The Language of Heaven

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-16
 
A couple of friends of ours came into town for one of our conferences. Afterward they stayed with us as we debriefed from what happened during the event. The question was asked, "From an outsiders' perspective, what do you think we could have done differently?"

"Talk more about forgiveness," one of them said. "Ah," our other friend at the table said. "The language of heaven."

Forgiveness is so hard sometimes. How can the unforgiveable be forgiven? A molested child, a cheating spouse, murder, neglect - these are difficult things that happen. Even smaller offenses can create huge wounds, too big to heal even with the words, "I'm sorry." But what are we going to do with wounds and offenses when they happen? Certainly a grieving process needs to occur. But what will our end response be? 

I read an article where a young woman was describing how her mom and brother were killed in a terrible shooting perpetrated by the U.S. government. Her mother and 14-year old brother were shot before her eyes as a 16-year old teenager. Her mother had been carrying her baby sister in her arms when she was killed. It took her 10 years to grieve. She says, "I was afraid to laugh because you're betraying their memory. I lived as a prisoner of depression for a long time." But finally, she chose to let go and forgive the perpetrators.

"I hit rock bottom," she said. "I opened up my Bible and read John 3:16. Jesus made himself very real to me. He started healing me of all my pain. No one drug me to a church and started hitting with the Bible. It was more real to me even than (the incident). I feel like a huge weight's come off my shoulders... The anger you hold for someone else imprisons you and keeps you from helping others," she said.

Wow. I pray that we are all able to speak 'the language of heaven', no matter the offense, and let Jesus our Healer heal every wound that's ever been inflicted upon us as we make the choice to forgive.


Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/sep/09/woman-forgives-federal-agents/

Being a Bigger Person

"But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too." (Matthew 5:39, 40 NLT)
 
More than we'd like we are faced with situations where someone may have taken advantage of us. These types of situations can happen between friends, relatives, associates, or strangers. When we get the short end of the stick or the bad end of the bargain - or we are mistreated - it is easy to want to retaliate. But this isn't the way Jesus wanted us to respond. He wanted us to "be the bigger person." 

It's amazing to me how these types of situations happen with people you think should know better. But, these are the very situations we can get "caught up in the web of" if we aren't careful. The way to successfully let them go is to be the bigger person and turn the other cheek. 

Suppose someone said they were going to give you a car, and turned around and gave it to someone else. That would probably make you pretty upset, right? But, according to this verse the 'big' thing to do is to buy that person something or do something nice for them, just because. "What?!" You might say. "That person just ripped them off!" 

But, think about what it means to be the bigger person. If an injustice was done to me, it's not about me- its about the other person. So, make it about them. The Bible says that when we bless someone who curses us we 'heap burning coals upon their head', meaning- there's no way to escape conviction. (Prov 25:21&22) 

Is there any situation you are facing now where you may need to "be the bigger person"? Why not bless the person, and give it to God. Life is too short to hang onto things that steal our joy. Be the bigger person and let it go.

Forgiveness

"Forgive people when they do wrong things to you. If you forgive them, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive them, your Father will not forgive you." -Matthew 6:14-15

 

Forgiveness can be so hard sometimes. Someone you think should know better, someone you thought you could trust, someone you depended on who let you down - abuse, mistreatment, betrayal - we will all experience hurts, disappointments, and frustrations in life.

Although we may know better, sometimes it feels better in the moment to hold on. Parents, teachers, peers, friends, neighbors, bosses, companies, churches, government officials, ourselves, God - the list could go on and on. "It serves them right," we say. The immediate gratification of making our feelings known or acting upon them seems like the right thing to do... in the moment. 

However, in that split second, we forget how detrimental unforgivness can be. Harboring unforgiveness can result in diseases in our bodies, fear, anxiety, anger, and troubled or estranged relationships. When we feel we cannot forgive, the person it hurts the most is us. This is where we need God's intervention and healing. We need to make forgiveness a priority and realize that it is ALWAYS better to forgive - to let God take it, and let God be God. Forgiveness frees our minds, gives us peace, and brings us closer to God's purposes for our lives.

I went to a training one time that taught the participants to practice "pre-forgiveness," the act of forgiving someone before they do anything - deciding that no matter what they have done in the past, could do now, or will do in the future, we have chosen to forgive. 

"Then Peter came to Jesus. 'Lord, if my brother keeps on hurting me, how many times should I forgive him?' he asked. 'Should I forgive him seven times?' 'No, not just seven times, but forgive him seventy times seven times', Jesus said." -Matthew 18:21&22

 

Is there anyone you need to forgive today? Is there an issue in your heart that feels unresolved? Resolve yourself to forgiveness. Let us be pure in mind and in spirit so that God will "find nothing in us" (2 Peter 2:2) that the enemy could use to deter us from God's purpose for us.

Cast Your Cares on Him

"Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 NLT)

You know, in this world we live in, it is easy to be stressed. There is so much to take care of, so many things that happen - it's amazing we get through some things.   The number of people taking anti-anxiety medication has skyrocketed in America.  According to USA Today, 1 in 5 people take behavioral medications.  Life transitions, illness, difficult family members - sometimes life seems like more than we can bear.

"...the times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you." (Mary Stephenson)

I love the footsteps in the sand poem. When I was younger I found it cheesy, but its so true that during difficult times our Heavenly Father carries us, like He would a son or daughter, as we learn to "cast our cares on Him."

I've always imagined the first disciples as happy, exuberant people. From what we read about them, and in spite of much persecution, they seem to have been the most loving, joy-filled people on the planet.

Today we have almost every convenience we could wish for - and in America we can worship as we please without danger.  But with all the stuff and convenience we have, we are still the most stressed out.

Is there anything in your life you need to give to God today? He desires that we give our cares and burdens to Him, because He cares for us so much.

“Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”  (Ps 55:22 NLT)  "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."  (1 Peter 5:7 NLT)

Forgetting the Former Things

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  Is 43:18-20

Are there things from your past that you keep going back to?  Old mistakes, past regrets, personal failures, or things that you still feel guilt over? Are there things that you need to “forget” or stop dwelling on in your life?

In the Old Testament, when the Israelites were far away from God, rebelling and worshipping other gods, the prophet Isaiah was one of the prophets to call them into account. But, even though the Israelites had done horrible things, (even sacrificing their children to idols! Ezekiel 16:20), God was willing to give them another chance. 

“‘Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.  Though they are red like crimson,  I will make them as white as wool.’” - Isaiah 1:18

Sometimes we are unable to fully move forward in life because we are continually looking behind us.  Mistakes, regrets, and avoidable circumstances may continue to plague us even after we’ve asked forgiveness and laid it to rest - even against ourselves! But the fact of the matter is, when the past is behind us, and we’ve been forgiven, it really is no more.   Satan wants our past and present to be our future. But God always sees us for who we are becoming.

Are you ready to receive God’s forgiveness, and decide to let go of the “former things”? Pray and ask God to give you the strength and grace to leave the past behind you.  

Don't Touch Dead Things

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9

In the Old Testament, it was unlawful for priests to do or wear certain things - it would make them unfit for priestly service.  Priests could not touch the dead body of a relative outside of their immediate family, shave or trim their beards, or marry a prostitute or divorced woman.  These rules were even more strict for a high priest, who could not do any of the above, but who also could not leave the sanctuary, tear his clothes, go near the dead body of ANY person, or marry even a widow. (Leviticus 21) The reason for this was that they needed to be sanctified (set apart) for their duties to interceed for the people and offer sacrifices to God in the temple.  This was serious work!

Today, this Old Testament covenant no longer applies, because of the power of Jesus’ precious blood atoning for our sin.  He is our High Priest, and we are the royal priesthood.  However, this does not mean we do not need to also set ourselves apart in sanctification for our own calling. 

This sanctification may mean "not touching dead things" - that is, not bringing up old things from the past that we have already forgiven.  Not holding on to old, "dead" mindsets or behaviors that keep us stuck and in bondage.  It may mean letting go of things that continue to bother us, that bring death to us; it may mean catching ourselves to stop speaking "death" over our lives, situations, or other people around us. "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." -Proverbs 18:21

Are there any dead things in your life that you to stop touching? Pray for God's grace and power to let go of anything dead in your life.