Forgiveness



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The cruel Roman soldiers, Pilate, Caiaphas, Judas, the Sanhedrian,
  - the angry mob that screamed "Crucify", Israel's leaders in their jealousy.

But the list isn't exhausted in those named in the latter chapters of the Gospels.
YOU were included in Christ's gracious "THEM"
YOU were in that list of unworthy sinners, and so was I.

He was praying His gracious words of tender forgiveness over YOU, dear One,
He was praying His precious words of loving pardon over ME too.

'Oh no,' you may argue 'I am not that bad, I'm different, I couldn't do that!'
But you as good as held the nails that pierced His hands, and so did I.
We are as bad as the mockers, those that spat and the angry mob
The air as good as rang with your piercing scream of 'Crucify" -as of mine.

I Helped Crucify the Lord Jesus and So Did You

The words 'Father Forgive' -  were pleaded for YOU, Beloved and for ME.
The words 'Father Forgive' - grace MY brow as they do YOURS.

Are we who have been so beautifully and so freely forgiven by the Lord-
- are we unwilling to forgive the ones that have wounded and hurt us so much?

Many people complain that they can't forgive or they will not forgive,
Yet the sin of unforgiveness so often entraps our souls with dark bitterness.

Unforgiveness is one of the main blockages to the presence of God;
Unforgiveness can turn the heart of flesh into an icy heart of cold stone.

Corrie ten Boom who watched her beloved sister die in a Nazi death-camp said:

Paul reminds us that "God forgave us ALL our sins"
Only one of which is sufficient to secure the eternal wages of death and hell.

Jesus is the ONLY one Who could proclaim God's full forgiveness,
He proclaimed full and free pardon instead of pronouncing the required penalty,
And in the brief prayer He taught His disciples He included forgiveness.

In that exemplary prayer he included a profound statement:-
FORGIVE - Forgive as YOU have been forgiven."

Forgiveness is a beautiful heavenly quality that touches the heart of God.
When you fully recognize how the Father has forgiven YOU of all your sins,
  - it becomes not only easier to forgive - but a vital necessity.

Yes, we are certainly supposed to love and forgive those that sin against us,
Yet forgiveness does not come easily to any one of us.

It is the Holy Spirit Who is the One Who can fill us with God's Love and Forgiveness,
He is the One that can enable us to forgive those that wound and hurt and betray us.

But before waiting for things to happen to enable forgiveness to be applied.
We should seek to be proactive in asking that His love fill us to overflowing.

Pursuit of His Love should be a conscious part of our prayer-time,
We should seek to be filled with His love that surpasses understanding.

Jesus loves us so much that He is at the Father's side...

The famous words, "I can forgive but I can NEVER forget,"
  ~ is a couched way of saying I cannot forgive - and will not forgive.

This is a very dangerous and unwise attitude of heart, -
  ~ for it is a big step towards the "hardening of heart" that is seen in Pharaoh.

You note that during the first few plagues Pharaoh hardened his OWN heart.
But in the end, it was the LORD that hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Don't allow unforgiveness to harden YOUR heart to this extent,
But rather seek the Lord to soften your heart and if necessary to break your heart.

Equally harming to the soul is the pretense that we have forgiven another,
  - when in fact we have only buried the pain in the depths of our being,
  - allowing it to resurface periodically to our own harm and often the hurt of others,
  - hiding behind a mask of normality while unforgiveness burns our soul.

Buried unforgiveness is at the root of most relational difficulties.
But forgiveness melts the hardening casement around a hardened heart.

Forgiveness not only covers forgiving those that have deeply wronged us,

But sometimes we need to accept that we TOO, have been truly forgiven.
  -as guilt suffocates the breath of life that came from the cross announcing :-

"It Is Finished"
  -as we revisit forgiven sins and beat ourselves mercilessly for our misdemeanors

But once forgiven, best Beloved, that sin is remembered no more.
Once forgiven, your sins are as far away as the east is from the west.

The great D.L Moody once noted
   ~ that if God promises to cast ALL our confessed sin into the depth of the sea,
   we must not get out a fishing line and keep pulling them back in.
   If God has forgiven you then accept His forgiveness and forgive yourself as well.

Day by day we need to confess the sins we commit - moment by moment

For if we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
  - and to cleanse us from every wrong.

But remember - once forgiven, that sin is remembered no more.
Once forgiven - your sins are as far away as the east is from the west.

An unknown author once wrote :-

To forgive - you need to renounce anger and resentment against another.

Have you been willing to accept God's forgiveness of all of YOUR sins ?

Are you prepared to bestow on Another this gift you received from God ?

Can you in all honesty withhold forgiveness towards another
-when the Lord gave His Beloved Son's life in order to forgive YOU?

I once allowed wounds and anger and pain and unforgiveness..
  - to build up in my life.

I spent time identifying and praying forgiveness over everything:-
    Forgiveness over every person.
   Cleansing over every situation.
For I had not been faithful in applying 1 John 1:9 :-

I had not kept my pains and unforgivenesses on the short daily leash of confession.

But He heard my cry and brought me up out of a horrible pit..
            He Turned my Desert into a Garden
And set my feet on a firm Foundation again
He put a new song in my mouth - the Sacrifice of Praise.

How true is the scripture that tells us that love covers a multitude of sins,
Little did the martyred Stephen, as he received the vicious attacks from those present
  -  little did he realize that his forgiving prayer, which echoed the One on the Cross
  - little did he realize it would cover the man Saul, who stood in agreement to his murder
  - that it  would cover the man who became the apostle who wrote the :-
            Greatest of all is LOVE

I believe that there are two important things that open the gates of heaven
One is the

          Sacrifice of Praise

The other the:

         Sacrifice of a Broken and Contrite Heart

Forgiveness is one of the main requirements of a Broken Heart
Forgiveness helps address the other elements needed for a Broken Heart,
Forgiveness can help to identify Self, Pride, Anger, Lust, Jealousy, Regret

Forgiveness opens the golden gate to God's loving fellowship in your life.

 Be Kind and Good

Be Compassionate one to another,

Be Forgiving one to another,

Just as God also forgave you you In Christ.

For those who find forgiveness hard.

I encourage you to download the following testimony

of my sister in Christ whom I have known for 30 years.

You can read about it in MY STORY or

Just listen to a Narration of AMAZING GRACE:-

- a testimony of God's Grace
- a testimony of Healing
- a testimony of Love
- a testimony of Forgiveness

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ April 2012 Daily Devotionals
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from September 2011 devotional archives




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