March 29 through April 30
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Tag: holy spirit
A Tiny Message #10
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did
we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger
or needing clothes or sick or in prison,
and did not help you?’ “He will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not
do for one of the least of these, you
did not do for me.’
Matthew 25:44-45
The other day during my BSGs’ study on Easter we had a discussion about humbly serving. It was interesting to hear how some of us took the line “the least of these” to solely mean people in poverty. We also tended to look at serving only as a physical or financially act.
And yet Jesus said that He brings living water to the thirsty. Who are the “thirsty” around you? You might be surprised that there are many Christians who remain hungry and thirsty for what Jesus has to offer. They have accepted Him as His savior but are not living out the fullness of life God wants for them.
When we talk about sharing the gospel with others we usually mean the message of salvation. And yes, we must make as a priority the saving of souls through the introduction of the true message of Christ. But the Good News is also about the peace and joy and love of God. It’s also about the helping hand of the Holy Spirit.
When we dismiss the work of helping all God’s people, not just the poor, we create a hierarchy of “needs” that just isn’t present in God’s Holy kingdom. He see us all. He loves us all. And if we are called to help guide and teach a group of young, new believers that is exactly where we need to be — keeping them from being pulled back into the world. Or it may mean we speak the truth plus love to a friend who has been led to false teaching.
Wherever you have been called to humbly serve and share the gospel — be it with believers or non-believers — rest assured that your work is loved by God.
A Tiny Message #9
But mark this: There will be terrible times
in the last days. People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,
abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God— having a form of godliness
but denying its power. Have nothing to do
with such people.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
So often when we turn to God for help we look for comforting words. I’ve heard it said many times recently that our churches have mostly eliminated the “difficult” messages in the Bible. And while Jesus’ messages to love one another are powerful tools in our battle against the devil He never asked us to turn a blind eye to sin and lies.
Satan is constantly at work trying to turn us away from the entire message of God. In fact, when I went back to edit my post titled, “Identify the Enemy,” I ran into a number of technical glitches. You see, my original post didn’t include the name Satan. After praying about what I had written I received a clear message to highlight how Satan is the Great Liar. I first couldn’t access the document. Then my computer kept saying I was off-line. Then the document wouldn’t save. I closed my eyes and said, “I know this is you at work, Satan. I’ve got all day and God on my side.” And lo and behold everything started working!
Satan is in our midst. He uses the greedy, the boastful, the abusive, the deceitful and lovers of pleasure to try and destroy our faith. And if we choose to turn a blind eye to his ways then we become his instruments. When we face the enemy head on, with our God-given armor, we step on to the battlefield. Our weapons against these “terrible times” are the truth of scripture, prayer, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and our God All Mighty.
Here’s a prayer I read that we should all speak each day:
Lord, help me stand my ground and defend what I have gained, no matter how difficult it might be to do this. I know that with Your supernatural help, I can outlive and outlast the resistance. With Your Spirit’s power working inside me, I know I can indefinitely and definitely stick it out until the enemy realizes he cannot beat me and decides to retreat! I pray this in Jesus’ name!
A Tiny Message #8
“What more can David say to you?
For you know your servant,
Sovereign Lord."
2 Samuel 7:20
In one of my Bible studies last year I was asked the question, “What are you hiding from God?” During my group discussion we all, of course, laughed at the idea of hiding something from God. But in reality don’t we all do that? We think He won’t see us thinking bad thoughts about “that neighbor.” We think He won’t notice if we cut off that driver on the road — because we have someplace important to be. And He definitely won’t know that we posted that comment on Facebook.
But He does.
When I wanted to lose weight before my daughter’s wedding I decided to use a weight loss app called Noom. I had tried using other methods and just didn’t keep with the program. After a month I had already lost almost 10 pounds. After six months I had lost almost 30 pounds. I got close to my goal weight and quit using the app. And then the pandemic hit. I got bored and started snacking. I tried using other programs but wasn’t committed. And six months later I went back to Noom. This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a realization of why I was more committed.
You see, on the Noom program you are assigned a coach. That coach can see if you are entering your daily weight, your meals, exercising and reading their articles. If you fall behind by a day or so your coach checks in and looks for ways to support you. I realized that “overwatch” aspect was keeping me on track. I knew someone was checking in on me. And that accountability was just what I needed.
But how often do we forget about our minute-by-minute accountability to God? We don’t know the day or hour Jesus will return. It could be as I write this post. How many of us see that day as “a far way off” and therefore think our daily thoughts and behavior just aren’t that big of a deal?
Jesus and the Holy Spirit are our life coaches. They check in with us through staying in His Word and close to them. What part of your life are you trying to hide from the Sovereign God today? Here’s a pro-tip, He sees it all.
A Tiny Message #7
"Tell the priests who carry
the ark of the covenant: "When
you reach the edge of the Jordan's
waters, go and stand in it."
Joshua 3:8
I was once asked by God to take on a year-long project. It wasn’t my idea. I hadn’t even been thinking about it. I recognized His request immediately as a test of my growth of faithfulness. What I have found is so many of us worry that we will look/sound silly, weird, or even crazy if we obey God’s directives.
Think about Joshua leading millions of Israelites into the promised land. He gets told by God to stand in the Jordan river with the ark of the covenant — which at that time of the year was at flood stage. The ark was their most valuable commodity and here was this “lunatic” telling the priests to go stand in the water with it.
What I have also found is that when, not only myself, but others obey God and set aside our pride, we don’t look foolish. We look victorious. We are victorious.
When I finally set aside my pride when it came to my relationship with my younger daughter, God smiled on us and created something I could have only imagined. We were victorious.
"But on Mount Zion will be
deliverance; it will be holy,
and Jacob will possess his
inheritance."
Obadiah 1:17
I want that victory for you. God wants to share in victory WITH you. So listen to His Word, hear His voice and step forward ready to win your battles.
The Ripples of Pride
Lesson #10: Make Jesus the King of every aspect of your life, especially the parts you grasp tight control over.
“The pride of your heart has deceived
you, you who live in the clefts of the
rocks and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself, “Who can bring
me down to the ground?”
Obadiah 1:3
My BSGs (Bible Study Girls) now know each others’ longstanding mini-kingdoms that we like to control. When we are asked questions in various studies about our sins we laugh and say, “Oh, I can answer that for you!” This is why I love these ladies. We have opened our lives to each other in trust. And, we expect to be held accountable for growth in our troublesome areas. I, for one, had an epiphany a month ago about one of my mini kingdoms which brought me a bit of embarrassment along with conviction.
These last few months I’ve really struggled with how angry I become when I head out for all my errands. My irritation and annoyance with people in general was heightened with the COVID related rules and fears. I’d see a person alone in their car with a double breather mask on and wanted to roll down my window and scream at them. The one-way rules for the grocery store aisles frustrated me when I found myself accidently going the wrong way and got dirty looks. People were either too slow, too lazy, or too dumb – in my opinion. I kept it all bottled up and would arrive home in turmoil. And then one day, while doing my Bible study, it hit me. My problem was pride.
“When pride comes, then comes
disgrace, but with humility comes
wisdom.”
Proverbs 11:2
Yep, I was being the queen of “Miss Know It All” land. And I had to admit it to my group. It wasn’t until that conviction hit me that God could then begin the re-building process. I’m now praying each day I leave my house that the Holy Spirit will remind me to live as a loving, compassionate, forgiving person.
In this week’s small Bible book, we hear from the prophet Obadiah. As prophets go, he’s not all that well known. In fact, there’s quite a lot of disagreement about who he was and about what time period he prophesized. But what we do know was he came to warn the people of Edom about their prideful ways.
Edom was a city from the line of Esau. You might remember him as Jacob’s brother. And ever since Jacob illicitly received Isaac’s family blessings there was enmity between the two brothers. One of the great, longstanding feuds began that day.
So, hundreds of years later we find ourselves in Edom, who conspired with Judah’s enemies to overthrow Jerusalem. And God is not happy.
“Though you soar like the eagle and
make your nest among the stars, from
there I will bring you down, declares
the LORD.”
Obadiah 1:4
Throughout the Old Testament we see God’s people, some of whom actually had the cloud of God living among them, attempt to take control over every situation. They conspired with enemies, took the opposite path, demanded earthly kings, worshipped other idols to bring favorable weather. We have the benefit of looking through the entire Bible and shaking our head in disbelief. “Why didn’t they just do what God directed them to do?” one of my Bible study questions asked. I can only look at my own life and ask myself the same question.
“For everything in the world – the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life – comes not from
the Father but from the world.”
1 John 2:16
When we build up our own mini kingdoms, be it about finances, our care and keeping of our children, our jobs, our social life, our health, and so on we seek to place ourselves higher than God. Our pride tells us that we know better.
And the Edomites thought they knew best. They were going to destroy Judah through alliances with her enemies. Meanwhile the Edomites, who built their city high up in the mountains as sturdy fortresses, were sure that no harm would come to them.
“But how Esau will be ransacked,
his hidden treasures pillaged!”
Obadiah 1:6
The thing about God though is that so often instead of an outright destruction of our mini kingdoms we get hit from the flank. We demand or beg to be in charge and He sits back and says, “Ok, have at it.” And we think we’ve won the battle. And then the stress comes, the destroyed relationships, lost sleep, ulcers, and more. And yet some of us hold on tighter because our pride won’t let us release our drawbridges and welcome God into our kingdom.
When we hold on to the sin of pride it creates ripple effects throughout our entire lives – and maybe even beyond. We pass down family hatreds and attitudes toward others. We teach our children to “never give an inch” in situations. We divorce because we couldn’t see the other side and therefore create broken homes.
My friends, the people of Israel were promised, while still in the desert, a great year of Jubilee. In that year, all debts would be forgiven, all slaves set free. It was to be a year-long celebration of God’s love for His people. And it never happened. Before they could even get to the promised land, they decided they knew better. Thousands of young men died because they wouldn’t trust the God who had taken care of them. The God who created food out of nothing and gave water from a stone.
God wants you to experience His Jubilee – a freedom from the slavery that pride brings. Jesus paid the price to release us. It’s already done. It ourselves that have re-shackled our hearts and minds. I read this story the other day that I hope will bring you your own epiphany.
“There was a farmer that got word that one of his sheep had been stolen and lie dead in a ditch outside town. He headed out to retrieve the carcass. Once he arrived, he realized the sheep wasn’t dead. It appeared as though its legs were still bound together although no rope remained. The farmer called to the sheep to get up but the animal laid there as though unable. He smacked the sheep on the backside to get up and yet it remained. He realized the sheep still thought he was tied up. So, the farmer pulled the animal’s legs apart to show him he was no longer bound. And finally, the sheep hopped up and ran up the hill.”
Are you that sheep? Jesus has already released you from all bondage. But are you still acting, out of pride, as though you are still a prisoner inside your own mini kingdom?
Be A Heart Changer & Soul Saver
Life Lesson #9: Christians are in the job of changing hearts and saving souls.
Perhaps this is the reason he was
separated from you for a while,
so that you might have him back
forever, no longer as a slave but
more than a slave, a beloved
brother—especially to me but how
much more to you, both in the
flesh and in the Lord.
Philemon 1:15-16
When I was in college, I was approached by two missionaries on campus. I believed in God, to an extent, but didn’t know anything about Him or Jesus. I asked the typical questions – “Why does God allow bad things to happen to people” and “Why did He give us free will instead of just making us all good people?” I’m sorry to say they couldn’t give me even a best guess. I wonder if you were tasked with talking to a friend about Jesus would you be ready with passable answers to these questions?
I heard a talk by Joyce Meyer the other day where she took up the question of why evil things continuously happen in the world. She’s seen some pretty bad situations in all of her world-wide missionary work. She prayed this question one day. The answer she got back was, “I’m waiting on my people to obey me and take care of each other.”
The righteous know the rights of
the poor; the wicked have no such
understanding.
Proverb 29:7
I’m currently doing a study that takes me through the entire Bible. It’s fascinating to see in Leviticus how sin offerings are adjusted for the poor. Even thousands of years ago God was making sure the downtrodden were taken care of. But notice you won’t find in the Bible that the Israelites or Christians are told to take up arms to eliminate poverty. Verse after verse we are tasked to do one thing with the poor – to help them.
In Joppa there was a disciple named
Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas);
she was always doing good and
helping the poor.
Acts 9:36
As social justice issues go, the poor are always on the lips of “social justice warriors.” Their desire appears to be to eliminate poverty and all social injustice via legislation, protests or even through violence. But as Christians we are shown a different approach. Take the issue of slavery, as discussed in the letter from Paul to Philemon. The subject is the slave Onesimus. Notice in the introductory verse that Paul does not chastise or demand of Philemon the release of his slave. Paul, instead, appeals to faith principles. He reminds Philemon that as a faithful follower of Jesus our hearts and therefore, our minds are changed.
“To me, a follower of Jesus means a friend of man. A Christian is a philanthropist by profession, and generous by force of grace; wide as the reign of sorrow is the stretch of his love, and where he cannot help he pities still.”
Charles Spurgeon
By teaching slave owners about the power and love and salvation found in following Jesus, the disciples were slowly changing the hearts and then minds of people who, not only owned slaves, but behaved in any number of sinful ways. The new Christian is tasked with living in a new loving and giving nature.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come: The old
has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Had the disciples come into new cities preaching about abolishing slavery (let’s remember too that slavery in that time was mostly more like indentured servitude) they certainly would’ve been met with resistance. Slaves were costly commodities – just as they were in the early years of the United States. To preach that people had to give up much of their wealth in order to follow Jesus would not have been as successful as first telling of the Good News.
Last year, I watched as protests and violence broke out in cities across the United States by self-professed social justice warriors. To be honest, at times I wasn’t even sure what some of it was about. In Portland, Oregon, the young people rioting just seemed to hate everyone. It was a perfect time for the church to rise up and do what we should do best – show love and help change hearts. I hoped and prayed that in communities hit by violence that God’s people would come together and form prayer chains around the cities – enveloping it in God’s love. Instead, I watched as pastors led more protests and took to microphones and megaphones yelling about injustice, pointing fingers at different races.
“It is easier to make laws than to make Christians, but the business of the church is to produce Christians and everything else is a by-product of that new creation.”
Vance Havner
The people of Jesus’ time expected a Messiah to come and bring justice. They wanted punishment of those who had wronged them. They wanted to see governments and whole groups of people destroyed. But Jesus was not that kind of social justice warrior. From town-to-town He cared about one thing – changing people’s hearts. He did out-of-the-box things like sit with sinners, touch the leper, heal on the Sabbath, talk with the outcasts. He brought the bread of life and the refreshing water of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks
this water will be thirsty again, but
whoever drinks the water I give them
will never thirst. Indeed, the water
I give them will become in them a
spring of water welling up to eternal
life.”
John 4:13-14
How amazing would it have been if, when our churches closed down in March 2020, they instead remained open. Not just open but open 24 hours a day with a sign out on the street that said, “Need someone to talk to? We’re always open and ready to listen.” I know this idea is radical. And you’re probably thinking of all the reasons why your church can’t do this. But the work of Jesus and His apostles was radical. So is the work of every Christian you probably admire.
“Behave at them.”
Ken Blanchard
As Christians we are not tasked to be worldly “social justice warriors.” We are commissioned to be God’s soldiers. When we are tempted to join a protest march and carry a sign we should first think how we can directly help those for whom we are marching. God’s plan for the world will only be accomplished through our active showing of love, grace, charity, and forgiveness of others — while espousing His truth. The spreading of the message of Jesus brings the changes we so long for – maybe just not as fast as we like. He designed us this way.
I do get outraged by many things going on in the world. And then I remember to pray to God for peace in my heart so that I can listen for my marching orders. When I feel overwhelmed by the problems we face, I remember that God works out-of-the-box in radical ways. It’s up to me and it’s up to you to be in the heart changing business when God puts opportunities right in front of us. We will always find ourselves on the right side of “He who is most important” when we obey God.
The Apostle Paul worked on one rich, slave owner at a time. And over time, our Christian faith has led to a world-wide abolishment of sanctioned slavery. What small step can you do today to help change one heart?
A Tiny Message #6
Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that
hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles.
Hebrews 12:1
I was at one of the lowest points in my life. Sure, I realized at some point that my hormonal situation was partially to blame but so was my environment. More specifically, I had surrounded myself with friends who, to be honest, weren’t all that great of friends. When I asked for help one day because of a medical problem my friends said, “no.” Even my parents said, “no.” I found myself at the end of my spiritual rope.
I remember sitting at my computer looking at Facebook and slowly deleting every single “friend” while sobbing. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t let go of us.
I will not leave you as orphans;
I will come to you.
John 14:18
What I was led to do in the coming weeks was to seriously evaluate what environment I had created and how I could create a better one. I went down the list of women I knew casually and had shown themselves to be people of character. And I started calling them, inviting them to lunch, Bible study, or for a walk. About a year later I told some of them what had happened that day I needed help. Some of them cried for me and said, “I wish you had called me. I would have dropped everything for you.” And then I cried. But this time tears of love and joy.
Sometimes we need to have a truly hard moment to see what we have created around us and how it hinders our spiritual connectedness. And the Holy Spirit will be there to guide us to our new home. I found this prayer about laying aside all our hinderances that I thought you might enjoy.
“Lord, I want to stay in an environment that will keep my faith alive and strong. Help me recognize those relationships and places I should avoid to keep my faith from being negatively affected. As you show me places, people, and things I should avoid, give me the strength I need to do what is right — and give me the wisdom I need to know how to avoid those places and people! I pray this in Jesus’ name!”
Seek Koinonia
Life Lesson #8: Seek deep and long lasting communion with other Christian believers
I pray that your partnership (koinonia) with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Philemon 1:6
When I began my Christian journey, I didn’t have any Christian friends. My parents were not Christians either. My husband had grown up in the faith but wasn’t really connected at the time. My only real guides were my in-laws, who I saw infrequently because they lived in another state. I relied heavily on the once a week lessons taught by the pastor. If it didn’t make sense to me, I just figured I was not smart enough or even faithful enough to understand. I wasn’t encouraged to attend a church Bible study until much later in my journey while at another church.
Every day they continued to meet
together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate
together with glad and sincere
hearts, praising God and enjoying
the favor of all the people. And
the Lord added to their number daily
those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46-47
My BSGs just finished the Bible study book, Everyday Theology. In the week study titled “Church” we were asked to read the verse above and then talk about what makes a “good” church. What we all included was a type of fellowship that goes beyond just being friends. In various places of the Bible the Greek word “koinonia” is used. That’s the kind of partnership or communion we saw as being important as a Christian.
koinōnía (a feminine noun) – properly, what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship (partnership, community), the share which one has in anything, participation
Strong’s Concordance
If you search the word, “koinonia,” it’s interesting to see that it’s attributed to Christian fellowship. Meaning we are again set apart with a special communion and partnership with each other. We are to take responsibility for spurring each other on in our sanctification journey. We show each other love and truth.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul starts out reminding Philemon of the importance of koinonia and how he has seen it at work in the Colossian church – the church which met regularly in Philemon’s home. Why does he remind Philemon? Because Paul is about to ask him for a favor – one that will reveal the true state of Philemon’s heart. He asks for the forgiveness and accepting back of a man who stole from him.
And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love
and good deeds,
Hebrews 10:24
How many of us have surrounded ourselves with fellow believers who will help us in our pruning journey? Not just a nice, “hello” at church or even an occasional dinner date with some church friends. But a true, deep partnership with people we know have the same measuring stick as their guide. With people we know that won’t give up on us and we won’t give up on them?
As I look back at the beginnings of my faith journey, I see the times I really could’ve used a few Christian friends. Instead, my circle helped me, even encouraged me, to live a life which God would not be pleased. And when I was truly in need I was frequently abandoned.
Do not be misled: “Bad company
corrupts good character.”
1 Corinthians 15:33
I had a friend in college that I saw almost every day because we had a lot of the same classes. We studied together and ate together. One day I came upon her at a grassy area on campus with some other students. She was smoking a cigarette. I had never seen her smoke before! I asked her about it and she said, “Oh ya, when I’m around my friends from Spain I smoke all the time!” We have to admit that our friends (and family) have some influence over us. So, in the choosing, as Christians, we are advised by Jesus and the apostles to choose wisely.
That’s not to say we aren’t to have non-believers in our lives. Those are the folks God has put in front of us to bring to Him! But we should actively seek out koinonia with other believers. They are the ones with whom we should feel safe when we need to confess our sins. They are the ones who can help us to show grace and forgiveness. They are the ones who will show us compassion. We know this because they are on the same faith journey as us.
For where two or three gather
in my name, there I am with them.
Matthew 18:20
So often we make our friends by chance – through our kids or spouses or through a hobby or activity. When was the last time you sat down and evaluated your friendship circle? When was the last time you actively worked to build a different circle?
Your love has given me great joy
and encouragement, because you, brother,
have refreshed the hearts of the
Lord’s people.
Philemon 1:7
Fellowship, koinonia, with other believers helps bring us closer to the love, joy, and grace that God wants for us. I’m thankful that I have built a small group of friends that hold my feet to the fire and will also wash my feet when I am in need – and I am willing to do the same for them. I started building this circle by first joining a Bible study and then offering to lead one. I found myself then helping create Bible study curriculum and joining other church committees. Each time, I gathered up more Christian friends. Until finally, I asked a couple ladies at my gym, whom I had heard talking about church, if they’d like to do a Bible study with me. And so my BSGs (Bible Study Girls) were formed. Each God-directed step has taken me closer to koinonia, not only with fellow believers but, with the Holy Spirit.
If you don’t have fellow Christian friends, today is the day to pray that God will send you in the right direction. And when He opens the door, step through it.
Unburdened Your Heart
Lesson #7: Forgiveness of others brings us the blessings of Christ
It is as none other than Paul—an old
man and now also a prisoner of Christ
Jesus— that I appeal to you for my son
Onesimus, who became my son while I was
in chains.
Philemon 1:9-10
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about forgiveness. It keeps popping up in various Bible studies and readings. And when that happens, I realize God is trying to tell me something. So, the other day while in my “She Shed” – where I do my Bible reading and mediation – I just sat and did an inventory of the people in my life and those no longer in it. My question for each face that popped in my head was “Is there something I haven’t forgiven in this relationship?”
There are people whom I actively must work at forgiving. There’s one person in my neighborhood that, each time I see him I need to remind myself I no longer harbor ill feelings toward him. It’s fascinating however, to pay attention to my whole body and mind when he enters my sphere. I remind myself I have forgiven him yet my body wants to remember the hurt feelings. It’s a brief little battle that, thankfully Jesus and the Holy Spirit help me to win. In fact, the last time I saw him I thought it was a different neighbor and I waved. When I realized who it was, I did a mental flip – “Ugh, why did you wave to him of all people? You’re just not supposed to think anything and move along!” But waving gave the impression I was happy to see him. I suddenly realized in my mini battle that it was again the Holy Spirit forcing me to step out of my comfort zone and not just be “neutral” but be kind.
That individual aside, I came to an even greater realization about my need to forgive. These days I can’t think of a greater forgiveness need in me than to forgive my church. Actually, just about all churches who have shuttered their doors during such desperate times.
But let me back up a bit. Today, we jump into the little book of Philemon. Paul, currently imprisoned in Rome, writes to a wealthy Christian friend in Colosse concerning the slave Onesimus. Onesimus took off from Philemon’s household having stolen from him. Onesimus found himself in the company of Paul and was converted. And now Paul humbly asks Philemon to forgive his slave and allow him to return.
I remember as a child my mom talking about converted prisoners. She scoffed at the idea that murderers and thieves could “find Jesus” and change their lives. She thought it was all just a ploy to get out of jail earlier or to garner forgiveness without truly repenting. And she may be right in some cases. Who is to know the heart of a sinner but God?
I wonder if Philemon thought the same? To Onesimus’ benefit he had the great apostle Paul standing up for him. How often have we held out forgiving someone because they didn’t meet our list of requirements for forgiveness? The person in my neighborhood that I must remind myself to forgive frequently? He hasn’t ever asked me for forgiveness. He’s never acted in a way that showed he even knows he needs my forgiveness.
My church, who locked their doors and turned me away from praying at the outdoor steps of the sanctuary, doesn’t see any need for me to forgive them. The elders and pastor who either ignored my pleas for help or worse, said hurtful things, have not asked for forgiveness. So why should I forgive them? Why should Philemon forgive a man to whom he gave so much and then stole from him?
I once was in a discussion about forgiveness during a Bible study. The leader, who also was an elder in the church, said to the group, “You can’t forgive someone unless they have paid a price or asked for forgiveness.” (There’s that Biblical truth issue popping up!) Now, I’m working on my path from being a “baby Christian” to a mature one but even I know that’s just not sound Jesus teaching.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive
my brother or sister who sins against
me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered,
“I tell you, not seven times, but
seventy-seven times."
Matthew 18:21-22
The thing I like about this conversation in Matthew is he deals with a real world situation. So many of us keep doing things that need forgiveness from others. And Jesus says to keep on forgiving – each and every time.
I was reading about forgiveness and came across this list of spiritual characteristics of someone who forgives:
- Concern for his place with God
- Concern for people
- Concern for fellowship
- Concern for knowledge
- Concern for glory
- Concern for blessing
My response to the Bible study leader was that if her “rules” about forgiveness were true then how can we forgive people who have already died but negatively impacted our lives? Or how can we forgive people that either don’t have anything to do with us anymore or have no idea they did something wrong? Under her idea so many of us would live with a horrible burden of pain and hurt and anger. And Jesus doesn’t want that for us. He wants to shower us with that glory and those blessings listed in the “forgiver characteristics.”
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
Mark 11:25
Against anyone – for any reason. But the most important part of the forgiveness lesson? “So that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” I want to be forgiven because I know I have a lot for which I need to be forgiven. Therefore, I need to search my heart and truly forgive our churches.
I’ve learned a lot this last year about compassion and our human tendency to live in fear. And although our pastors preach to have faith rather than fear, we fall back into the flesh so easily. I do it, you do it and our church leaders (who are just humans too) do it. It doesn’t make me feel good to see our churches closed but I also don’t want to have the burden of unforgiveness on my heart and soul. I realized I can be sad and still forgive.
I like that in this letter to Philemon, Paul doesn’t demand that the slave Onesimus be taken back into the household. Paul wields a lot of authority. He could’ve just said, “Take him back and don’t be mean to him.” But God wants our hearts. Jesus and the Holy Spirit work on our transformation. That’s why each time I see what was previously my “nemesis” in the neighborhood I know the Holy Spirit is working in me. My hand was purposely lifted up to wave at him – not the mistaken neighbor. To help my heart be free of any last morsels of unforgiveness.
Friends, I have seen the miracle healing of forgiveness in others. I have felt it in myself. It’s there for the taking for you. Let’s be like the father of the prodigal son – from a long way off he saw his son returning. He didn’t know why his son was coming back. It could’ve been to ask for more money. Instead of looking out the window and thinking every bad thought, he ran to him. (Luke 15:20) He tucked his tunic between his legs and ran to hug him in front of the townspeople. He might’ve needed to forgive him a few more times in the course of their lives, we don’t know. But the joy he had with that one action has given us the lesson for the ages.
emboldened.net 