reflections for Friday 18 April 2oo8

Forgiven!>>>more
devotion from rbc ministries

This one word is so hard to do at time and so hard to believe at times and I guess it's according which side of the word you are on. Sometimes we hold people hostage with this word, sometimes we have so much guilt that we can't believe we are set free when someone says, "I forgive you." I have been on both sides of that word and to be honest neither side feels good. I have hurt, I have been hurt, I have carried the guilt of the hurt I have afflicted on someone and sometimes it's hard to let go of it.

But then I always remember what Dr. David Jeremiah says whenever I know I have went to God and asked for forgiveness but I still carry the "weight" of it. Whenever I get into one of those, "I know God is forgiven me but I just can't forgive myself" David Jeremiah's comment, "If your Heavenly Father has forgiven you and forgot it what gives you the right not to let it go...are you God?" and that shuts me down and makes me let it go. One thing my queen always says, "It's okay to be convicted but not condemned" because Christ Jesus has already paid that huge price for me. Knowing this in my heart I have no right and no reason to carry that burden with me because His blood has insured me that I can never be taken out of the loving arms of God.

Now, as I have always made it clear...does this mean I do not pay a consequence for my decision? Yes I have to because God is not a genie in a bottle, whenever I get myself in a mess I can just "wish" myself out of that situation. Adam and Eve paid for their decision, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, King David, King Solomon, Peter, Paul...I can go on and on because in the end God forgave them for their sins but God could not violate his own laws and principles. For me, the more I realize this the more I try and not make decisions that I know will hurt not only myself but my family in the end.

The wonderful love of God lets me know that when I come to him with a open heart, pride set aside, and ask for true forgiveness, He gives it to me and will forget it. I may have to still deal with the consequences but I would rather receive his chastisement than His wrath. In the end I try and be a wise man instead of a clever man because the older I become, I don't have time to keep coming up with ways to get out of situations and you realize day in and day out, time is too precious to waste.

Be Blessed, Be Safe,
& Have a Wonderful Friday/Weekend

"For every thing that lives is holy, life delights in life."
~William Blake(1757-1827), America: A Prophecy

great audio message for Friday...
The Struggle With Unforgiveness
Dr. Charles Stanley-In Touch Ministries