We continue with our series, Thriving in God's Garden, with a look this week into kindness. Today, I'd like to focus on God's kindness toward us.
Because God loves us, he is kind to us.
In order to learn how to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control--we must first look to God, who models these attributes for us.
Isaiah 63:7 (NIV) reads, I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us... If someone were to ask us if God has been kind to us, how might we answer?
Victims often fail to see God's kindnesses.
Sometimes, victims of abuse and trauma develop a very negative attitude toward God. They become angry with him and claim that he doesn't care what happens to anyone. While bad things may happen, it is because we live in a fallen world, filled with sinners. It is not because God doesn't care.
When we are sad, God understands. Just because our circumstances may make us feel as if no one cares, God always does. He never, ever stops loving us.
I am blessed by God's kindness.
God has been unbelievably kind to me all my life. Even though I suffered childhood sexual abuse, marital abuse, and many illnesses and injuries, God has showered me with kindness.
Although I was born into a very dysfunctional, abusive family, God did not overlook my need for loving and nurturing. He provided it in the form of wonderful neighbors who took me in as if I were one of their own.
One of my sister's friends took me to church when I was five years old, and a nursery volunteer there told me about Jesus. They planted seeds that grew into belief, which led me to surrender my life to Christ. Today, God does not see my sins when he looks at me, because they are hidden by Christ's blood.
When I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, God was unbelievably kind. I begged him for more time to raise my children, and he pulled off a miracle. I was healed of the cancer that was supposed to kill me within months..19 years ago.
When my first marriage fell apart, God remembered me again. He sent Joe Denton into my life to teach me what it really means to have a relationship with Christ, not just a religion. With Joe, I have safety and peace as I have never before experienced at home.
My life has been touched by countless people who have loved me when I have not always been easy to love. Friends have stood by me through MS exacerbations, surgeries, and auto accidents. All of these people, I am certain, were sent to me by God. They are his expression of kindness.
Has God been kind to you?
It's hard to think about God's kindesses toward us if we are unaware of them. When we realize his many acts of loving kindness, it's impossible not to praise him as Isaiah did in the above Bible passage. How has he blessed you?
Today's Challenge
Write down the many ways that God has blessed you, even at times when you were suffering. Find a way to thank him through prayer, song, or sharing your story with someone else.
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Share Your Joy With Others
We conclude this week's discussion about joy with some thoughts about sharing it with others. This is the second in a nine-part series on the fruit of the Spirit, which I have titled, Thriving in God's Garden.
Be joyful always.
God created us to share his joy with others. The apostle Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV), Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Notice that this verse doesn't say, Be joyful when things are going well. God wants us to be joyful all the time. I realize that this is a tall order, but it is something for us to strive for.
Sometimes life causes us tremendous pain, emotional let-downs, grief, and anxiety. Abuse and trauma can leave us with big, gaping emotional wounds.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 and 4 (NIV) tell us, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. There will be times when it is more appropriate to cry than to laugh, but it doesn't mean that our joy leaves us completely.
Joy is something that remains with us if we know God, even when we are sad about our life circumstances. We may not be happy about what is going on, but we cling to the joy of knowing that God is in control of all things and will work them out for our good.
Romans 8:28 (NIV) reminds us, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Focus on God, not the pain.
A car accident last year, complicated by a history of multiple sclerosis, has left me with some pretty significant, unrelenting pain. Today, that pain is so severe, it is interfering with my ability to type. If I dwell on it, I may find myself in tears, unable to think or work. If I let the pain take over, I may snap at my husband, my dog, and anyone else I encounter.
On the other hand, if I remember that this pain is temporary and that God is eternal, I can deal with the discomfort. I can greet others with a cheerful smile, interact with them patiently, and share God's joy by not mentioning the pain. Because every time I bring up the pain, I lose an opportunity to remain focused on God's blessings. Talking about the pain empowers it and reduces my joy.
When I walk away from people after telling them about my pain, they feel downcast, and I feel badly. I realize afterward that I didn't encourage them with my complaints, and I missed an opportunity to show them what it means to be joyful always and to be thankful in all circumstances.
Please note that this doesn't mean I should be fake with my closest friends and family members. I can ask them to pray for me so that the pain will become more bearable. But outside of my prayer circle, the only person who needs to know about my pain is my doctor.
When we're struggling with the aftermath of abuse or trauma, it isn't appropriate for us to share our burdens with everyone we meet. Talking with a professional counselor, a few close friends, and a prayer group is sufficient.
Let your joy shine.
When we give up whining about our problems and our pain, we need to replace those negative thoughts and words with positive ones. When we greet people, we need to tell them how blessed we are with a smile on our faces.
Often, we don't have to say anything special to demonstrate to others that we are joyful, knowing that God is in control. Many people have told me that I have inspired them, because I live with MS and still keep smiling. This always surprises me, but I realize that my smile is an encouragement to others, even on days when I am in a lot of pain.
In conclusion, we have learned this week that getting away from abusive or neglectful people can increase our ability to maintain our joy. When we look to God to fulfill all our needs, we become thankful for all that he does to bless us each day. Our joy shows forth through our creative efforts, and it shines for others when we remain focused on God instead of our problems.
Next week, we will continue with this series, Thriving in God's Garden, with a look at peace.
Today's Challenge
If you are struggling with unbearable pain or difficult life circumstances, tell God about them. Ask a few prayer warriors to pray for you. Then, focus on the blessings that God has given you, and let your joy shine for the rest of the world to see.
Be joyful always.
God created us to share his joy with others. The apostle Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV), Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Notice that this verse doesn't say, Be joyful when things are going well. God wants us to be joyful all the time. I realize that this is a tall order, but it is something for us to strive for.
Sometimes life causes us tremendous pain, emotional let-downs, grief, and anxiety. Abuse and trauma can leave us with big, gaping emotional wounds.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 and 4 (NIV) tell us, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. There will be times when it is more appropriate to cry than to laugh, but it doesn't mean that our joy leaves us completely.
Joy is something that remains with us if we know God, even when we are sad about our life circumstances. We may not be happy about what is going on, but we cling to the joy of knowing that God is in control of all things and will work them out for our good.
Romans 8:28 (NIV) reminds us, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Focus on God, not the pain.
A car accident last year, complicated by a history of multiple sclerosis, has left me with some pretty significant, unrelenting pain. Today, that pain is so severe, it is interfering with my ability to type. If I dwell on it, I may find myself in tears, unable to think or work. If I let the pain take over, I may snap at my husband, my dog, and anyone else I encounter.
On the other hand, if I remember that this pain is temporary and that God is eternal, I can deal with the discomfort. I can greet others with a cheerful smile, interact with them patiently, and share God's joy by not mentioning the pain. Because every time I bring up the pain, I lose an opportunity to remain focused on God's blessings. Talking about the pain empowers it and reduces my joy.
When I walk away from people after telling them about my pain, they feel downcast, and I feel badly. I realize afterward that I didn't encourage them with my complaints, and I missed an opportunity to show them what it means to be joyful always and to be thankful in all circumstances.
Please note that this doesn't mean I should be fake with my closest friends and family members. I can ask them to pray for me so that the pain will become more bearable. But outside of my prayer circle, the only person who needs to know about my pain is my doctor.
When we're struggling with the aftermath of abuse or trauma, it isn't appropriate for us to share our burdens with everyone we meet. Talking with a professional counselor, a few close friends, and a prayer group is sufficient.
Let your joy shine.
When we give up whining about our problems and our pain, we need to replace those negative thoughts and words with positive ones. When we greet people, we need to tell them how blessed we are with a smile on our faces.
Often, we don't have to say anything special to demonstrate to others that we are joyful, knowing that God is in control. Many people have told me that I have inspired them, because I live with MS and still keep smiling. This always surprises me, but I realize that my smile is an encouragement to others, even on days when I am in a lot of pain.
In conclusion, we have learned this week that getting away from abusive or neglectful people can increase our ability to maintain our joy. When we look to God to fulfill all our needs, we become thankful for all that he does to bless us each day. Our joy shows forth through our creative efforts, and it shines for others when we remain focused on God instead of our problems.
Next week, we will continue with this series, Thriving in God's Garden, with a look at peace.
Today's Challenge
If you are struggling with unbearable pain or difficult life circumstances, tell God about them. Ask a few prayer warriors to pray for you. Then, focus on the blessings that God has given you, and let your joy shine for the rest of the world to see.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
This week, we have learned that God loves us so much that he gave up his only son to die for us. Therefore, we have good reason to love him in return for his graciousness to us. We are called to share that love with all people and to pray for those who have hurt us. Today, I would like to look at what it means to love our neighbors in my series, Thriving in God's Garden.
The Golden Rule
When a teacher of the law asked Jesus which commandment was the most important, this was his response. "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31 NIV)
Love your neighbor as yourself has come to be known as The Golden Rule. There is no greater law that governs how people are supposed to treat one another. So what, exactly, does it mean to love our neighbors as ourselves?
Do you love yourself?
Many people who have suffered the trauma of childhood sexual abuse or domestic violence have very low opinions of themselves. They find it difficult to love themselves, because they either feel degraded and ashamed of themselves, or they have been brainwashed into believing that they are worthless. In order to love others, we must first learn to love ourselves.
This means that we actually accept the love that God has to offer. And when we reach out and take it from him, we love him back by changing the way we live. We give up habits that would make God feel unwelcome in our homes. And we turn away from any lifestyle that would harm our bodies. After all, God's Spirit lives inside of us when we become Christians, so we really need to keep ourselves pure.
Love people who aren't easy to love.
So, if we're behaving ourselves so that we can feel good about our lives, we can learn to share God's love with others. Most of us have no difficulty loving our children or our pets. Some have a little trouble loving spouses. Many of us struggle when it comes to loving certain neighbors, because they aren't exactly easy to love.
We used to have a neighbor who drank together with her adult children every night. While we were trying to sleep, the neighbors were shouting obscenities at one another and breaking beer bottles in their backyard. After many sleepless nights, Joe went to ask them to quiet down. That lasted about ten minutes.
The next night, we decided it was best to call the police. After a cop arrived to tell the neighbors to take their party inside, we could hear them bickering about who caused the problem and speculating that we were the people who had turned them in.
It was difficult to be pleasant to this woman, because she was drunk and surly at night and then withdrawn during the day. Nevertheless, we tried our best to be good neighbors to her. When I picked vegetables from the garden, I shared them with her. I baked cookies for her children and gave her books I had finished reading. I can't say that we ever became friends, but I tried my best to love my neighbor.
Today's Challenge
Is there someone in your life who needs to feel God's love? Perhaps there's a co-worker, a neighbor, a child down the block, or an elderly person who needs to feel a connection to God through you. Take time today to speak with that person, offer them a small gift, or do a chore for them. By loving someone else, you will find that you love yourself a little bit more in the process.
The Golden Rule
When a teacher of the law asked Jesus which commandment was the most important, this was his response. "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31 NIV)
Love your neighbor as yourself has come to be known as The Golden Rule. There is no greater law that governs how people are supposed to treat one another. So what, exactly, does it mean to love our neighbors as ourselves?
Do you love yourself?
Many people who have suffered the trauma of childhood sexual abuse or domestic violence have very low opinions of themselves. They find it difficult to love themselves, because they either feel degraded and ashamed of themselves, or they have been brainwashed into believing that they are worthless. In order to love others, we must first learn to love ourselves.
This means that we actually accept the love that God has to offer. And when we reach out and take it from him, we love him back by changing the way we live. We give up habits that would make God feel unwelcome in our homes. And we turn away from any lifestyle that would harm our bodies. After all, God's Spirit lives inside of us when we become Christians, so we really need to keep ourselves pure.
Love people who aren't easy to love.
So, if we're behaving ourselves so that we can feel good about our lives, we can learn to share God's love with others. Most of us have no difficulty loving our children or our pets. Some have a little trouble loving spouses. Many of us struggle when it comes to loving certain neighbors, because they aren't exactly easy to love.
We used to have a neighbor who drank together with her adult children every night. While we were trying to sleep, the neighbors were shouting obscenities at one another and breaking beer bottles in their backyard. After many sleepless nights, Joe went to ask them to quiet down. That lasted about ten minutes.
The next night, we decided it was best to call the police. After a cop arrived to tell the neighbors to take their party inside, we could hear them bickering about who caused the problem and speculating that we were the people who had turned them in.
It was difficult to be pleasant to this woman, because she was drunk and surly at night and then withdrawn during the day. Nevertheless, we tried our best to be good neighbors to her. When I picked vegetables from the garden, I shared them with her. I baked cookies for her children and gave her books I had finished reading. I can't say that we ever became friends, but I tried my best to love my neighbor.
Today's Challenge
Is there someone in your life who needs to feel God's love? Perhaps there's a co-worker, a neighbor, a child down the block, or an elderly person who needs to feel a connection to God through you. Take time today to speak with that person, offer them a small gift, or do a chore for them. By loving someone else, you will find that you love yourself a little bit more in the process.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Love Your Enemies
We continue today with our series, Thriving in God's Garden, a study based on the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22. This week, we are learning about our love relationship with God and with others. Today, I would like to discuss how we can love our enemies.
What does the Bible say about love for our enemies?
Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) reads: But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Jesus spoke these words to his disciples to make three points:
1) We should never treat others spitefully, even when they abuse us;
2) We should love everyone; and
3) We should go the extra mile to express love to our enemies.
How can we protect ourselves from further abuse?
When I used to read this passage, my warning signals began going off. I knew that if I expressed love in practical ways to the abusive people in my life, they would come after me like a pack of wolves on an injured sheep.
We often mistakenly interpret this message to mean that we must put ourselves into a relationship with people who abuse us. This is not what Jesus meant. We can love them from a distance, and Jesus gave us examples of how we might do that.
Show your enemies your love in appropriate ways.
For women who have been victims of domestic violence or adults who suffered childhood sexual abuse, expressing love to their abusers can be difficult. But it is not impossible.
First, let me say that there are ways to express love to abusers that I would not recommend. If your expression of love results in your abuser verbally abusing you, emotionally destroying you at every opportunity, physically harming you, or taking advantage of you sexually for their own gratification; you should immediately remove yourself and any children from such a situation. Every individual's emotional, physical, sexual, and spiritual safety must be considered first.
Many abusers do not have the skills to live within a relationship without hurting or using others. Therefore, we must be careful to protect ourselves when we express love to them. If we are kind to them, and in return we receive more abuse, it may be time to step back and wait. In some cases, our abusers may never respond appropriately, but at least we can say we have tried.
When we are in a safe place and free from further abuse, we can find ways to express love to that person who hurt us. From a human perspective, this can feel impossible. But if we pray and ask Jesus to help us love, we may be surprised by what happens.
At first, loving our enemies begins with a lessening of the hatred and anger we feel toward them. Over time, we let go of our need to control the situation or to seek revenge. Eventually, with God's help, we can get to the point where we actually wish only good for our abusers.
When we get to that point of recovery, we can find ways to do good for our abusers and to bless them. Here are some practical ways we can bless our abusers without getting hurt again. We can:
-Stop bringing up the past and recounting all of the horrific things our abusers did. We can talk about our pain with a counselor or with God, and then let it go.
-Pray that God will bless our abusers with the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
-Send our abusers simple cards of encouragement with loving Scripture verses included.
-If our abusers are incarcerated, we can send them gift packages that are provided by the prison system. These include food items, books, and games.
Don't use love to control outcomes with your enemies.
We learned in our previous series, Removing the Roadblocks to Forgiveness, that we are the last person our abuser needs to point out how he should change. If his heart is ever open, he may accept correction from someone else. This is not a job that we should take on.
Remember, the only person we can ever change is ourselves. So when we send cards or gifts, our underlying purpose must be only to express love, not to force an outcome that we desire.
When we express love to people who hate us, curse us, and do all kinds of evil things to hurt us; there is no longer much room in our hearts for returning the evil. It's hard to hate someone while expressing kindness to them. This is why Jesus encourages us to love everyone. It's a great antidote for getting stuck in a place of bitterness and revenge.
Today's Challenge
Take some time to think about how you might safely express love to someone who has hurt you. Make a list of ideas and share it with a counselor or trusted friend. Ask them to help you sort out which ideas would be most helpful to your enemy without jeopardizing your safety. Take action to express love in one way to your enemy when the timing is right.
What does the Bible say about love for our enemies?
Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) reads: But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Jesus spoke these words to his disciples to make three points:
1) We should never treat others spitefully, even when they abuse us;
2) We should love everyone; and
3) We should go the extra mile to express love to our enemies.
How can we protect ourselves from further abuse?
When I used to read this passage, my warning signals began going off. I knew that if I expressed love in practical ways to the abusive people in my life, they would come after me like a pack of wolves on an injured sheep.
We often mistakenly interpret this message to mean that we must put ourselves into a relationship with people who abuse us. This is not what Jesus meant. We can love them from a distance, and Jesus gave us examples of how we might do that.
Show your enemies your love in appropriate ways.
For women who have been victims of domestic violence or adults who suffered childhood sexual abuse, expressing love to their abusers can be difficult. But it is not impossible.
First, let me say that there are ways to express love to abusers that I would not recommend. If your expression of love results in your abuser verbally abusing you, emotionally destroying you at every opportunity, physically harming you, or taking advantage of you sexually for their own gratification; you should immediately remove yourself and any children from such a situation. Every individual's emotional, physical, sexual, and spiritual safety must be considered first.
Many abusers do not have the skills to live within a relationship without hurting or using others. Therefore, we must be careful to protect ourselves when we express love to them. If we are kind to them, and in return we receive more abuse, it may be time to step back and wait. In some cases, our abusers may never respond appropriately, but at least we can say we have tried.
When we are in a safe place and free from further abuse, we can find ways to express love to that person who hurt us. From a human perspective, this can feel impossible. But if we pray and ask Jesus to help us love, we may be surprised by what happens.
At first, loving our enemies begins with a lessening of the hatred and anger we feel toward them. Over time, we let go of our need to control the situation or to seek revenge. Eventually, with God's help, we can get to the point where we actually wish only good for our abusers.
When we get to that point of recovery, we can find ways to do good for our abusers and to bless them. Here are some practical ways we can bless our abusers without getting hurt again. We can:
-Stop bringing up the past and recounting all of the horrific things our abusers did. We can talk about our pain with a counselor or with God, and then let it go.
-Pray that God will bless our abusers with the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
-Send our abusers simple cards of encouragement with loving Scripture verses included.
-If our abusers are incarcerated, we can send them gift packages that are provided by the prison system. These include food items, books, and games.
Don't use love to control outcomes with your enemies.
We learned in our previous series, Removing the Roadblocks to Forgiveness, that we are the last person our abuser needs to point out how he should change. If his heart is ever open, he may accept correction from someone else. This is not a job that we should take on.
Remember, the only person we can ever change is ourselves. So when we send cards or gifts, our underlying purpose must be only to express love, not to force an outcome that we desire.
When we express love to people who hate us, curse us, and do all kinds of evil things to hurt us; there is no longer much room in our hearts for returning the evil. It's hard to hate someone while expressing kindness to them. This is why Jesus encourages us to love everyone. It's a great antidote for getting stuck in a place of bitterness and revenge.
Today's Challenge
Take some time to think about how you might safely express love to someone who has hurt you. Make a list of ideas and share it with a counselor or trusted friend. Ask them to help you sort out which ideas would be most helpful to your enemy without jeopardizing your safety. Take action to express love in one way to your enemy when the timing is right.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
God Loves Us
This week, I would like to talk about love in my series for survivors of abuse and trauma, Thriving in God's Garden. My focus is not on the type of romantic love that we think about on Valentine's Day or Sweetest Day, but on the type that God feels for us. In Greek, this love is known as agape.
John 3:16 (NIV) tells us about this love: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Today, I would like you to think about how much God loves us.
I have a son who served in Iraq in the Marine Corps. The entire time that he was overseas, I begged God to protect him from bombs that fell from the sky and those that were strapped to suicide bombers. My prayers were entirely selfish, because all I wanted was for my son to return. I wasn't thinking about the love he felt for helpless people in a war-torn country.
God sent his son, Jesus, into the world to serve, too. But he didn't think about selfishly bringing him back home as quickly as possible. Instead, he allowed people to mock him, spit on him, beat him, and kill him.
Why didn't God stop this from happening? If he had prevented Jesus' crucifixion, all of us would still be subject to the punishment that we rightly deserve for our wrongs. By letting his son die, God showed how much he loves us. Because Christ's death on the cross--and his resurrection--saves us from the punishment that we deserve and allows us to live forever in a loving relationship with God.
My prayers for my son's safety during war were short-sighted and selfish. God's plan to save us through Jesus was very long-sighted and incredibly loving. Do you know what this love feels like? How have you experienced it?
Today's Challenge
Meditate on the words of John 3:16. How does it make you feel when you allow yourself to experience the magnitude of God's love for you?
John 3:16 (NIV) tells us about this love: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Today, I would like you to think about how much God loves us.
I have a son who served in Iraq in the Marine Corps. The entire time that he was overseas, I begged God to protect him from bombs that fell from the sky and those that were strapped to suicide bombers. My prayers were entirely selfish, because all I wanted was for my son to return. I wasn't thinking about the love he felt for helpless people in a war-torn country.
God sent his son, Jesus, into the world to serve, too. But he didn't think about selfishly bringing him back home as quickly as possible. Instead, he allowed people to mock him, spit on him, beat him, and kill him.
Why didn't God stop this from happening? If he had prevented Jesus' crucifixion, all of us would still be subject to the punishment that we rightly deserve for our wrongs. By letting his son die, God showed how much he loves us. Because Christ's death on the cross--and his resurrection--saves us from the punishment that we deserve and allows us to live forever in a loving relationship with God.
My prayers for my son's safety during war were short-sighted and selfish. God's plan to save us through Jesus was very long-sighted and incredibly loving. Do you know what this love feels like? How have you experienced it?
Today's Challenge
Meditate on the words of John 3:16. How does it make you feel when you allow yourself to experience the magnitude of God's love for you?
Friday, March 18, 2011
Ask God to Forgive You
Over the course of my series, Removing the Roadblocks to Forgiveness, we have learned how abuse or trauma has left us broken. We have studied God's character so that we can imitate him. Yesterday, we looked into our own character and asked God to reveal our faults. Today, we take the next step on the road to forgiveness by asking God to forgive us.
The Lord's Prayer
All of us are guilty of sinning. Therefore, we need to go to God daily to ask him for forgiveness. When someone asked how we are supposed to pray, Jesus gave us the model for prayer known as The Lord's Prayer:
You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. Give us our food for today. Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others. Matthew 6:9-12 (CEV)
There are two types of forgiveness prayers.
We learned earlier that God's grace provides us with salvation from eternal punishment when we say that we believe in Jesus as our savior. When we arrive at the point of surrendering control of our lives to Christ, we pray for forgiveness so that we might be saved. We only need to pray for that type of forgiveness once. We need just one salvation, and we can never lose it unless we later denounce God the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.
Let me simplify this concept for you. If we love someone and desire to marry them, we go to a person licensed by the state to join us as husband and wife. There is no need to return daily, weekly, or annually to that officiant to be married over and over. Once is enough. The same is true of our adoption into God's family. One prayer asking for forgiveness and surrendering control is adequate.
The second type of forgiveness prayer does need to occur daily. The Bible clearly tells us in the passage above that we need to talk to God daily. During our time with him, we need to ask him to forgive us for our daily sins so that we can also forgive others.
This type of forgiveness prayer is designed to help us restore our relationship with God each day. Because if we're all sinners, we're constantly breaking down that relationship.
To clarify this, we can think again of the marriage model. We don't need to find someone daily to re-marry us to our spouses. But we do need to tell our spouses daily that we love them. Imagine how difficult it would be to remain in a relationship with a spouse that you never talked to, never spent time with, never loved, or never apologized to. Such a marriage would be unbearable.
God loves us and wants to have a close, vital relationship with us every day. If we fail to go to him to confess our faults, we create a really strained and distant relationship with him that lacks the peace we are seeking.
Sometimes, we can't identify our sins.
There will be times when we can't identify any sin in ourselves. This does not mean that we are sin-free. It simply means that we need to spend more time reflecting on who we truly are. Scripture clearly tells us that we are liars if we claim to be without sin:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (I John 1:8-10 NIV)
Even when we can't see any sin in ourselves, it is still present. By following the discipline of daily prayer, asking God to forgive us, we put ourselves into a closer relationship with him.
Our own forgiveness comes before we can forgive our enemies.
We must ask for our own forgiveness before we can fully forgive the person who has hurt us. Why? If we don't understand the process of our own forgiveness, we can't possibly understand what is expected of our enemies.
If we don't personally experience the forgiveness of our own sins, and we expect our enemies to apologize to us on our terms; all we're really looking for is control over the situation. Our pride demands that our enemy gives us back the power that we lost so that we can continue to feel superior toward him.
By fully recognizing God's righteousness and our own faults, we see that all people need forgiveness. We level the playing field so that we are no longer superior to anyone in need of forgiveness, including that person who has hurt us most deeply.
God showed me where I was wrong.
The image of my father being taken away in handcuffs will forever be imprinted in my mind. At that moment, I realized that all of us deserve punishment for our sins. God's angels could be taking me away in cuffs to spend eternity separated from God. The only difference between my father and me is that he committed a sin that also happened to break a law.
God has used my father's crimes and his sentencing to reveal to me my sin of pride. This new understanding of my own faults has drastically changed the way I look at myself and the process of forgiving. Until God revealed this flaw to me, I was stuck in the forgiveness process. What's holding you back from forgiving?
Today's ChallengeIf there is something keeping you from forgiving an enemy, ask God to reveal your own sin. When he does, admit it to God and ask for his forgiveness. As soon as you do, peace will flow into your life, as it has in mine.
The Lord's Prayer
All of us are guilty of sinning. Therefore, we need to go to God daily to ask him for forgiveness. When someone asked how we are supposed to pray, Jesus gave us the model for prayer known as The Lord's Prayer:
You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. Give us our food for today. Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others. Matthew 6:9-12 (CEV)
There are two types of forgiveness prayers.
We learned earlier that God's grace provides us with salvation from eternal punishment when we say that we believe in Jesus as our savior. When we arrive at the point of surrendering control of our lives to Christ, we pray for forgiveness so that we might be saved. We only need to pray for that type of forgiveness once. We need just one salvation, and we can never lose it unless we later denounce God the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.
Let me simplify this concept for you. If we love someone and desire to marry them, we go to a person licensed by the state to join us as husband and wife. There is no need to return daily, weekly, or annually to that officiant to be married over and over. Once is enough. The same is true of our adoption into God's family. One prayer asking for forgiveness and surrendering control is adequate.
The second type of forgiveness prayer does need to occur daily. The Bible clearly tells us in the passage above that we need to talk to God daily. During our time with him, we need to ask him to forgive us for our daily sins so that we can also forgive others.
This type of forgiveness prayer is designed to help us restore our relationship with God each day. Because if we're all sinners, we're constantly breaking down that relationship.
To clarify this, we can think again of the marriage model. We don't need to find someone daily to re-marry us to our spouses. But we do need to tell our spouses daily that we love them. Imagine how difficult it would be to remain in a relationship with a spouse that you never talked to, never spent time with, never loved, or never apologized to. Such a marriage would be unbearable.
God loves us and wants to have a close, vital relationship with us every day. If we fail to go to him to confess our faults, we create a really strained and distant relationship with him that lacks the peace we are seeking.
Sometimes, we can't identify our sins.
There will be times when we can't identify any sin in ourselves. This does not mean that we are sin-free. It simply means that we need to spend more time reflecting on who we truly are. Scripture clearly tells us that we are liars if we claim to be without sin:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (I John 1:8-10 NIV)
Even when we can't see any sin in ourselves, it is still present. By following the discipline of daily prayer, asking God to forgive us, we put ourselves into a closer relationship with him.
Our own forgiveness comes before we can forgive our enemies.
We must ask for our own forgiveness before we can fully forgive the person who has hurt us. Why? If we don't understand the process of our own forgiveness, we can't possibly understand what is expected of our enemies.
If we don't personally experience the forgiveness of our own sins, and we expect our enemies to apologize to us on our terms; all we're really looking for is control over the situation. Our pride demands that our enemy gives us back the power that we lost so that we can continue to feel superior toward him.
By fully recognizing God's righteousness and our own faults, we see that all people need forgiveness. We level the playing field so that we are no longer superior to anyone in need of forgiveness, including that person who has hurt us most deeply.
God showed me where I was wrong.
The image of my father being taken away in handcuffs will forever be imprinted in my mind. At that moment, I realized that all of us deserve punishment for our sins. God's angels could be taking me away in cuffs to spend eternity separated from God. The only difference between my father and me is that he committed a sin that also happened to break a law.
God has used my father's crimes and his sentencing to reveal to me my sin of pride. This new understanding of my own faults has drastically changed the way I look at myself and the process of forgiving. Until God revealed this flaw to me, I was stuck in the forgiveness process. What's holding you back from forgiving?
Today's ChallengeIf there is something keeping you from forgiving an enemy, ask God to reveal your own sin. When he does, admit it to God and ask for his forgiveness. As soon as you do, peace will flow into your life, as it has in mine.
Monday, March 14, 2011
God Hates Sin
Today, we arrive at the tenth and final attribute of God as we continue with our series, Removing the Roadblocks to Forgiveness. Since God loves all that is good and right, it comes as no surprise that he hates everything that stands in opposition to his chacter.
God's opposition to evil is total and permanent.
The Bible reassures us that if we believe in Jesus, we will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven. But it also tells us that if we reject Jesus, we will experience God's wrath. John 3:36 (NIV) reads: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.
God's character does not allow him to turn a blind eye to evil. He must punish it, otherwise it would make a mockery of all that is good. If we understand this attribute of God, we can feel better as survivors of abuse, knowing that God opposes those who have hurt us. We are not alone in our suffering.
When we hate the injustice that has occurred in our lives, we are imitating God. He hates evil, injustice, and sin. Therefore, we no longer need to feel guilty about the rage we feel. It is natural if we are made in the likeness of God to become upset when someone sins against us.
Imagine what the world would be like if God didn't get all that upsest about child molesters hurting little children. Think about what life would look like if God either delighted in sin or was not troubled by it. I sure wouldn't want to worship that kind of God. He would be as warped as the child molesters and other criminals on our planet.
God is slow to act on his anger.
God delays the punishment that people deserve for the evil acts they commit, because he wants them to come to a point of repentance. Remember, we learned earlier that God is merciful, gracious, and patient. Psalm 103:8 (NIV) reads, The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. While God hates sin, he loves all people.
We must be patient with our enemies.
Like God, we know that it is part of our character to hate evil. But we must also remember that God still loves sinners, so we must do the same. Our enemies may not yet have come to a point of repenting for their actions. Therefore, it is up to us to remain patient while they work toward that point of change.
As at teacher, I frequently taught small children who couldn't seem to learn at the pace of the average kid. God has always blessed me with the ability to patiently work with people who are slow to pick up on new concepts.
I once had a student in kindergarten who could not grasp what we call 'sight words.' These simple words, such as and and the needed to be memorized in order to move on to more difficult reading tasks. Every other student had moved ahead to beginning readers, but this poor little boy couldn't get it.
One Monday morning, he came up to me as I was preparing to start our day. With confidence, he said, "Look what I can do." He opened a little book and read it perfectly from beginning to end.
I was flabbergasted and figured that someone at home must have been drilling him all weekend. I asked, "Who taught you how to read?"
Without hesitation, he smiled up at me and said, "You did."
That moment showed me that we never know how much of an impact we are having on someone. Even when our efforts seem to be fruitless, we never know what is going on in someone's heart or mind.
As I wait for my father to repent of his sins of molesting children and my mother to learn how to love as God does; I remember that little boy. I must be patient and kind to the people who have hurt me the most. Like my student, my parents may be the type of people who are slower to catch on to God's lessons for them.
I want to be there when someone asks the question of my parents, "Who taught you to love?" Hopefully, they'll give God the credit first and also mention that my kindness toward them helped along the way.
How do we find the patience to love slow learners?
I find it extremely difficult to love my parents. My mother, especially, is the type of person who pushes people away or turns on them when they try to express God's love to her. While my kindergarten student was eager to learn and please, my mother is more reluctant to do so.
I do not have the capacity to love either of my parents without God's help. Learning more about his character and how I am supposed to imitate him shows me what I must do. With ongoing prayer, I can tap into God's power to do the impossible. So can you.
Apply God's moral attributes to your own life so that you can forgive.
Over the past several weeks, we have looked at our own problems that have been caused by abuse or trauma: anger, fear, lack of trust, low self-esteem, guilt, revenge, pride, hatred, and depression. I call these the roadblocks to forgiveness, because as long as they remain in place, we cannot move forward.
Along the way, we have also learned what it means to become more like God. We have studied his goodness, love, mercy, grace, patience, holiness, peace, justice, jealousy, and wrath.
With a well-balanced view of God's character, we can better understand where we are out of balance. By understanding our own weaknesses and imitating God for strength, we can approach forgiveness with greater confidence. We now have the tools to remove the roadblocks so that we can continue on our journey toward forgiving.
Today's Challenge
In your journal, write about the anger or hatred you have felt against people who have hurt you with their evil actions. Ask God to give you the patience you need to pray for them while they work toward repenting for their sins. If it is safe to do so, think of ways to show your enemy God's love through acts of kindness.
God's opposition to evil is total and permanent.
The Bible reassures us that if we believe in Jesus, we will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven. But it also tells us that if we reject Jesus, we will experience God's wrath. John 3:36 (NIV) reads: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.
God's character does not allow him to turn a blind eye to evil. He must punish it, otherwise it would make a mockery of all that is good. If we understand this attribute of God, we can feel better as survivors of abuse, knowing that God opposes those who have hurt us. We are not alone in our suffering.
When we hate the injustice that has occurred in our lives, we are imitating God. He hates evil, injustice, and sin. Therefore, we no longer need to feel guilty about the rage we feel. It is natural if we are made in the likeness of God to become upset when someone sins against us.
Imagine what the world would be like if God didn't get all that upsest about child molesters hurting little children. Think about what life would look like if God either delighted in sin or was not troubled by it. I sure wouldn't want to worship that kind of God. He would be as warped as the child molesters and other criminals on our planet.
God is slow to act on his anger.
God delays the punishment that people deserve for the evil acts they commit, because he wants them to come to a point of repentance. Remember, we learned earlier that God is merciful, gracious, and patient. Psalm 103:8 (NIV) reads, The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. While God hates sin, he loves all people.
We must be patient with our enemies.
Like God, we know that it is part of our character to hate evil. But we must also remember that God still loves sinners, so we must do the same. Our enemies may not yet have come to a point of repenting for their actions. Therefore, it is up to us to remain patient while they work toward that point of change.
As at teacher, I frequently taught small children who couldn't seem to learn at the pace of the average kid. God has always blessed me with the ability to patiently work with people who are slow to pick up on new concepts.
I once had a student in kindergarten who could not grasp what we call 'sight words.' These simple words, such as and and the needed to be memorized in order to move on to more difficult reading tasks. Every other student had moved ahead to beginning readers, but this poor little boy couldn't get it.
One Monday morning, he came up to me as I was preparing to start our day. With confidence, he said, "Look what I can do." He opened a little book and read it perfectly from beginning to end.
I was flabbergasted and figured that someone at home must have been drilling him all weekend. I asked, "Who taught you how to read?"
Without hesitation, he smiled up at me and said, "You did."
That moment showed me that we never know how much of an impact we are having on someone. Even when our efforts seem to be fruitless, we never know what is going on in someone's heart or mind.
As I wait for my father to repent of his sins of molesting children and my mother to learn how to love as God does; I remember that little boy. I must be patient and kind to the people who have hurt me the most. Like my student, my parents may be the type of people who are slower to catch on to God's lessons for them.
I want to be there when someone asks the question of my parents, "Who taught you to love?" Hopefully, they'll give God the credit first and also mention that my kindness toward them helped along the way.
How do we find the patience to love slow learners?
I find it extremely difficult to love my parents. My mother, especially, is the type of person who pushes people away or turns on them when they try to express God's love to her. While my kindergarten student was eager to learn and please, my mother is more reluctant to do so.
I do not have the capacity to love either of my parents without God's help. Learning more about his character and how I am supposed to imitate him shows me what I must do. With ongoing prayer, I can tap into God's power to do the impossible. So can you.
Apply God's moral attributes to your own life so that you can forgive.
Over the past several weeks, we have looked at our own problems that have been caused by abuse or trauma: anger, fear, lack of trust, low self-esteem, guilt, revenge, pride, hatred, and depression. I call these the roadblocks to forgiveness, because as long as they remain in place, we cannot move forward.
Along the way, we have also learned what it means to become more like God. We have studied his goodness, love, mercy, grace, patience, holiness, peace, justice, jealousy, and wrath.
With a well-balanced view of God's character, we can better understand where we are out of balance. By understanding our own weaknesses and imitating God for strength, we can approach forgiveness with greater confidence. We now have the tools to remove the roadblocks so that we can continue on our journey toward forgiving.
Today's Challenge
In your journal, write about the anger or hatred you have felt against people who have hurt you with their evil actions. Ask God to give you the patience you need to pray for them while they work toward repenting for their sins. If it is safe to do so, think of ways to show your enemy God's love through acts of kindness.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Recognize Righteousness
Today, we move into the second part of our series, Removing the Roadblocks to Forgiveness. During Part One, we learned that anger, fear, lack of trust, low self-esteem, guilt, revenge, pride, hatred, and depression stand as roadblocks to forigiving.
In Part Two, I will present a ten-step process for achieving the ability to forgive. Today and tomorrow, we will learn how to recognize what it means to be righteous. Because if we are going to forgive, we must learn to recognize how God sees our perpetrators and how he sees us as survivors of criminal acts who need to forgive.
Webster's Dictionary defines the word righteous.
Webster defines righteous as
1: acting in accord with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin; and
2: morally right or justifiable; arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality.
In other words, to be righteous means that we behave within the confines of a set of laws. We strive to remain free from guilt or sin. And we feel righteous anger when someone breaks those laws.
In order to understand what it means for us to be righteous, we must look at righteousness as an attribute of God's character. If we look to the Bible, we will discover that God is righteousness defined, he always acts in accordance with what is right, and he commands us to do what is right.
How does the Bible define righteous behavior?
The Bible tells us that God himself is the final standard of what is right. God says of himself, "I, the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right." (Isaiah 45:19 NIV) No one, other than God, is perfectly righteous and completely free from sin.
God always acts in accordance with what is right. Moses said of God, He is the Rock, his works are perfect, all all his ways are just.A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. (Deut. 32:4 NIV)
God commands us to do what is right, and he promises blessings for those who obey him: The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (Psalm 19:8 NIV) Therefore, whatever human behavior conforms to God's moral character is righteous.
Righteousness and punishment go hand in hand.
In order for God to remain righteous, he must punish sin. Without punishment, God could not be right, and there would be no ultimate justice in the world. When he punishes sin, God is proving to all that he is the ultimate, righteous judge over all things.
I have a new puppy. In order for me to teach her how to be righteous, I must offer rewards for good behavior, as well as punishments for bad behavior. If I praised her for both heeling on a leash and for peeing on my rug, she would never understand the difference between right and wrong. And if all I did was shout at her for every move she made, she would become very confused. We are very much like puppies, needing clear messages from God about the difference between righteousness and sin.
What if we don't believe in God or his righteousness?
We are creatures made by God. We have no right to say that God is unrighteous or unjust. The apostle Paul wrote,
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purpose and some for common use? (Romans 9:20-21 NIV)
What if we don't believe that God has the right to punish sinners?
If we ever find ourselves in a position of questioning God's authority regarding justice, we can look to Job. When Job questioned God's authority to punish man, he got answers such as these from God:
Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place? (Job 38:12 NIV) Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? (Job 38:35 NIV)
In reply, Job said to God, "I am unworthy--how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth." (Job 40:4 NIV) Like Job, we must recognize that God sets the gold standard for righteousness, and we must accept whatever punishment he deems appropriate for those who sin.
Jesus turns God's wrath into favor for us.
People could call God unrighteous if he did not punish sin. Because a God who does not punish sin is not a righteous God. Therefore, when God sent Jesus to die in our place for our sins, he showed that he could store up past, present and future sins and give them to Jesus on the cross. As a result of Christ's death, believers enjoy God's favor, not his wrath.
Romans 3:21-26 (NIV) clarifies the concept of God's righteousness for us:
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify: This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Every single person has sinned, and no one deserves God's favor. However, God offers us a free gift of eternal life if we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus as his Son. For people who believe in Jesus, who repent of their sins, and who surrender control of all things to him; there is hope.If we have faith in Christ, Jesus can stand in our place to take our punishment for us. God sent Jesus to prove that he has the right to judge, to punish, and to forgive.
Where do you stand?
If we believe that God's Word is true and that he is the ultimate judge of all things, then we can move forward in our quest to forgive. On the other hand, if we question God's existence, his righteousness, the truth of his Word, or his right to judge; we may find it impossible to forgive.
Without God, we may hold onto those roadblocks to forgiveness, such as anger, revenge, pride, and hatred. We may see ourselves in the roles as judge, jury, and executioner, rather than merely in the role of forgiver.
Tomorrow, we will look more closely at what the Bible has to say about righteous acts. For now, we simply need to accept that God is righteous, and he is the only one who has the right to give punishment, withhold it, or send a substitute for it.
Today's Challenge
In your journal, write down what you believe about God's righteousness and his role in judging sinners. Do you see God as:
1) a deity of nothing but love who never punishes anyone,
2) a deity of nothing but wrath who has it in for us,
3) a deity who is a combination of love and justice, or
4) a distant deity who doesn't care what happens to us?
In Part Two, I will present a ten-step process for achieving the ability to forgive. Today and tomorrow, we will learn how to recognize what it means to be righteous. Because if we are going to forgive, we must learn to recognize how God sees our perpetrators and how he sees us as survivors of criminal acts who need to forgive.
Webster's Dictionary defines the word righteous.
Webster defines righteous as
1: acting in accord with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin; and
2: morally right or justifiable; arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality.
In other words, to be righteous means that we behave within the confines of a set of laws. We strive to remain free from guilt or sin. And we feel righteous anger when someone breaks those laws.
In order to understand what it means for us to be righteous, we must look at righteousness as an attribute of God's character. If we look to the Bible, we will discover that God is righteousness defined, he always acts in accordance with what is right, and he commands us to do what is right.
How does the Bible define righteous behavior?
The Bible tells us that God himself is the final standard of what is right. God says of himself, "I, the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right." (Isaiah 45:19 NIV) No one, other than God, is perfectly righteous and completely free from sin.
God always acts in accordance with what is right. Moses said of God, He is the Rock, his works are perfect, all all his ways are just.A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. (Deut. 32:4 NIV)
God commands us to do what is right, and he promises blessings for those who obey him: The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (Psalm 19:8 NIV) Therefore, whatever human behavior conforms to God's moral character is righteous.
Righteousness and punishment go hand in hand.
In order for God to remain righteous, he must punish sin. Without punishment, God could not be right, and there would be no ultimate justice in the world. When he punishes sin, God is proving to all that he is the ultimate, righteous judge over all things.
I have a new puppy. In order for me to teach her how to be righteous, I must offer rewards for good behavior, as well as punishments for bad behavior. If I praised her for both heeling on a leash and for peeing on my rug, she would never understand the difference between right and wrong. And if all I did was shout at her for every move she made, she would become very confused. We are very much like puppies, needing clear messages from God about the difference between righteousness and sin.
What if we don't believe in God or his righteousness?
We are creatures made by God. We have no right to say that God is unrighteous or unjust. The apostle Paul wrote,
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purpose and some for common use? (Romans 9:20-21 NIV)
What if we don't believe that God has the right to punish sinners?
If we ever find ourselves in a position of questioning God's authority regarding justice, we can look to Job. When Job questioned God's authority to punish man, he got answers such as these from God:
Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place? (Job 38:12 NIV) Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? (Job 38:35 NIV)
In reply, Job said to God, "I am unworthy--how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth." (Job 40:4 NIV) Like Job, we must recognize that God sets the gold standard for righteousness, and we must accept whatever punishment he deems appropriate for those who sin.
Jesus turns God's wrath into favor for us.
People could call God unrighteous if he did not punish sin. Because a God who does not punish sin is not a righteous God. Therefore, when God sent Jesus to die in our place for our sins, he showed that he could store up past, present and future sins and give them to Jesus on the cross. As a result of Christ's death, believers enjoy God's favor, not his wrath.
Romans 3:21-26 (NIV) clarifies the concept of God's righteousness for us:
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify: This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Every single person has sinned, and no one deserves God's favor. However, God offers us a free gift of eternal life if we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus as his Son. For people who believe in Jesus, who repent of their sins, and who surrender control of all things to him; there is hope.If we have faith in Christ, Jesus can stand in our place to take our punishment for us. God sent Jesus to prove that he has the right to judge, to punish, and to forgive.
Where do you stand?
If we believe that God's Word is true and that he is the ultimate judge of all things, then we can move forward in our quest to forgive. On the other hand, if we question God's existence, his righteousness, the truth of his Word, or his right to judge; we may find it impossible to forgive.
Without God, we may hold onto those roadblocks to forgiveness, such as anger, revenge, pride, and hatred. We may see ourselves in the roles as judge, jury, and executioner, rather than merely in the role of forgiver.
Tomorrow, we will look more closely at what the Bible has to say about righteous acts. For now, we simply need to accept that God is righteous, and he is the only one who has the right to give punishment, withhold it, or send a substitute for it.
Today's Challenge
In your journal, write down what you believe about God's righteousness and his role in judging sinners. Do you see God as:
1) a deity of nothing but love who never punishes anyone,
2) a deity of nothing but wrath who has it in for us,
3) a deity who is a combination of love and justice, or
4) a distant deity who doesn't care what happens to us?
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