2025-01-01
Ephesians 4:32 NIV
If you would like to start the New Year with a clean slate and traveling lighter, let go of the old grudges that are weighing you down. Philip Yancey describes forgiveness as “an unnatural act.” He says, “You don’t find dolphins forgiving sharks for eating their playmates. It’s a dog-eat-dog world… not dog-forgive-dog.” Bitterness and hatred come naturally when you have been hurt. Forgiving is supernatural and requires the grace of God, but remember, Jesus said, “If you do not forgive…your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15 NIV).
Think about it – there is not one single, solitary reason God should ever forgive our sins, yet the offenses He pardons us for every day far outweigh anything we will ever be asked to forgive our parents, spouses, and friends for. The Bible says forgive “each other… as… God forgave you.”
Forgiveness opens the doors of a prison, where you are both the prisoner and the jailor. Grudges not only isolate you from people who were once friends, they shorten your life by producing deadly enzymes that contribute to a host of physical ailments.
One man told his counselor, “I wish my brother could come to my wedding, but we haven’t spoken in years.” The counselor asked, “How come?” Pausing, the man replied, “It sounds ridiculous now, but I don’t even remember!” Drifting apart is the natural result of an unforgiving spirit; forgiveness reverses the trend by healing broken relationships.
It’s a scientific fact that forgiveness adds years to your life. As a rule, when you talk to individuals who have passed the eighty-year mark, you find they’re at peace with themselves because they have learned to forgive and let go.
Soul food: Isa 1-3; Luke 1:1-10; Ps 90:1-6; Prov 1:1-4
2024-07-01
Genesis 19:17 NLT
Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent angels to warn Lot and his family to get out of town: “‘Run for your lives!’ [one warned.] ‘And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’…But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt” (vv. 17, 26 NLT). By looking back, Lot’s wife disobeyed a direct instruction from God. As a result, she died – stuck in the past. There are three important lessons here for you.
(1) “Don’t… stop anywhere in the valley!” We all go through valley experiences in life, but we must not get stuck in them or set up residence in them.
(2) “And don’t look back.” The reason the windshield in your car is larger than the rearview mirror is because you’re supposed to spend most of your time looking through that one, and only periodically glancing in the other in order to make corrections so that you can continue to move forward safely and reach your destination. Getting the idea?
(3) “Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” When someone hurts you, you have two choices: take the high road or the low road. When you take the low road and retaliate, something within you begins to die spiritually. But when you take the high road, you grow stronger, wiser, and more mature. When you get stuck in the past, it’s always at the expense of the future. Always! God has better days and better things in store for you. So forgive, forget, and move forward.
Soul food: 1 Sam 4-7; Luke 3:11-20; Ps 59:9-17; Prov 16:23-26
2023-08-28
Jeremiah 31:18 KJV
When we have been hurt, our first instinct is to retaliate. We know it’s wrong because the Bible says we must forgive in order to be forgiven (See Mark 11:25). We also know that bitterness can hurt us physically and emotionally. But sometimes we can’t bring ourselves to forgive, so we keep wrestling with it in our mind. Stop and think what happens in a wrestling match. You focus on your opponent, clinging to them and trying to control them. Your aim is to put them on the mat and bring them into submission, and it requires all your energy. Plus, you risk getting hurt in the process.
The only real power you have over someone who hurts you is the power of forgiveness. So for your own sake, forgive them and move on! Even though you don’t feel like forgiving, pray, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.” In other words, “Lord, make me willing to forgive.” The old saying, “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” is the truth.
Now, small offenses can be forgiven quickly, but big ones require divine assistance. And you can have it: “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT). Yes, you may want your offender to suffer, but when your greatest desire is to please the Lord, He will give you the grace to forgive. When you realize the blessings God has in store for you in the future, you will refuse to spend another moment stuck in the past.
Soul food: Gal 1-3; Mark 8:27-38; Ps 119:145-160; Prov 19:1-2
2023-03-17
Psalm 51:7 NIV
Do you remember when most restaurants had opening and closing hours? It was their schedule, and not your appetite, that decided whether you ate or went hungry. Not anymore: now you can pop into many of your favourite eating places anytime your appetite hits. That’s how God operates; He is available 24/7. And although praying isn’t limited to set times, there are certain times when it’s vital that you talk to God.
Here are two: (1) When you have sinned. Your emotions of guilt and shame, plus Satan “the accuser,” will tell you to avoid God. But turning to Him is the only solution to sin. Burdened by adultery, deception, and murder, David realised he needed to confess his sin to God. “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow… Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (vv. 7, 10 NIV). John said God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV). Have you sinned? A fresh beginning is only a prayer away.
(2) When you’re worried and afraid. You don’t have to look too far to find things to worry about; they’re all around you. Financial, professional, health, and family concerns can make you stressed-out and anxious. Where to turn? Prayer is God’s answer to fear and anxiety. “Don’t worry over anything whatever… tell God every detail of your needs in thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which surpasses human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds” (Philippians 4:6-7 PHPS).
Soul food: Job 1-4; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 11; Prov 8:4-5
2022-12-15
John 13:1 NKJV
We handle our relationship problems in one of three ways: flee, fight, or forgive. Some choose to flee. They leave the relationship and start again elsewhere, though they are frequently surprised when the condition resurfaces on the other side of the fence as well. Others fight. As a result, their relationships become combat zones, and stress becomes a way of life.
If you’re wise, you will choose the way of Christ: “Having loved His own… He loved them to the end.” Jesus knew the feeling of being stuck with someone. For over three years, He ran with the same team. He saw the same twelve or so faces around the table. So how did He stay so dedicated to His disciples?
Was it difficult for Jesus to love Peter, knowing he would someday curse Him? Was it tough to trust Thomas, knowing he would someday question His resurrection? How did Jesus resist the urge to recruit a new group of followers? John wanted to crush one enemy, and Peter sliced off the ear of another. Only days before Jesus’ death, His disciples were fighting about which of them was the best! How was He able to love people who were difficult to like?
Here is the answer: Jesus didn’t measure them by their looks, IQ, talent, possessions, or personality; no, He measured them by their potential. And ultimately, they changed and lived up to His expectations. Not in all things or at all times. But when that happened, He forgave them and taught them that love is a commitment we make first to ourselves, and then to others.
Soul food: Col 1-2; John 16:19-33; Ps 105:8-15; Prov 30:5-9
