Tag Archives: Bible

Forgiveness: God’s Grace and Mercy on Display

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In this day, we see unforgiveness on display throughout culture.

Often we see it in our own lives.

But it doesn’t need to remain.

For the good of another, for the good of our hearts, and, even more importantly, for the glory of our God, through whom we are able to forgive.

We extend forgiveness, even in the hardest of situations, but it does not absolve the one who sinned against us from their actions.

Rather, it shows the glory, mercy, and grace of God.

It removes our place in a specific way and shows the very forgiveness God extends, for it is first and foremost against Him that all sin is committed, even the most heinous.

Yes, we do bear the weight and the consequences of others’ sin against us as others do ours, and we are called to go to those we hurt, not covering our sin, but asking for forgiveness as they are to do for us. 

But the reality we read in Psalm 51:4 is:

“Against You, You only (O LORD), have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight…”

And, as those redeemed by Christ, we are called to repent, turn from what we have done and what is at the core of our heart, and not return to it.

We are called to turn to the One whose forgiveness is life transforming.

Then we are called to go to the one we have hurt and, in humility not flippancy, ask for forgiveness.

But we are also called, on the other hand, to forgive, whether one comes to us or not.

Forgiveness does not remove grief.

Forgiveness does not remove hurt.

Forgiveness does not remove sadness.

Forgiveness does not remove memories (though the sting can lessen in the obedience of forgiveness, which is a gift of God).

But it does remove our “right” to make someone else pay.

It does remove our “right” to harbor and feed bitterness.

It does remove our “right” to churn in remembering what has been done.

Justice and forgiveness can go hand in hand.

But justice and unforgiveness is not the way of the Savior.

We leave justice in His hands when we forgive.

We leave payment for evil in His hands when we forgive.

We are able to pray for the one who hurt us when we forgive.

We are able to have peace and live in peace when we forgive.

We may come again to a place of anger and deep hurt when reminded or when we are again hurt in the same type of way, but we must immediately take it to the cross lest it become a bitter root and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do just that.

“Righteous anger” is not actually righteous if it longs for the destruction of the other person.

“Righteous anger” hates the actions of another and is able to pray that the Lord will bring them to repentance – to truly understanding the depth of their guilt, bringing it before the cross of Christ, and being transformed by the power that raised Jesus from the dead.

When Joseph was sold into slavery, as we read in Genesis 37, 39-50, he could have grown bitter, but he stayed faithful to God knowing the LORD was with him.

He forgave.

No doubt, he wrestled with what had been done and what happened in the years following, but he set his heart and mind on what was true about the God he knew and Who he knew saw him, loved him.

When his brothers came, yes, it could be said he caused them distress, but he never did them wrong though he, in his position, could very well have brought them great destruction.

He set in motion actions intended to do them good not harm, but also to move their hearts to repentance.

And he wept.

For their loss and for his own.

But he positioned his heart and thinking to what he knew was true.

“God sent me ahead of you.” Genesis 45:4

And he repeated it.

Finishing at the end of it all, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” Genesis 50:20

In their jealousy and anger, they intended to do him hard.

In their deception and pride, they covered it up.

But God was with Joseph.

Over and over, we read that.

He had a purpose.

God sent Joseph ahead of them knowing famine was to come and He would use Joseph to rescue and provide for His people, for Joseph’s family and many more.

Joseph could have let a root of bitterness grow.

He didn’t.

He trusted God.

We get to see the result of jealousy and bitterness harbored in the hearts of the brothers.

It’s not pretty, but…

We also get to see the “rest of the story.”

We get to see the weeping of remembering what was done and what was lost.

 We get to see the beauty of grace and forgiveness.

We get a glimpse into the “why” of the original tragedy with Joseph and his brothers and God’s intent for it all.

We also get to see the ugliness of forgetting that grace and forgiveness as generations “did not remember Joseph” and the cycle began again. 

Jealousy and bitterness led to great harm, but the greater reality rolls through the generations.

God is with His people.

God is the God of grace and mercy.

God is the God of forgiveness.

We are able to remember the same.

We may not fully see this side of heaven the reason for tragedy and/or hardship or how God will use sin against us for His glory and our good.

But we know it is so.

And we must repeat it to our hearts when they are strong and when they feel faint.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:29

We know.

So, we stand.

We may stand with tears.

We may stand with a heart that constantly cries out to the LORD to give a renewed heart of forgiveness, over and over.

We may stand even with trembling hands and feet because we stand on WHO we know.

We stand because we “lean not on our own understanding” (or our own emotions), but “in all (our) ways, (we) acknowledge Him and HE will direct (our) heart” (Proverbs 3:5-6) and establish our ways.

He will give us a humility and steadfastness that enables us to say:

I am forgiven much; so I will forgive much.

I will call on the LORD to drown out the lies of bitterness with the truth of the Gospel and to the praise of the One who forgave me so much.

I will weep, but I will rest in the joy of the LORD.

I will “strengthen (my) feeble arms and weak knees.” And I will “’make level paths for (my) feet,’ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” Hebrews 12:12-13

For the glory of God and the hope of repentance and redemption for another.

Joseph’s brothers were brought to true sorrow and repentance in the face of Joseph’s forgiveness.

What if we prayed for the person or persons who have caused us or those we love the deepest sorrow.

What if the LORD allowed us to be a part of another’s redemption story as He does the work in our own hearts so that we might extend the same and display the mercy and grace of God through Jesus Christ to another.

Walk in out in real time!

In the power of the Holy Spirit, we can.

In the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ, our Savior, we must.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses and sins, according to the riches of God’s grace…” Ephesians 1:7

“…Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13

Fight to Be Faithful…Refreshed and Ready

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IMG_1337.JPGRecently, I read an article from Kevin DeYoung that included the following:

“As a pastor, everything seems more important and more urgent than being in the word and prayer. We must fight to be faithful.”

That last line stuck with me!

Indeed, in ministry there is often the tyranny of the urgent and many expect the pastor to be available to them at whatever moment.

It is, without a doubt, the pastor who is faithful to cultivate his time in the Word and prayer that best nurtures his congregation, well ministers in his community, and most faithfully expounds on the Bible in teaching and preaching.

Yet, the same could be said for the believer in every sphere of life. Regardless of the age or level of activity, we often justify our “me” time, our “down” time… often in the name of self-care. 

But that’s the irony of it all. For the believer, our greatest rest and reward is in His Word. Our best “me” time is nestling up to our Father and hearing His voice, as men wrote directed by the Holy Spirit; given that we might know Him!

We are better equipped for all of life – for doing, thinking, discerning, and walking well – when we listen to our Lord’s heart and let Him hear ours.

The opportunity to revitalize, restore, and refresh is found in the presence of our Savior. And yet, we all succumb to satan’s whisper, too often flowing from our own bent – “I just don’t have the time.” Even when time is ours in abundance.

I remember being so exhausted when I was the mom of young children, especially once I started homeschooling; I didn’t think I could wake up early and function. And, if I stayed up late, it was to finish tasks undone during the day or work I was doing from home.  

My body just needed rest!

That is legitimate! Jesus rested and called his disciples to do the same, so that is good.

But some of my sweetest times were either sitting alone quietly and letting God’s Word be a balm for my weariness or having a little one, even from infancy, snuggle up next to me asleep (or not) and having it open while I held them; sometimes reading aloud so it would also penetrate their head and heart as well. I was always encouraged by the refreshment I got from my time; so much more so than when, holding one of my sleepers, I turned on a mindless t.v. show for the noise factor.

And, then the days would get hectic again, and I would forget how life-giving it was as I got back to the demands that seemed to wear on my soul.

Today, there may be opportunities for a prolonged time to bask in His presence, and there may be other times when I have to grab five minutes. But oh the strength gained regardless for “His word will not return void, but will accomplish that which He intended.” (Isaiah 55:11)

One of the ways I have found helpful in hiding God’s Word in my heart throughout the day, both now and when I was busy with preschoolers all the way up to my high-schoolers, was by way of music.  

Music that is drawn from God’s Word – all genres from kids’ praise to bold music with solid truth to quiet praise and worship – has always penetrated its way into my heart in a manner by which God often then brings it back to my mind to refresh and even challenge me at just the right moment.  Scripture, set to a tune, has often been the way I have hidden His Word in my heart.

We can be sure of the promise found in Isaiah 55:11: “…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  

Music has a unique ability to pierce through the noise of life and adhere to our hearts and minds.

And that has both its strengths and weaknesses.

Paul reminds believers, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)

Not only does disciplining ourselves to be in God’s word and prayer refresh us, it makes us ready for the inevitable clash; for truly every believer has times when life is fraught with discouragement and pitfalls – times when, in our weariness, we are more vulnerable to temptations and less likely to be “ready to give reason for the hope that we have,” let alone “fight the good fight” or be “salt and light.”

It is the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that equips us to battle through those things that threaten to unravel our worlds amd undo our desire to wage war against temptations that lead to sin.

The more we are in God’s Word, the Bible, the more we realize that it is our very life and breath.

It is His gift of strength for our journey, for our conflicts, and sometimes for the tediousness of the everyday when we fail to see His beauty in the grind, the revelation of His glory in the commonplace, and His call for us to be His ambassadors of grace to the soul-thirsty world among whom we live and move.

The more we are in His Word, the more effective and content we will be in our individual lives and roles.

We soak in it and let it soak down into us not just so we “know” it but so that the Holy Spirit then transforms our hearts and our actions and it “knows” us!

In Luke 10:38-42, Martha was busy doing good things; but Jesus said that Mary had chosen what was better and it would not be taken away from her. She was drinking in the Savior while Martha was serving and missing out on the refreshment. Her work of service was good, but Jesus knew that time with Him was better and was what she needed.

Work, service, recreation, and fellowship with others are right and even necessary; we were created for it all!

We should nurture our families and enjoy them.

We should care for our bodies and enjoy God’s creation.

We should foster the talents and gifts God has given us.

His Word calls us to be in fellowship with other believers and to be a conduit of God’s mercy and truth to the unbeliever.

We can laugh at a funny movie and cry at a sad one.

We can wisely tweet and Facebook and Instagram and enjoy it (as long as it does not control us nor lead us to compromise)! 

We should make an impact in the places we call “our world” and abroad.

And, yes, we need time to just be still or even nap. 

All of this is good!

But, if you are anything like me then or now and, if we are honest, though there may be seasons of life where those things are hard to come by, it is often not that we have too little of those opportunities and have to fight for them. Rather, we often have to choose to pull away from some task that must be done “now” or some “relaxing busy-ness” into which it is easy to settle and, instead, fight to be soul-satisfied; not as a legalistic checklist but to enjoy our Redeemer and to “do” life well!

So we must, as Kevin DeYoung says, “fight to be faithful” – fighting our complacency and self-focus; facing and dealing with the broken places in this fallen world; pushing back against the “tyranny of the urgent” that we might rest in the shadow of the Almighty!

Relying on God’s strength, we choose the self-discipline His Spirit provides that leads to fulfilling our true heart’s hunger, comforting our soul with the peace that will come, not from another triviality with which we often fill our time, but from the Word that is living and active.

It will come from pouring out our hearts to the One who is ready to take our burdens and give us rest.

Lifting hands of praise for the goodness He provides.

Laying before Him those things from our hands and head that draw us away from Him.

What will satisfy our true thirst?

What will be the key to our discernment, to choosing wisely, to loving others well, to forgiving those who offend us, to being content, to enjoying God and His many gifts to us, especially that of our redemption, and to serving, but that the Word of God dwelling in us richly?

“Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I, for You have been my refuge, a strong tower…” Psalm 61:2-3

Like Mary, there are times we need to stop doing “Martha” things and sit at the Savior’s feet, soaking in His truth and basking in His presence. The journey will be sweeter and more delightful with the new perspective.

Then, we will be refreshed and ready!