.

As an adult, pregnant with my second child, I heard the Father call my name and I surrendered it all to Him. I gave my life to His Son. I invited the Holy Spirit to fill me with everything good the Father had for me. I never looked back, even though there were times I struggled (and still do).

It took a while though for me to fully understand God’s love and God’s forgiveness. That happened when we started going to a little church in Loomis, California, and sat under the ministry of Pastor Jim. Everything changed for me there. I heard God’s love proclaimed in a way I never had before. I began to understand God’s forgiveness granted in God’s grace. (Thank you Pastor Jim)

So, each time I come to Colossians 3:13, I remember all that. “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” [NIV]

I remember that I am a sinner. I remember I am saved solely by God’s grace granted in Christ Jesus. I remember that God gave me that grace because of His great love for me. I remember that Christ Jesus was willing to come and purchase my forgiveness on the cross through His suffering, death, and resurrection. I remember.

And as I remember that I received forgiveness not because of anything in me or anything I did … I must now grant the same to others. I must “forgive as the LORD forgave me.”

Sounds easy, doesn’t it. It is not. And may even become more difficult as society’s view of the church changes. But easy or not, we must forgive because, beloved, we have been forgiven.

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