John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
One of the hardest concepts for humans to understand about God is the level that God loves us. I believe the reason it’s so hard to comprehend is that we have no basis of comparison, next to the love of God, our own ability to love pales. Many people imagine God as a supreme being sitting on a throne, watching over the universe, and unconcerned with the individual lives of us mere mortals.
Along with this feeling is the feeling that God changed once Christ died on the cross, and he stopped talking to men like in the Old Testament. The fact is, God didn’t change, and he still talks to people, just like in the Old Testament, we just have to learn to listen.
When he sent Christ to become the ultimate sacrifice, he did it to save us. Verse 17 says, “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” God sacrificed his own son, not to widen the distance between him and man, but to make himself more accessible to man.
At the moment of Christ’s death, the temple curtain was torn in half (Matthew 27:51) ending the time when people had to go to priests for forgiveness. God paid the ultimate price, the life of his son, so that we no longer have to fear going directly to him to ask for forgiveness. We will never be perfect. We will still make mistakes, and fall short, BUT because of Christ’s sacrifice, can still be acceptable to God.
God sees us for who we are, every flaw, every sin, and yet all he asks of us is that we accept his son, and ask for forgiveness. It’s not an easy concept to grasp, but Christ gave us a story to make it a little easier. The story is the parable of the prodigal son, it is found in Luke 15:11-32. The message is, there is no love greater than a father to his children, and even if you go astray, he will be ready to take you back, and forgive unconditionally.
Challenge: Ask for forgiveness, and have faith that he has.
Enjoy,
Allen
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
The most important elements
Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
When we offer our gifts to God, whether it’s money or abilities, we are to give them to him whole-heartedly, but how can we put our whole heart into it when it’s burdened with anger and guilt. Both of these emotions, if left to grow, will destroy any relationship. Eventually, they will begin to grow to an obsession that can fill our heart and mind, pushing out any positive emotion. Ephesians 4:26 says, “In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”
Christ, in Matthew 5:23-24, talks about reconciliation. According to the “American Heritage Dictionary” the word “reconcile” means to reestablish a relationship. It also means to settle or resolve. If we are to love God with all our heart, we can’t allow it to be dominated by anger; we must settle any argument with our loved ones before they grow, and reestablish our relationship with them.
We know that we have to release our anger, but reestablishing the relationship completely is not so easy. There are two elements required to give a relationship its strength. The first element, forgiveness, will help you settle your anger, whether you forgive, or ask for forgiveness. Either way, forgiveness must be present in order to keep anger and guilt from being consuming.
The second element is more important in keeping the relationship from falling apart completely, and that is trust. Even after you have forgiven each other, and the anger has been settled, trust may take some time before it can fully be restored. If we are to restore trust, strengthen our relationship, and keep anger from dominating our heart, we must give full priority to our relationship to God first, then to each other.
Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and give priority to your relationships, for this is the only way to give your gifts to God with all your heart.
Challenge: If you have a relationship that has fallen apart from anger, forgive each other, then make restoring trust a priority. This will reestablish the relationship, and give it strength. Then you can give your whole heart to God.
Enjoy,
Allen
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
When we offer our gifts to God, whether it’s money or abilities, we are to give them to him whole-heartedly, but how can we put our whole heart into it when it’s burdened with anger and guilt. Both of these emotions, if left to grow, will destroy any relationship. Eventually, they will begin to grow to an obsession that can fill our heart and mind, pushing out any positive emotion. Ephesians 4:26 says, “In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”
Christ, in Matthew 5:23-24, talks about reconciliation. According to the “American Heritage Dictionary” the word “reconcile” means to reestablish a relationship. It also means to settle or resolve. If we are to love God with all our heart, we can’t allow it to be dominated by anger; we must settle any argument with our loved ones before they grow, and reestablish our relationship with them.
We know that we have to release our anger, but reestablishing the relationship completely is not so easy. There are two elements required to give a relationship its strength. The first element, forgiveness, will help you settle your anger, whether you forgive, or ask for forgiveness. Either way, forgiveness must be present in order to keep anger and guilt from being consuming.
The second element is more important in keeping the relationship from falling apart completely, and that is trust. Even after you have forgiven each other, and the anger has been settled, trust may take some time before it can fully be restored. If we are to restore trust, strengthen our relationship, and keep anger from dominating our heart, we must give full priority to our relationship to God first, then to each other.
Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and give priority to your relationships, for this is the only way to give your gifts to God with all your heart.
Challenge: If you have a relationship that has fallen apart from anger, forgive each other, then make restoring trust a priority. This will reestablish the relationship, and give it strength. Then you can give your whole heart to God.
Enjoy,
Allen
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