Forgiveness – Page 2

March 10, 2012

Take Heart My Battle Weary Sister

Dear sister,

I remember the last time we talked you mentioned you were dealing with a particular sin in your life and tonight you feel like your progress in putting it to death has been slow and unfruitful. After all it’s been two years since you were made aware of your sin and the Lord in His kindness led you to repentance. Yet here you are, still repenting of and still slipping back into the sin you are trying so hard to destroy. The cycle seems endless.

Dear one, I am here to remind you (and myself!) or perhaps tell you for the first time that your pursuit is not hopeless and the cycle is not endless. One day, the Lord will wipe every tear from our eyes and we will be free from all unrighteousness, perfectly spotless, standing in the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, dear sister, because of this hope we have in Christ, continue to confess your sin to God for He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin (I John 1:9). Remember that when Christ died on the cross he paid for every sin we would ever commit past, present, and future. Christ took the wrath of God for you. This means, dear one, that if you are in Christ there is no wrath…none. It’s gone! Christ took it all. All that is left for you is His flowing streams of forgiveness and His mercies that are new every day. So dearest sister, remember that the sin you are fighting is paid for and that Christ died so that we could have freedom from sin, meaning your fight is not in vain. Therefore, continue training yourself in righteousness and do not lose heart. Though you may lose the battle, Christ has already won the war. And no matter how many battles you win or lose, you are Christ’s.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

In Christ’s unfailing love,

Kayla

March 7, 2012

Go… Run… Now!

My dear sister,

We have walked together down this long road before. In fact I can still hear your voice the last time we trod through this valley…”I want my denarii back; ALL OF IT!!!” It broke my heart then dear sister to hear you proclaim UN-forgiveness toward your brother in Christ and to demand retribution for his sin against you. Was he wrong? Yes! Did he owe you his humble apology? Yes! Did he walk in repentance and full obedience to his LORD succeeding his forgiveness? Yes, it is evident to all that he did and that he surely has!

But there you were and here we are once more, faced with the bitter truth that your heart has held on to his sin against you. My heart breaks again for you my dear sister; as one beggar for another who is desperately hungry for the Bread of Life. For isn’t it now you sweet sister who is in need of forgiveness? Christ our glorious Savior left your sin (and mine) at the cross …. isn’t that where you ought to leave your brother’s? GO dear sister. Indeed RUN to him NOW and seek his forgiveness for your UN-forgiveness toward him.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Eph. 4:32

Your sister~

Susan

March 3, 2012March 3, 2012

Forgiveness: Paid in full!!!

Dear Sister,

I got frustrated with my nine month old…again. I needed to run that red light or I would be late for my meeting. My husband is the one that cheated on me; he is the one that needs to ask for forgiveness.

I really think that I tend to rank my sins! There are the little ones that come just because we are born in sin…you know, frustration at my child and husband, eating more chocolate than I need, or even running a red light when I’m in a hurry. Then there are the big ones: Adultery, pornography, eating disorders. That must mean that forgiveness follows that same ranking, right? Well, actually, no it does not. The bible clearly states that the wages of sins is death (Rom 6:23). EVERY sin deserves death…even the ones I think can be excused or ignored. That also means that my sin of gluttony or frustration has the same penalty as the one who commits murder. Wow. That also means that Jesus dying on the cross pays for the death that frustration, rape and murder deserve. Wow. Forgiveness begins with knowing how much we have been forgiven because of what Christ has done. With His forgiveness comes our responsibility for forgiving others. We have been forgiven much, we need to now forgive others (Col 3:13). But what does that look like?

My dear friend, forgiveness is not easy. It takes real humility. It means that you are canceling the debt that someone owes you and paying for it yourself. Someone has to pay for the sin. We want the other person to pay for the hurt but forgiveness says that you in fact, pay for the hurt that was done to you! Wow, that is not easy! It does not mean forgetting; let’s face it that is impossible. But it does mean not holding that sin against the person even if you have an occasion to bring it back up to them. It also means that you do not tell your best friend or mom about what your husband or friend has done to you. You are not free to gossip to others about a sin that you have cancelled. That is not easy. That takes humility.

I’ve struggled with forgiveness in another way. I say that I forgive my friend for gossiping about me but then a week, a month, or years later I find those same angry feelings spewing up from my gut once again. But I thought I had forgiven her? Yes, forgiveness is an event when you tell someone you forgive them. But it is also a process. Those hurt feelings will come up again and you will need to continue to forgive the person. It is an event and also a process. Thinking of it like this will help you not become bitter and angry which are sins in themselves.

Forgiveness is not easy. It really does take humility. This humility is seen by Jesus who gave up the riches of heaven to become a man and die on the cross for us (Phil 2). He is our example. Remember that He forgives us for EVERY sin we have ever or will ever commit against him. He does not hold it against us; in fact, he paid the penalty for each sin. He continues to forgive us even when we commit the same sin again, even when we fail to forgive others. Oh I pray that I will be quick to forgive! I pray that I will remember how much I have been forgiven so I can forgive others who sin against me. No sin is too small to forgive. No sin is too big to forgive. You see, forgiveness begins and ends with the cross. Jesus is our example and our ultimate hope for the forgiveness of all sins.

Your sister in Christ,

Colleen