Archive for the ‘forgiveness’ Category
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; Psalm 99; Romans 3 (The Message)
May 6, 2010 The Truth About Me
Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 11; 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23 (The Message)
Scripture Focus:
Matthew 23:28 People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.
Observation:
Wow! Today’s Scripture reading was pointed and convicting. God knows the truth about me. Everything. I may totally have other people fooled, but God sees everything, knows everything I do, and knows the motive behind it.
First I read from 2 Samuel 11 & 12 about David and Bathsheeba, and then in Matthew 23, Jesus tells the Pharisees their real character, the one nobody else sees.
Application:
All I can do is say with David in Psalm 51 (also today’s reading):
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Prayer:
Father God, help me live with the knowledge that you are WITH me at every moment, knowing all I say, do, and think. May that be a comforting thought. May that knowledge be like a plumb line that keeps me walking in your ways today. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Scripture Focus:
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
July 29, 2009 Bless The Lord!
Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 57, 58, 59; Psalm 103; 2 Peter 3
Scripture Focus:
Psalm 103:1–5
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Isaiah 58:6–7 “ Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Observation:
These verses recount the good things God has done for me, chief of which is the forgiveness of my sin, but also a life of such blessing I feel like I’ve won the lottery! You can’t read these verses without wanting to cry out, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
On the other hand, God asks us to share from our blessing with others who are less fortunate. This is a recurring theme throughout Scripture. Over and over God tells us to help the poor.
Application:
Have a thankful heart. Remember to bless the Lord and thank him for all he’s done for you. I’ve been so grateful lately for the blessings of a place to live, with food to eat—even air conditioning—and a family where there’s peace and love.
We’re having a sermon series about the poor at church. One in six people on this earth live in abject poverty. We must do more than we’ve done to help those in need while at the same time give thanks every day for the tangible and non tangible blessings God has given us.
Prayer:
Thank you, God, for all the many blessings you have given me. Give me a heart that is glad to share what you’ve given me with others in need!
June 29, 2009 Meet Your Maker
Today’s Bible Reading: Amos 4,5,6; Psalms 86; Titus 1
Scripture Focus:
Amos 4:12–13 Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
For behold,
He who forms mountains,
And creates the wind,
Who declares to man what his thought is,
And makes the morning darkness,
Who treads the high places of the earth—
The LORD God of hosts is His name.
Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
Observation:
The book of Amos is about the judgment of God on nations who worshipped false gods and oppressed the poor and needy while lounging in luxury. Those who do such things need to know that the day of judgment will eventually arrive, when God has had enough.
The phrase, “Prepare to meet your God!” is a fearful phrase to someone who has lived a life of sin and utter selfishness.
However, God’s heart is not for judgment, but for mercy and forgiveness as we read in today’s other passage, Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
Application:
I’m so grateful for God’s mercy and forgiveness! Even so, the phrase, “Prepare to meet your God!” makes me realize that I may not be entirely ready to meet my Maker at this moment. Living in God’s mercy and forgiveness is not a one time event, but a daily, ongoing, way of life.
Prayer:
Father God, You have my permission to be God in my life today. I am the steward of the life and gifts you’ve given me. I want to be ready at any moment to stand before you and give an account for how I’ve lived my life.
June 8, 2009 Anger
Today’s Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 7–9; Ephesians 4
Scripture Focus:
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Ephesians 4:26–27 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:31–32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Observation:
Anger is spoken of in several of today’s passages. I don’t usually consider myself to be an angry person, yet it’s amazing what can bring out anger. Sometimes it’s not even another person. Sometimes it’s circumstances, like delays on the freeways, missing a turnoff, wasting half an hour driving around in an unfamiliar part of town, and having to reschedule an appointment because of it. Yes, all that happened to me this morning, and I felt very angry.
From today’s passages I can see that:
• Quick anger is a characteristic of a fool. Hmmm. Don’t want that.
• Be angry, and do not sin” seems to indicate that how we handle anger determines whether we sin or not
• If we don’t handle anger well, we give place to the devil.
• God wants us to put away wrath and anger (along with bitterness, evil speaking and malice).
• God wants us instead to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
• Remembering that God forgave me through Christ will bring much needed perspective.
Application:
Not much to say here except “Do it.” Let anger be a flare or signal that I need to stop and get my head straight.
Prayer:
Father God, you have forgiven me all. Help me to be as generous today.
May 22, 2009 God-Who-Forgives
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; Psalm 99; Romans 3
Scripture Focus:
Psalm 99:6–8
Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;
They called upon the LORD, and He answered them.
He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;
They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.
You answered them, O LORD our God;
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Observation:
We think of Moses and Aaron and Samuel as the great pillars of the faith, and they were, but, as Romans 3:23 reminds us, ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. No one is immune. We’re all in need of God’s forgiveness, which is why Psalm 99:8 is such a balm to the soul: “You were to them God-Who-Forgives. One of God’s names is actually God-Who-Forgives. Wow.
Application:
I have sinned. I fall short of the glory of God every day, but I’m a child of the God-Who-Forgives. I”m so grateful for God’s attribute of forgiveness. It’s woven into the fabric of who he is. No wonder he’s so adamant that we should extend forgiveness, too!
Prayer:
Abba Father, I’m eternally grateful for your forgiveness. May I bask in that knowledge today and freely forgive anyone who offends me.
May 9, 2009 We All Stumble
Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 17; Psalm 71; Matthew 26
Scripture Focus:
Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
And so said all the disciples.
74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!”
Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
Observation:
Jesus tells the disciples that ALL of them will stumble because of Jesus that night. They all deny it, beginning with Peter, but the rest of the story shows that Jesus was right.
Application:
We ALL stumble in our faith at one time or another. We do the unthinkable. We disappoint ourselves and our Lord, but that’s not where we should stay. If we are truly believers we will have remorse when we recognize our failings, and we will repent and return.
It’s no good to simply feel remorse, like Judas Iscariot, who hanged himself when he realized what he had done. God knows we will fail, but he also provided the means to return to him through repentance.
Prayer:
Abba Father, how grateful I am that you are ready to take me back, even after I fail!
April 21, 2009 Am I willing?
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 24; Psalm 57, 58; Matthew 8
Scripture Focus:
Matthew 8:2–3 And behold a leper came and worshiped Him saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Observation:
Usually, the question we have is whether God is willing to heal us. That is certainly the question this leper had, and Jesus answered it for him by saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
However, I was struck this morning by another question that I must ask myself and answer first before I can ask Jesus if he’s willing to heal me. And here is the question: Am I willing to be healed?
When it comes to physical healing I’m always quite willing to be healed, but when it comes to emotional healing I don’t always recognize that I’m the one hanging on to the hurt.
Why would I hang on to the hurt when Jesus is willing to heal me? I’m not sure I fully know the answer to that question. Maybe I just don’t recognize that I’m really the one holding back. Maybe I want the person who hurt me to acknowledge his or her part before I’m willing to move on. Maybe I feel I can’t forgive myself for my part in precipitating the emotional hurt. Maybe I get some sort of masochistic pleasure out of reliving the hurtful scenario over and over.
I’m sure Satan would like me to use any one of those excuses as a reason for me to turn away from the Healer of my soul, but think of my loss at not hearing Jesus’ words in return, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
Application:
When emotional hurt goes past the point where it’s a healthy grieving, I have a choice to make. I can hang on to the hurt and never ask God if he’s willing to heal me, or I can decide I’m ready for healing and ask God the question that will set me free.
Prayer:
Abba Father, I’m so grateful for Jesus’ words to the leper, “I am willing, be cleansed.” I’m glad you also heal emotional hurts. I experienced your healing touch this morning. Thank you.
April 19, 2009 Forgiveness Quandary
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 22; Psalm 17, 35; Matthew 6
Scripture Focus:
Matthew 6:14–15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Observation:
This statement about forgiveness is repeated more than once in the Bible. If you hold unforgiveness in your heart toward someone, you forfeit your own forgiveness from God. In the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18) Jesus demonstrates dramatically that God forgives us far more than we ever have to forgive others. He took the biggest step toward reconciliation, but he expects us to take our small step of forgiveness also.
Application:
The stakes are high. If I don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive me, AND I get to fester with bitterness, which only hurts me. If I forgive, I get God’s forgiveness AND I’m set free from the bonds of bitterness.
Prayer:
Abba Father, oh, help me forgive immediately, when I feel I’ve been wronged in small or great matters!
March 4, 2009 Prayer–Belief–Forgiveness
Today’s Bible Reading: Numbers 34–36; Mark 11
Scripture Focus:
Mark 11:24–26 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Observation:
In Mark chapter 11 Jesus is in a “high state of hoorah” as my mother-in-law used to say. He curses the fig tree as an object lesson for the disciples, he cleanses the temple of money loving merchants, he tells his disciples they can pray for whatever they want and they’ll receive it if they don’t doubt in their heart, and he coyly refuses to answer the Pharisees question about where he gets his authority.
Regarding praying and believing, I’ve always wondered how I can chase away doubt when I pray. Even the disciples doubted after they watched Jesus feed the 5,000. What made the difference for them later, after Jesus ascended to heaven? I believe it was the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus tacks an interesting thought to his words about prayer. He says that when we pray, we should forgive others because God will forgive us in the same manner we forgive others. It’s a sobering thought.
Application:
I need the power of the Holy Spirit in my life to have the kind of believing prayer Jesus is talking about. That isn’t something I can drum up on my own. And I also need to keep short accounts with God and others. Lack of forgiveness toward those I feel have wronged me isn’t an option if I want God to forgive me.
Prayer:
Father God, stir up the Holy Spirit within me to bring about belief in your ability to answer prayer, and may my prayers not be hindered by an unforgiving heart.
