Forgiveness

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” Romans 4:7-8 (NLT)

An element of love often overlooked is forgiveness. It gets overlooked because it is perhaps the most difficult element of love to apply, perhaps because the one who did the offense to us, hurt us in a way that scarred us (whether intentional or unintentional). But when we think in the realm of love we grow to understand that selflessness is a characteristic of love that when embraced, should make it easier for us to understand how to forgive.

My favorite example of forgiveness is Jesus' example on the cross. After enduring hours of the harshest punishment anyone could ever imagine for a sin/offense He was unjustly accused. In what amounted to one of his final words He utters, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Jesus had every right to unleash His fury upon us yet He chose love over just condemnation. We who have been afforded so much forgiveness should love, embracing completely all aspects of forgiveness ourselves... which... by the way includes forgetting.

Never Forsaken

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." Psalm 37:25 (NIV)

     How profoundly impacted David must have been to write such a statement. To use the world always, and never brings a certain lasting impression to things. And in all his life he never once saw a righteous man forsaken by God.

     For the average person it would have sufficed for David to pick up his pen at that point and say... I've never seen God forsake the righteous. But he didn't. He kept writing, and what he ended up adding to this particular passage tells you something about how he saw God, and how I believe God wants us to see Him.

     In David's day a person who was poor lacked bread. Bread was a sign of provision, and sustenance, and those who had neither were relegated to beg for bread. Jesus said in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life," by making such a declaration Jesus made himself our provision and sustenance for life. That's why David was able to make a prophetic declaration that the righteous will never be forsaken, and their children won't beg for bread, because Jesus was going to fulfill every need for our life. Hold fast to this life changing truth.

Our Friend

"You, LORD, were my friend, and you made me strong as a mighty mountain. But when you hid your face, I was crushed." Psalm 30:7 (CEV)


Ever felt so strong and empowered that nothing could stand in your way? I have. Or, have you ever felt a sensation of incredible joy like there was no news that could ever dampen your spirits? I have. In each of these instances I felt secure, safe in the knowledge that goodness had surrounded me and I was secured by an overwhelming sense of safety. When I think about it, I actually felt quite like this psalmist.

But then something changed. I felt that security dissipate as I relied more on myself and less on the very force that had me protected. Now I'm not saying that's what happened with the psalmist in this passage. But it is quite possible that the reason why he felt this void was that things were going so well he probably reasoned nothing could stop him. Except of course losing the presence of God.

Ask Sampson what it felt like to lose the presence of God. Or even Jesus when He hung on the cross and He wailed because He felt that the face of God was hidden, and it crushed Him to death. I pray we would never feel the weight of losing God's presence. That each day we would relentlessly pursue the face of God... for He is the one who makes us as strong as a mighty mountain.

Give Thanks

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 (NLT)

       Tomorrow we will spend time with family and friends commemorating thanksgiving. Usually around this time I do a bit of introspection looking inward to understand the extent of the holiday and take an evaluation on the year to date. Each time I do this, I can't help but thank the Lord, for His goodness to me. I think this because when I see how far I've come in life, I can't take any credit whatsoever for anything what I have done. I see it was God who really led me to these places.

        On top of all this, I can't help but burst with gratefulness that God's faithful love will endure forever. Doesn't matter how many times I slip, fall, and mess up (and I mess up quite often). He will never stop loving me or you. I know that for some times are tough out there, but that doesn't change the weather vane of His love for you. Nothing could ever stop His love for you. If that isn't cause enough to be thankful, I really don't know what could be. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Unshakable

“I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:8 (Amplified)

      I was listening to a song (“The voice of truth”) once, and as it played I heard about the people in the song who faced incredible circumstances geared to move them (or cause them to stumble). David facing a Giant, Peter facing a sea being tossed and turned about. They could very well see the circumstance and bend to its adversity or… they could hear the voice of truth that says, “do not be afraid.”As many of us know, these men didn’t let their circumstances get the best of them because they set the Lord before them and listened to his voice of truth.

       To truly live an unshakable life in faith and deed we must continually focus on God. Know that He is at your right hand, listen to His voice of truth that says “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”(Mathew 28:20) I don’t know about you but these words cause me to stand when I want to fall. They fuse me with a power I did not know I had… more importantly they cause me to be resolute when all around me crumbles. That same power and force is available to you as well.

Our Confident Hope

"Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Romans 12:12 (NLT)


     It's amazing how sometimes hope can be beaten down and lost the moment trial and adversities are increased. I can't pretend to say that I've never given up hope at times, which qualifies me to say that once hope is gone, despair and despondency set up camp and that is never a recipe for success.


    Patience at times requires us to dig deep, and that's why this passage makes total sense. When the adversities of life come in, it's best for us to just pray. Because prayer essentially enables us to take the focus on our circumstances and communicate effectively with God. 


    Its not like the situation you were presented with surprised Him, He knew all along what you were going through, which means He above all others knows exactly how to get you out of it. Don't forget that it was He that said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) So since He never lies, when we pray our hope should turn into confidence we need to overcome. Be patient in affliction, because at the right time in the right place, your deliverance will come.

Delivered From Fear

"I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4 (Amplified)

       There are many obstacles that confront us from day to day, especially in these very difficult times. Fear is rampant, as people are worried about their homes, their jobs, and how they are going to make it day in and day out. In moments like these hope begins to wane, because the pressures of life continue to mount, and before long you find yourself in a dire situation.

        I've come to find that in the moments where things are most tenuous, God is closest. Suddenly, you begin to get flooded with people who encourage you, and passages in scripture that give you hope. Those things aren't coincidences by any means, they are God's subtle ways of delivering you from all your fears. It's His way of showing you... He's got it all under control. If you find yourself gripped by fear at times. Take hope! For if you pursue Him, He will deliver you from all your fears. It's His promise to us.