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He calls us to forgive
Without an acknowledgment of wrong from the one who hurt us,
Without repentance or contrition from the one who wronged us,
Without an apology or a promise to do better from the one who offended us,
We are exhorted to forgive just as freely as we were forgiven.
I had the opportunity to speak with Bill Rose, Senior Pastor of Oasis Church. We had an awesome conversation on forgiveness. If you are struggling to forgive and need practical steps to help you walk in healing, check out this message....
I was commenting on the humility of a former student, R. Another student said, “Well M is also humble. Even though she makes an A on most tests, she still worries about her grade and thinks she didn’t do well.” I looked at M (she is a former student and we have a great relationship) and said, “That’s not being humble. That’s being neurotic.” Then I thought about us as...
I wrote a couple of days ago we don’t have bad days, just bad moments. But I think it’s safe to say on this day in history, Jesus was having a bad day. Betrayed by a friend. Abandoned by his students. Denied by his buddy. Ridiculed. Beaten. Slapped. Spit upon. Lied upon. Sentenced to death. Crucified. But as He was dying, as He came to the end of this horrific...
King David had many sons, many choices for someone to proceed him as king. Yet he chose Solomon. Solomon was the child born from David’s most renown sin. When David should have been at war, he was home napping, and spotted a beautiful woman innocently fulfilling the law of purification. He spotted her, took her, slept with her and then killed her husband as a cover-up. Solomon was the product...
I’m reading the story of Jacob stealing his brother’s blessing this morning (again not one of my favorite stories). But the Holy Spirit reveals two truths to me as I am reading. Truth #1 After Jacob had deceived his father and stolen his brother’s blessing, Esau returns and begs his father for a blessing. He is rightfully angry with his brother. As firstborn, the blessing belonged to him. “Is there...
Did you know shame, guilt, and condemnation were not emotions initially experienced in the Garden of Eden? The emotions of guilt and shame were introduced after the fall. We were not designed to carry these emotions. So how do I overcome them? How do I show remorse without partnering with guilt, condemnation and shame? 1. Take responsibility. Apologize without explanation. Make amends where possible. 2. Receive the forgiveness of God....
Unrepentant. Unaware. They shouted for His death – a cruel, agonizing, shameful death. No one asked for forgiveness. Why would they? They were acting on behalf of God or so they thought. Jesus, watched as they yelled crucify him! He willingly allowed the nails to be driven in His hands, His feet. The blood flowed and He looked at his accusers through the blood. His eyes were not filled with...
God’s love is so amazing. His redemption is so beautiful. Only God can: Take a liar who worshipped other God’s (Abraham) and turn him into the Father of many nations and let him be remembered as a man of extraordinary faith. Take a murderer (Moses) and turn him into one of the greatest leaders of all time and let him be remembered as a man of humility. Restore a power...
Forgiveness is not always easy. But it’s always right. Sometimes others can hurt you so deeply, so profoundly that forgiveness can seem like some pie in the sky impossible ideal. How can a compassionate, loving God expect me to forgive? First remember, forgiveness is not synonymous with forgetting. Forgiveness does not mean trust is instantly restored. Forgiveness does not mean you continue to allow someone to hurt you. So how...