Hope in The Freedom of Forgiveness

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free  - only to find out that the prisoner was you"
I like that!

But HOW?  It's "natural"  to hold grudges.

Only recently have I found more victory in getting rid of my tendency (actually my  SIN(s)!) of unforgiveness.
And  it's not natural - it's supernatural from the power of Jesus and His truths in the Bible.

I found it interesting that in  Matthew 18 Jesus speaks about little children, and in the same chapter He also deals with forgiving our brother who sins against  us 490 times.

 Little children forgive readily and quickly!  Their  humility no doubt contributes to this virtue.
"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:4   (NAS)
Without humility  it is much harder to forgive others.
Humility involves dealing with the log in my own eye before thinking about the speck or splinter in others'.
If I have time to deal with others' specks, is it because I haven't spent the right amount of time dealing with my own logs?  Probably!

Fascinating to me that Jesus ends Chapter l8 with the story of the slave who owed his master $12 million dollars and that master out of compassion,  forgave that debt.  But then that slave refused to forgive a fellow slave a mere $17.00!

As I have slowly come to see how Holy Holy Holy God truly and in comparison to realize how sinful sinful sinful I truly am, it is sinking into my head and heart more and more that I owe God at least a $12 million debt.   But out of compassion, mercy and grace God forgave my debt by allowing Jesus to pay for it on the Cross!!

So how can I even consider for one second, not forgiving any other human who owes me a mere $l7.00 for say,  hurting my feelings,  or some other way that they displayed that they, like me, are imperfect   human beings.

(I realize there are many complicated serious situations in which we need to protect ourselves, set boundaries, etc when someone sins against us.  Today I am dealing with minor offenses that can result in holding grudges - which may turn into  bitterness if not handled quickly and properly)

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Hope in Winning our Battles

Life is full of temptations - small and large - to make wrong choices.  Unpleasant consequences result - sometimes later  --if not sooner!

So where is my hope to improve in this?

I was so encouraged this morning to ponder how Jesus vs Eve resisted temptation.

Satan used Scripture - words of God - to tempt  both Eve and Jesus.
  But Eve fell for the lies of Satan.   Satan mixed lies with God's truth.  He still does that today to us.

  Jesus quoted back additional Scriptures to  Satan's twisted use of Scripture.    Jesus did the right thing instead of giving into what Satan tried to get him to do.   Jesus used the "whole council of God".

  The more I meditate, study, and memorize Scripture the more hope I will  have in winning the battles of life.

Feel free to  leave a comment to let me know you've visited here.
Even just a "hello" is fine!


Hope filled,
Patty

P S --I am thankful  to www.ttb.org for this morning's section of reading through the Bible in 5 years.
  Dr.  J Vernon McGee -Matthew 3:10-4:11

 www.ttb.org

Hope In "Clothing Battles" with Kids

Does your teen - give or take a few years - dress "odd" and in a  manner that annoys you?

Have you wished they would conform to your own desires in how they dress and groom? in  how they    eat?


The peer pressure - from our own "other parents peer group"- can be strong for our teens to look, dress, eat, etc a certain way.  We can feel judged or even  ostracized in certain circles if our teen grooms himself/herself  different from certain societal "norms".  In our own insecurities  do we sadly, put too much emphasis on this?  Do we look to other parents' approval of us more than  looking at God's approval of ourselves and our kids?

I wonder how the parents of John the Baptist felt.   Matthew 2:4  says he had clothing of camel's hair and a leather belt.  And that he ate locusts and wild honey for his diet.  He also lived and worked in the wilderness.  These seem to say that he was definitely "different"

He had a special mission!  Evidently his amazing parents did not get in the way of what God had called him to do or how he looked etc.  Seems they looked at his heart and not his outward appearance, just as God does.

I long to  do the same. Though my own children are now grown,  I want to  remember this for  other families  I know and the precious children they are raising.

Hope for Any Situation

Are you discouraged?  Is there a really tough situation for you or a loved one today?

No matter what is going on in my life I gain hope when I spend time studying the Bible.

I was so encouraged to realize that God's ways and timing are perfect  - though  often they are  not my timing nor methods,  at all!

 Genesis chapter 48 taught me that Jacob,  or Israel as he was also known,   near the end of his life,
   had finally become a spiritually mature person.  God had patiently worked to mature him through years of sadness, sin, grief and trouble.

Hebrews 11:21  "...by faith...Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff."

He was focusing on God and His power and glory- not his own human strength or accomplishments.


In Genesis 48:3 he starts talking with his son Joseph this way  -  "...God Almighty appeared to me ...and blessed me."

Jacob had suffered a total loss of hope years earlier when it seemed his son Joseph was dead.
He lived with that grief for many years.

But  in God's perfect and mysterious time and ways,  he was reunited with his beloved son -- who ended up keeping Dad and family alive during a severe famine!

The horror of Joseph's seeming death was actually a vehicle God used to save the entire family later on!

I want to remember those facts about my own life and any loved ones who are going through times of suffering.

As Proverbs 3:5-6  says, may  I,  and you too  dear reader,  trust in the LORD with all our hearts.

May we  not  depend on our own puny,  human, imperfect understanding...or timing....or ways.

  May we  in EVERYTHING including seemingly hopeless situations,  acknowledge God.

May we  let Him direct our own paths as well,  as the paths of our loved ones.

Love to get your comments.

I'd also  be glad to   pray for  your situation.   And  share more encouraging thoughts from the Bible with you if you would like that.

Peacefully hoping in the LORD and His perfect,  yet mysterious ways!
Patty



PS  I am grateful for Through the Bible and J Vernon Mc Gee's teaching. I try to listen and study with him each day.  I am  going through the Bible with him - a 5 year plan.   His insights today on Genesis 48 and Hebrews 11  spurred me on to write this blog.
www.thruthebible.org