Category: forgiveness

Grateful to Your Toes

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And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you. Ezekiel 36:26-27

A Christmas Carol is a popular Christmas classic penned by Charles Dickens well over a hundred years ago.

One cannot comprehend the panic Scrooge felt as he walked with the Ghost of Christmas Future, unless one has made sinful choices such as Scrooge.

Because Scrooge was so selfish, he was blind to anything but himself.

Increasingly becoming aware of his sin only that night.

The consequences of his actions finally spoke louder to Scrooge than his fleshly habits.

Finding him in the graveyard, he sees the man’s name so ridiculed in death pages before: his own.

Falling on his face, he begs the Ghost of Christmas Future for a second chance.

Scrooge is agonized beyond anything he’s felt before.

He recognizes he is literally doomed.

Doomed forever and ever unless given a second chance.

A second chance as a changed man.

Begging the Ghost, he claims to have changed.

Begs and pleads with all his might.

He finally understands his truly bleak future written by his choices lived his entire adult life.

Stop and imagine yourself. What if that was you?

Do you have sections of your life ugly to God?

So ugly you deserve eternal damnation, too?

We all do. All of us deserve death.

But Jesus. His birth, death, and resurrection bring us hope as we place our trust in Him.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Let’s return to the question at hand: what ugly parts of your life do you still need to give to God?

Why haven’t you? What’s stopping you? Are you even bothered by them?

Scrooge wasn’t for most of his life. But when his eyes were opened, he was horrified.

Release your fleshly desires to God. Release your sinful ways, hurtful to so many.

Scrooge never cared about hurting others, but he did when he finally got it.

We don’t have the luxury of seeing future consequences of our sin.

But we do have the gift of God’s redemption. And second chances.

When Scrooge finally pried open his hands, he released his bitterness. His anger. His selfishness.

And in return he was given new eyes. And boy was he happy!

Releasing those burdens caused Scrooge to well up with joy unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Just like us, when we are forgiven by God.

Covered by Jesus, we are made new. Forgiven. Hopeful. Loved.

Bring your whole self to Jesus, this Christmas. Ask Him to show you any part you’ve neglected to give to Him.

Gather up your courage, give Him that ugly part, too, and welcome the healing He promises to bring.

Like Scrooge, you’ll be grateful all the way down to your toes.

Photos by Elin Melaas, David Abrams, Jez Timms, & Elliott B on Unsplash

Forgiving Anyway

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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. Matthew 6:14-15

Are you harboring bitterness? It’s easy to.

When wronged unjustly, we feel the need to hold onto it, somehow justifying ourselves.

When kept close, it grows roots deep down, affecting thoughts, even remembering things incorrectly.

When the root keeps growing, we close our ears against anything that touches the root.

We love feeling bitter, not wanting to give room to love.

Is there any area in your life that is filled with bitterness, crowding out love?

When wronged, we have two choices: forgive and let go, or not forgive, holding onto bitterness.

It’s not easy to choose forgiveness, especially when the other person doesn’t deserve it.

We were wronged!

Bitterness seems familiar when we are used to holding grudges. It’s almost comforting to keep it close, justifying your continued actions as a result.

The prison of bitterness keeps only one person captive: you.

Relationships suffer and die when you choose that prison.

I completely understand wanting to stay for awhile. It feels safe. But it’s only a trap.

Ask God to help heal your heart.

To forgive with his strength, not yours.

To release the bitterness grown so familiar.

Ephesians 4:31–32 says “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.”

When you think about the mercy God has shown you, it’s easier to forgive others.

God asks us to forgive those who sin against us in Matthew 6.

Ephesians 4 asks us to be kind and forgiving.

Goes against our flesh for sure.

But God is here to help you. He asks us to forgive and He’ll help you do just that.

Ask Him and you’ll soon walk freely into the freedom of God’s forgiveness.

Photos by Annie Spratt & Lee 琴 on Unsplash

70 times 7

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Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22

This is one of the greatest difficulties we face as Christians.

Forgiveness. Releasing the offender from you.

Freeing them from their offense.

Even when they don’t ask.

Especially when they don’t ask.

How many times?

Seventy times seven.

Four hundred ninety times. Unlimited.

What if the person has offended you that many times?

Then for you, it’s four hundred ninety. And counting.

Doesn’t mean you allow abuse to continue. Or offense to keep knocking you down again and again.

But normal daily interactions often yield conflict.

And aside from Jesus asking us to do this, we do have a choice.

We can forgive or not.

If we forgive, we release ourselves from bitterness. From the prison of unjustly behavior revenge.

Is it funner to stay in the prison, stuck and alone? I’ll be the first to admit yes.

It’s where we nurse our wounds unprovoked by others. It’s where we feel justified in making others pay for their deeds. Hard time is what we want.

But the prison of bitterness is also where we stay stuck. Miserable. And you know who is too pleased when we do? The enemy. The father of lies, who tells us our prison is better accommodations than freedom’s path.

The good news is this: God. Not only does God know forgiveness is superior for our relationships, and our physical or emotional health, He helps us through the process.

We don’t have to feel like forgiving. We simply need to choose and obey God.

Ask God to help you forgive the offender. Release them back into the arms of Jesus. Ask God to fill your sense of injustice with peace, replacing the bitterness with joy.

God has promised to right every wrong. He’s the ultimate judge and your defender.

Practice this today as God unlocks your prison of bitterness.

It’s incredibly difficult. But you must trust God more than you trust your bitterness.

We don’t want the enemy happy with our location, do we?

Change your address today. God’s waiting to walk you to freedom.

Oh, and if your well worn path takes your feet right back to the prison out of habit?

Stop and turn. God will help you every single time.

Photos by Lili Popper, Jametlene Reskp, Cody Otto, & Jacob Bentzinger on Unsplash

Living From Forgiveness

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Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13

Are you living from God’s forgiveness for you?

If you’ve surrendered your heart to Jesus, He’s forgiven you all your sins.

Often we don’t realize just how sinful we are.

And when we do, God’s forgiveness means that much more.

Feels so great, doesn’t it? To feel forgiven?

I can remember lying to my grandfather when I was about six years old.

I had gotten the Little Professor calculator for Christmas.

Basically, it was a small light up math game and I couldn’t wait to sneak it into my bed.

What six year old wouldn’t want to see it lit up in the dark?

After I went to bed, my grandfather, who had been injured in WW2, slowly climbed the stairs, which were very hard for him.

Coming into my room, he asked me if he could see my new Little Professor calculator.

Not wanting him to have it, I actually climbed out of bed and pretended to look for it with him in my room.

Giving up, he said it was just fine. He’d look at it in the morning.

Back in bed, the calculator no longer held any interest. None.

My tummy felt awful lying to my grandfather.

How long did I hold in this lie?

An entire year. I literally thought about it almost every day.

It ate at me. How could I have lied to him?

One day I could no longer take it.

Climbing onto my father’s lap, I confessed.

I waited for my huge punishment.

As an adult looking back at this scene, I’m guessing my parents were trying to stifle a giggle.

They forgave me instantly.

I climbed down and felt like I could fly.

Ran to my brother’s room and played cars with him, even though that was my least favorite activity.

But I didn’t care. I was free. I was so happy. My smile was frozen to my face.

My six-year-old self began to live from forgiveness. It was pure freedom.

Ask for forgiveness if you’ve wronged someone. You’ll feel so much better, owning your behavior.

And if your offender fails to ask you for forgiveness? Forgive them anyway.

You’ll fling off the burden of offense and smile in spite of the situation.

Don’t let others block you from living from forgiveness.

Seventy-times seven.

Ask for forgiveness. Forgive others.

Choose today to live from the freedom of forgiveness.

Photos by Laura Pocho, Mary Blackwey , &  Ben White on Unsplash

Goodnight

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Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

A couple of nights ago, the following tragedy unfolded near San Antonio, Tx.

It’s my friend’s story. Her daughter-in-law’s, actually.

What if it was yours?

She was going to bed for the last time.

Waking in the night, they needed to escape.

Rising waters. Nighttime rescue.

Floating debris. Pitch black darkness.

Her husband holds onto a tree, trying to reach her.

He cannot and off she goes.

He hears her calling his name, but she is beyond reach.

She was swept off to heaven that night.

Not what she thought would transpire after saying goodnight.

A precious life lost. Her family left to grieve.

What about you? Would you have been ready to meet your Maker?

There’s often no time to ready your heart in the midst of a tragedy.

Unfortunately, tragedies do occur, often producing death.

And it can happen in an instant. The blink of an eye.

So, what if it was you? Are you ready?

We never know when God will call us home.

Ready your heart today. Now. Right this minute.

John 14:27 reminds us God give us His peace. His perfect peace.

God doesn’t want our hearts to be troubled, and death is nothing to fear.

Why? Because of Jesus. His great love for you. His precious plan for you.

But here’s the thing: Death is nothing to fear only if you place your hope in Jesus.

In the sacrifice of His life in exchange for yours.

Your sins are forgiven.

Your future is secure.

Only if you are His. Are you?

Nobody plans to say goodnight for the final time.

Make sure your heart is God’s when you say goodnight this evening.

Photos by rachman reilli, Kelly Sikkema, Lukas Hron, and Yevhenii Aihubov on Unsplash

Impossible Assignment

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Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

You don’t understand, Lord.

They hurt me.

Like really bad.

They cut me down, bringing me to my knees.

As a result, I cried.

Ugly crying.

They don’t deserve my forgiveness.

I need to seek revenge somehow.

Something to get them back.

No?

You want me to forgive them?

Why?

Because You have forgiven me?

Yes, I know, but why do I have to forgive them?

I can’t.

You still want me to?

How? With Your strength?

But they hurt me. Deeply. To the core of my being, they hurt me.

You still want me to forgive them?

And give You my pain?

How will that help?

Will you right my wrongs for me?

You will eventually?

You want me to trust You?

With everything?

Even this?

Ok.

Thank you, God, for saving me, forgiving all of my sins.

Please help me to forgive others as they hurt me.

It’s an impossible assignment on my very own.

Help me to release this burdens and those in the future to You.

Help me to forgive as You have forgiven me.

Photos by Elijah Pilchard, Brooke Balentine, Grigorii Shcheglov, & Yannick Pulver on Unsplash

Meant for Us

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Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

Words utterly fail.

It isn’t possible to find adequate words, expressing how grateful we are for your sacrifice, Jesus.

You came to us for this time. Good Friday and Easter.

Your entire life was lived for this purpose.

To suffer and die in our place.

To take our punishment onto your holy and sinless self.

Each drop of spit falling off your face was meant for us.

Each thorn thrust into your head was meant for us.

Each whip lash was meant to tear our flesh, not yours.

Each insulting word was meant to insult us, not you.

Each nail driven into your hands and feet was meant to pierce our flesh.

Not yours.

Not your holy feet who willingly walked this earth, sharing the love of the Father.

Not your holy hands who willingly healed the hurting people clamoring to you.

When you hung on the cross with the weight of our sin, God turned away.

He left you utterly alone.

That should have been us as we are the sinful ones, not you.

We are deserving of death, not you.

Yet you chose to die for us.

You willingly took our pain and suffering away, bearing it all on your own.

But that’s why your death won the victory. Why the devil has been defeated once and for all.

You were and are the spotless lamb.

The Prince of Peace.

The sinless sacrifice for us, Your children.

It’s why we are now set free forever and ever from sin, death, and the grave when we choose You.

When we choose You over ourselves.

When we acknowledge Your sacrifice, cleansing us from our sin.

Reflecting this Easter, it seems impossible.

You, a perfect sacrifice, choosing us over you.

Yet, You did just that. You cancelled our debt for all of eternity.

We are forever grateful.

We are forever yours.

We are forever and ever yours.

Fill us afresh with a new awe of Good Friday. Of your sacrifice.

May we live every day in the shadow of the cross.

And may we live with the hope of Easter, knowing You have indeed conquered it all.

Photos by Alex Noriega, Jon Tyson, Dylan McLeod, & Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Your Glory

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Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11

This verse is not an easy one to read.

It’s way more fun to keep an offense, especially when you’re completely justified.

And we always are justified in our own mind, yes?

Looking at the first part, it’s easy to understand.

When we have good sense, meaning solid countenance or common sense, we don’t get angry often.

We don’t allow anger to grab us when we are in our right minds.

Trouble is, other people cause us to exit our good sense, trying to justify our offense at them.

After all, they wronged us! It’s not fair!

When we have good sense, we focus on Whose we are.

Our feet are solidly planted in our relationship with God first.

We know God is living through us, and we fully trust Him to provide us His strength, wisdom, and peace.

Could even be that we ask God how to react before we do. We train our brain to do just that. Putting God first.

So, back to the ouchy part of the verse: not taking offense.

Proverbs says it’s our glory to overlook an offense.

Means we could be offended, but we choose not to be.

Because we remain peaceful, the glory is still ours.

Our mood isn’t in the toilet.

Clouds are not hanging around.

Others can be down in the dumps, but we’re not.

It’s still sunny where we’re at, because we are choosing not to associate with the other person’s offensive behavior.

It’s their problem, not ours.

Is it more fun to take their offense and make them pay?

Sure.

But in the process, you are robbed of peace. You are robbed of minutes or hours, stewing in what they did to you. You are robbed of God’s glory shining through you.

Jesus could have put people verbally down so many times, but he regularly chose to overlook offenses.

And glory remained His.

You can pity others, if it helps.

You can feel badly they are stuck in the mud of getting back at life.

But don’t stay there or you’ll think of yourself as better than them.

And that’s almost as bad as keeping an offense.

So shrug them off.

Remain steadfast in God’s good sense.

And keep your glory as you overlook the other’s offense.

It’s hard, but it’s completely worth it.

Photos by Ingmar H, Gene Dizon, Patrick Fore, & name_ gravity on Unsplash

Hardest Thing

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Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:13

What do you think is the hardest cross to bear as a Christian?

Let me put it another way.

God asks us to become more like Him.

When we accept God as our Savior, He begins to transform us into who He made us to be.

We begin to walk His path, noticing what He notices.

We begin to speak to others, speaking with the words He wants to share.

We begin to have compassion, spreading His love to those around us.

When we ask God for His salvation, we become His.

His to transform.

But we’re human with human desires, wants, feelings, and actions.

Plus our soul is full of cracks from lies, and our broken world.

When God asks us to forgive others who have not asked, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

For me, this is the hardest thing God ask of me.

Why?

Because it’s personal.

Personally painful when the other person doesn’t deserve it.

But when I don’t forgive, that person continues to strike blows after the words have faded away.

On the other hand when you forgive, you simply release that person back into the arms of God.

You let the offense fall away from your tightly gripped hands.

You allow the boulder to roll down and off your back.

Is it fun to hold onto unforgiveness because you’re justified?

Of course.

But is it worth the cost?

The cost of your peace?

The cost of a broken spot in your relationship?

Nope.

God forgave you for way more then He’s asking you to forgive now.

You didn’t deserve it either.

But God forgave you all your sins.

All your sins from yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Allow God’s strength to help you release your unforgiveness.

I know, they don’t deserve it, but that’s beside the point.

God asks us to forgive. Period.

Swallow your pride, forgive, and let God move in your life and theirs.

God will help, and His peace will rush in, helping you each time you choose to forgive.

Photos by Jametlene Reskp, Cody Otto, Felix Koutchinski, & Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Recognizing God

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And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. Mark 5:6

That man? He was severely under the enemy’s thumb.

Filled with many demons, this man was completely controlled by them.

As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat, this man ran to Jesus.

Actually the demons ran to Jesus as this man was not in control.

The demons immediately recognized Jesus and what was their response?

To cower and run?

No. They immediately went to Jesus.

They begged for mercy.

So Jesus sent them into the pigs, which caused the pigs to drown themselves in the sea.

The man was left completely calm in the absence of enemy control.

I wonder why the demons response was to run to Jesus instead of run from Him?

Clearly the demons had gained control of this man for quite awhile as verses 1-5 describe.

Yet when the Son of God was in view, the demons ran to Him.

They instantly recognized the power of God over them.

So they begged for mercy.

What about us?

Do we recognize the power of God over us?

God’s absolute authority? His soverignty?

If God saw what you did yesterday, would you fall on your knees for mercy?

Or would you justify your actions?

Honestly never thought we’d learn a thing from a demon, yet here we are.

God is the author of life.

He’s the beginning and ending of time.

He created all things.

He has all authority on heaven and earth, yet we seem to forget.

We live like we’re the boss. Like we are in control. Like we can do better.

We even live like we think we are listening to God when we clearly sometimes we do not.

We must do the hard things.

We must forgive. We must love. We must live under the authority of Almighty God.

Ask God to help you as we all have much to learn when recognizing God.

Photos by Annie Spratt, Adrian Infernus, Humble Lamb, & Ben White on Unsplash

Let Go and Live

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And when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25

How many offenses do you carry?

How many follow you while you go about your day?

Dozens?

Hundreds?

Thousands?

Even one is too many.

Why?

Because offenses discolor our moods.

They cloud the lens we view life.

Not only do offenses keep us in moods not worthy of companionship, they cause us to stink.

Ever been around someone easily offended?

You tend to step back, because you don’t want to get near their odor.

Those people are obvious.

But there’s another type of offense.

It’s the subtle hurt you carry because of unforgiveness.

Yes, it’s probably justified as you were wronged, but you still have a choice.

You can choose to let go and forgive, or keep the hurt and the offense.

Choosing to keep it close, bitterness enters your heart and mind as you begin to dwell on the pain.

And that causes you to stink.

When you don’t forgive, you allow the offender to continue hurting you.

You let them win again and again.

And there’s no winning.

Unfortunately, you’re the big loser with unforgiveness.

When you choose to forgive, you simply release it back to God.

You are asking God to cover the offense with His peace and forgiveness.

As you ask God to help you forgive, He rushes in with His peace to cover the wrong done to you.

Doesn’t mean you reconcile with the person, justify the hurt, or anything of the sort.

You simply let it go, so it does not control you anymore.

We talk a lot about control, because as humans we want control.

But you know as well as I, that we cannot control other people.

We cannot make them humbly apologize.

We cannot make them change for the better.

And we cannot make them be nice to us in the future.

But you can change yourself.

You can release it to God, asking Him to help you forgive that person.

You can choose freedom.

But it’s all up to you.

I know it’s hard to forgive when the other person seems to get away with any and all things.

But don’t allow the real prisoner to be you.

With God’s strength, you can forgive, freeing the prisoner. You.

Photos by Annie Spratt  and  Kiwihug on Unsplas

Forgiveness

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Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and pure heart. Psalm 24:3-4a

What does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart?

It’s one who seeks God. Who seeks God’s will, purpose, and plan for his life.

One who seeks the face of God.

One who lives within the forgiveness of God, extending in turn forgiveness to others who wrong him.

One who lives humbly under the authority of God.

One who stands in awe of God’s power, remembering Who is ultimately in control.

One who walks daily with God, obeying His written word and the promptings within his heart.

Clean hands require God’s grace, mercy, and strength.

There is no possible way to successfully rely on ourselves instead.

We are dependent on God. We must remain dependent on Him.

He gives us strength to obey His word.

He gives us grace for others when we must forgive.

He gives us peace amidst the storm.

He gives us salvation from our sins.

But we must choose to clean our hands.

We must choose to walk with God, asking Him to fill our hands with His plans.

Extending forgiveness to others ranks high on the “later, Lord” list.

But how can we have clean hands and a pure heart when we harbor un-forgiveness?

Even if it’s not deserved, we must.

We must forgive.

Doesn’t mean we are now forgetful or best friends with the offender.

Means we let the offense go, allowing God to heal our hearts.

I did that recently. Someone who has known me a very long time.

I let it go. And you know what? It freed me.

God reminded me how much He has forgiven me.

Immediately I knew it must be extended to others.

My person didn’t deserve it.

But neither do I.

I don’t deserve God’s forgiveness.

Want to ascend the hill of the Lord with me?

God wants us to have clean hands and a pure heart.

Includes forgiveness.

Ask Him to help you, and grab those shoes. The hill looks lovely.

Photos by Joseph Liu, Adrian Jakob, Tim Wildsmith, & Thomas de LUZE on Unsplash

All We Need

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Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Psalm 32:1

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded, with thorns thine only crown;

O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was thine!

Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine.

What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend?

For this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?

O make me thine forever, and should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee.

Be near when I am dying, O show thy Cross to me!

And, for my succor flying, come, Lord, to set me free.

These eyes, new faith receiving, from thee shall never move;

For he who dies believing, dies safely in thy love.

—————

This hymn, written about 1300 years ago is so familiar during Holy Week.

The monk who penned these words focused on the depths of Jesus’ love for us.

The love Jesus displayed on the cross is unlike anything ever witnessed before or since.

His willingness to give Himself for us, His beloved, shows how deep His love ran and still does.

Jesus has done everything possible to bring us to Himself forever.

He made atonement for our sinful selves, bridging the gap forever.

He came to earth, died for our sins, and rose again.

How can we not respond?

Give Him your love.

Give Him your life.

Give Him your whole self.

Unbelievably, He gave all of Himself for you. For me.

As we reflect on His sacrifice for us, may we long for more of Him.

May it be our joy to call Him mine.

May we never outlive our love for Him.

May our eyes never stop seeking His perfect plans for our lives.

And may our faith ever increase as we accept His love and sacrifice for our continual sinning selves.

Jesus, we are not worthy of you. We are more than grateful of what you did for us on the cross.

We give you our hearts afresh today.

Renew us and free us from the prisons we create.

And one day may our death find us believing, safely in Your love.

Photos by Thanti Riess, Samuel McGarrigle, Pisit Heng, & Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Smoke Alarm

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Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. James 1:19

You’re exhausted from a long day at work.

Arriving home, you plop into your chair.

You smell something slightly off, but ignore it.

Doesn’t seem important.

Your spouse comes to you, mentioning the smell.

Since you have decided it’s not important, you inform your spouse it’s nothing.

After all, your authority stands as gospel.

In the middle of the night, you are awakend by a smoke filled room.

Coughing, you can barely breathe.

Together, you both slowly crawl out of the bedroom, barely escaping the raging fire.

Standing in the yard, you survey your house, now engulfed in flames.

You’ve lost everything.

And so has your spouse.

Everything except for each other.

If only you had listened to her, your home would still be standing.

The tiny flame would have been easy to stamp out.

But the tiny flame grew into a total loss.

Nothing left.

Daily we must be on the lookout for smoke. Warnings.

Comes in a variety of ways through your job, finances, habits, and relationships.

Satan does not want your marriage to thrive.

He wants to whisk away your children.

He wants to distract you from your relationship with God.

And he wants to destroy your peace on earth.

Be on alert, reacting with those Holy Spirit nudges.

Takes humility. Perseverance. Strength. Focus.

But God’s here, standing by your side with all the tools you could possibly need.

In fact, when you place your faith and trust daily in Him, He’ll help you smell that smoke the moment it erupts.

May we listen to the hearts of others God uses to speak through.

May we honor the thoughts of our spouse, because then we honor the thoughts of God.

May our habits reflect the nudges of God as we obey His plans for us.

May we cover the flame of conflict with humble godliness before our ignorance causes us to loose everything.

Photos by Kilian Seiler, Steven Weeks, Piotr Chrobot, & Olivia Snow on Unsplash

A Christmas Carol

Published on by amylinnea2 Comments

Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 12:28

Ever read A Christmas Carol?

My eighth graders read it with me this past month.

I know we’ve all seen the movie or the play twice or a dozen times.

We know the story well.

But have you actually ever read it?

It’s so much better.

The text portrays the struggle like no movie can.

The struggle between selfishness and generosity.

Between hate and love.

Good and evil deep in one’s soul.

The wrestle between habit and change.

The text opens depicting Scrooge as a vile human being.

He’d rather kill the poor than shove meager crumbs their way.

He looses the love of his life because his “golden idol” has replaced her.

It takes trips to his past, present and future to finally change Scrooge’s heart for good.

Stave 4 depicts his future.

His soul is overcome with grief at how his sorry life is forgotten, all his worldly gains vanishing into the hands of thieves.

His grief is profound, even gut-wrenching.

At the end, Scrooge is found begging for the chance to change his future.

He is pleading with the Ghost of Christmas Future, desperate to know if there is still time to change what is to come.

To my eighth graders, I posed a question:

What if God showed you a movie of your future, based upon your character of today.

What would you see?

And I ask you.

Are the choices you make today creating the future God wants for you?

Or are you forging ahead on the path to destruction?

May it not be so.

Let us wake from our sleep, recognizing how much God can accomplish through us.

May we recognize the choices God brings to us and choose wisely.

And may God bless us, every one.

**originally posted December 7, 2019 as “Scrooge”.

Photos by Annie Spratt, Alin Andersen, & Mariana B. on Unsplash

Living Within Forgiveness

Published on by amylinnea2 Comments

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

What if you lived from a place of forgiveness towards others?

Those who hurt you, often repeatedly?

God, whose faithfulness endures to all generations, is merciful.

He promises to hold you upright as a steadfast Rock.

And He’s forgiven you all of your sin.

All of it.

So what if you lived within God’s forgiveness, granting others grace as well?

You might feel justified withholding compassion or forgivness.

But that’s not for your concern.

Your concern is not doling out justice. That’s God’s business.

If you live without the lens of forgiveness, your disposition, attitude, and even health are affected.

But if you allow yourself to live within God’s forgiveness flowing through you, everything will be different.

Don’t let people walk all over you, but live within the grace of God.

Stand up gracefully for yourself, but allow others to make their own mistakes.

Living within forgiveness frees others.

But the biggest reward is for your heart.

When your heart lets go of bitterness, the ugly parts melt away, revealing the heart of God.

Only possible with God’s love all mixed up with yours.

Would you rather have a heart full of scars and ugly dead parts?

Or a heart with God’s love all mixed up with yours, sending life everywhere it travels?

Ask God for His infusion today.

And run into that freedom He has for you.

The freedom He died to give you when He forgave you all your sins.

Photos by Melanie Stander, Alex Shute, & Joel Muniz on Unsplash