Category Archives: Forgiveness

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

April 14, 2025

Posted under

Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Forgiveness, Holidays & Holy Days, Temptation & Sin

WHAT ABOUT JUDAS?

As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.” Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?” He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago.” [Mark 14:18-21 (NLT)]

In my last post, I pondered why Jesus chose the men he did as his apostles. As we enter Holy Week and the events leading to the Lord’s arrest and crucifixion, I wonder specifically about Judas Iscariot. We don’t know what Jesus saw in Judas when he was chosen as one of the twelve or even what was in Judas’ heart in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. We only know that discontent, ambition, and greed had entered his treacherous heart by the end.

Since all of His disciples abandoned Jesus that night in the garden, perhaps all twelve had the potential to be His betrayer. Peter not only fled, but he also denied Jesus—three times! The zealot Simon easily could have become disappointed in Jesus when it became clear that overthrowing Rome was not part of the Lord’s plan. Matthew’s past was shady and, like Judas, he could have been tempted to steal from their money bag and sell out the Lord. We have James and John: the angry men who wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village because it wouldn’t welcome Jesus. The brothers had hoped for honored places by the earthly throne of Jesus. Could their disappointment in Jesus’ response to their request along with all His talk about being a servant have caused the brothers to think about betrayal? The disciples were twelve ordinary men—perhaps, any one of them could have chosen to be the betrayer.

As they gathered around the table that last night, Jesus told His disciples that He’d be betrayed by one of them. Rather than asking Jesus, “Who?” one by one the men asked, “Am I the one?” It seems that each disciple thought himself capable of betrayal. After all, throughout their three years with the Lord, they all must have had moments of disillusionment, doubt, fear, and confusion. Nevertheless, only one man allowed Satan to enter his heart.

Like Judas, we all harbor darkness in our hearts—each of us is capable of unspeakable evil. We can choose to be faithful or unfaithful, true or false, friend or foe. We can be true to Jesus or betray Him—the choice is ours.

Still, it’s difficult to understand why Jesus kept Judas around until that last night. Knowing what was going to happen, how could Jesus wash his feet and break bread with him? Later in the garden, when Judas greeted Him with a kiss, how could Jesus call him “friend?” Our Lord never asks us to do something He hasn’t done Himself. Perhaps, Jesus’ relationship with Judas was His way of demonstrating the sort of behavior He wants from all of His disciples—love, mercy, and forgiveness for our enemies, even for those who betray us! Let us remember the words He spoke from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” [Luke 23:34]

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. [John 13:34-35 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2025 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

December 30, 2024

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Forgiveness, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets

THE BEST WE CAN

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. [James 1:19-21 (MSG)]

Some days, doing “the best we can” may still fall short of what we would like to be able to do, but life isn’t perfect – on any front – and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else. [Fred Rogers]

gardeniaAs a teen and young adult, it was easy to be critical of my parents and their parenting. Vowing I’d never say or do some of the things they did, I was sure I’d never make any of their mistakes. Once I became a mother, however, I became far more forgiving and much less judgmental. Turns out, I made some of the same mistakes my parents did (and plenty more of my own).

Parents want to keep their children from heartbreak, disappointment, and harm; they want more and better for their children than they had. As a result, despite their best intentions, they can be over-protective, judgmental, enabling, dictatorial, or stubborn. All things considered, I now realize my parents did the best they could. While they didn’t always make the right decisions, they thought they were the correct ones at the time. It’s only in hindsight that we get twenty-twenty vision!

Most people don’t wake each morning intending to be unforgiving, unsympathetic, intractable, or indifferent. Rather than planning on being selfish, temperamental, hypercritical, or rude, we probably wake up hoping to be kind, patient, and loving. Unfortunately, we’re not always good at doing that! I certainly never begin the day intending to be impatient, inconsiderate, or negative, but that has been known to happen—far more frequently than I’d like. None of us are perfect; being human, we all make plenty of mistakes. My prayer each morning is simple: to be a better person that day than the one I was the day before. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, that is gradually happening.

When we remember that sometimes our best efforts are not nearly good enough, it becomes much easier to forgive others for their failings. Forgiveness doesn’t mean those actions were right or good and it doesn’t mean we approve or accept them. It simply means we forgive them. While we’re forgiving others, we should forgive ourselves for our shortcomings as well. Let’s start the new year by releasing our regrets and resentments and granting grace both to others and ourselves. Every one of us made mistakes and we all could have done better; nevertheless, what’s done is done. If God can forgive us, we ought to be able to do so, too.

Father, replace any hidden resentment, anger, and regret from our hearts with compassion, love, and forgiveness. Help us accept that flaws, both ours and those of others, are part of being human. Show us how to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we can be better people today than we were yesterday, and even better ones tomorrow.

Forgive, forget. Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours. Be patient and understanding. Life is too short to be vengeful or malicious. [Phillips Brooks]

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. [1 Peter 4:8 (MSG)]

If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that’s why you’re worshiped. [Psalm 130:3-4 (MSG)]

Copyright ©2024 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 7, 2024

Posted under

Bible Stories, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Salvation: A New You

THE RANSOM

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. [Mark 10:45 (NLT)]

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. [1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)]

squirrelGod took Heaven’s best—the Lord Jesus Christ—to redeem earth’s worst! [Billy Graham]

What if you were held hostage and no one cared enough to pay your ransom? There was a black comedy in the 1980s called Ruthless People in which that happened. After a young woman is cheated by her contemptible boss (played by Danny DeVito), she and her husband decide to retaliate by kidnapping her boss’s wife and holding her for ransom. What they don’t know is their vile nemesis doesn’t want his wife returned. In fact, the despicable man was planning to kill her himself to gain control of her family fortune! Hoping the kidnappers will finish her off for him, the husband deliberately disobeys all of the kidnappers’ ransom demands.

The inept kidnappers find they have more than they bargained for when their victim (played by Bette Midler) turns out to be a foul-mouthed mean-tempered shrew. In the dark of the basement, however, the hostage wife sees the light and both her disposition and physique make a vast improvement. She bonds with her kidnappers over their common enemy and the three exact revenge upon her contemptible husband.

Fortunately, as Proverbs 13:8 points out, “The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened,“ so, unless we’re ultra-wealthy, the likelihood of our being held hostage for ransom by a kidnapper is pretty slim. We needn’t fear coming up with the ransom money or, worse, having a spouse unwilling to pay to get us back! Nevertheless, both rich and poor can be held hostage by sin.

While we associate a ransom with kidnapping, in the ancient world, a ransom was the price paid to buy a slave’s freedom and it was the slave-holder who determined the price and received the payment before releasing the slave. We once were slaves to sin and Satan was the one holding us hostage. It was God, however, who determined the payment amount and received the ransom and it was His Son who paid that ransom. Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus paid the price that secured our release from bondage. His blood redeemed, freed, and rescued us from sin, death, and hell. Jesus gave His life in payment to save us from the wrath of God and it is by our faith alone that we receive His gifts of atonement and forgiveness. No longer prisoners, we are free to leave sin’s captivity; all we need is faith in Him for the door to freedom to open.

Unfortunately, not everyone understands they don’t have to remain prisoners. Perhaps, having grown accustomed to wallowing in sin, guilt, and shame, they’ve fallen prey to what is known as the Stockholm syndrome and begin to have positive feelings—even compassion—toward their captor. Perhaps, not believing the price was fully paid, they’re still trying to pay their own ransom with works. Then again, maybe they just can’t believe that God would love them enough to sacrifice His only Son for them. Whatever the reason, they remain prisoners of their own free will.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us enough to pay the ransom that released us from captivity to sin.

From the depth of sin and sadness To the heights of joy and gladness
Jesus lifted me in mercy full and free; With His precious blood He bought me,
When I knew Him not He sought me, And in love divine He ransomed me.
[Julia H. Johnston – 1916]

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. [Romans 8:3-4 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2024 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 28, 2024

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Obedience, Temptation & Sin

GRIEVING HIM

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them. [Isaiah 63:9-10 (NLT)]

appleMany years ago, my two boys were playing at their grandparents’ house. While Grandpa worked in the garden, the brothers climbed up into the apple tree and started to throw apples at him. A patient man, their grandfather told them to stop and, when more apples came whizzing at him, he offered a sterner warning. After briefly stopping their barrage, the rascals were unable to resist the temptation and chucked more apples at Grandpa. To their surprise, this gentle and loving man turned around, picked up some apples, and returned fire. Having played ball as a boy, Gramps had a strong throwing arm and excellent aim. He didn’t pull any punches as he pitched those apples back at his grandsons. The boys, unable to maneuver easily in the tree, quickly learned the meaning of “as easy as shooting fish in a rain barrel.” When they called, “Stop, Grandpa, it hurts!” he replied, “Yes, I know it does, but you needed to learn that!” It wasn’t until those hard apples hit their bodies that the youngsters understood how much their disobedience hurt their grandfather (both physically and emotionally).

This is one of my boys’ favorite stories about their grandfather. Rather than being angry that he hurled those apples back at them, they’re proud of him. Knowing he loved them enough to discipline them, they learned a variety of lessons that day and not just that being hit by an apple hurts or not to be caught up a tree. They learned to listen to and obey their grandfather, that disobedience brings reckoning, and (after they picked up the apples) that obedience can bring rewards like apple pies. They also learned that their naughtiness grieved their grandfather as much as their punishment hurt them.

We know that Jesus experienced both physical and emotional pain when He walked the earth as a man but what did God the Father experience? As a spirit, without a nervous system, I doubt that He felt physical pain, but what about emotional pain as He saw His son rejected, suffer, and die? Does God have feelings? There are two opposing theological schools of thought about this question (the doctrine of impassibility vs. the passibility of God) and a whole lot of middle ground in-between. Not being a theologian, I’m not addressing doctrine.

Nevertheless, Scripture tells us that God can grieve and the parables of the missing coin, prodigal son, and lost sheep also tell us that God can rejoice. Throughout the Bible, we find examples of God expressing emotions like love, joy, compassion, hate, jealousy, anger and grief. Like any parent, God’s heart is touched by His children; it seems that He can feel our pain and that we can cause Him emotional pain.

Although Scripture tells us that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love, like the boys’ grandfather, God eventually will get angry. Moreover, Scripture shows us that our disobedience aggrieves our heavenly Father as much as an apple on the noggin and my boys’ defiance hurt their grandpa. When we disobey God, disgrace His name, doubt His love, forsake our faith, reject His guidance, choose hate over love or callousness over compassion, we bring sorrow, grief, and pain to God. Rather than bringing grief to God, may we always do what pleases Him, for it is in the joy of the Lord that we find strength.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. … Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. … Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. [Ephesians 4:30a, 31-23; 5:10 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2024 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 10, 2024

Posted under

Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Holidays & Holy Days

ONCE AND FOR ALL – YOM KIPPUR

He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land. [Leviticus 16:21-22 (NLT)]

While the year is 2024 on most calendars, it is year 5785 on the Hebrew calendar and the tenth day of Tishri begins at sunset tomorrow. For our Jewish brothers and sisters, it will be the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. With its themes of atonement and repentance, it the holiest day of the year for a Jew.

The book of Leviticus describes the rituals the Israelites were to perform on this holy day every year. In ancient Israel, this was the only time the high priest could come into the Holy of Holies (the innermost sacred area of the tabernacle or temple) where the Ark of the Covenant was housed. But, before coming into the presence of God and the Ark and beginning the ritual of atonement, he had to ritually cleanse himself from sin by bathing and dressing in spotless plain linen garments. The high priest then atoned for his own sins and those of his family with the sacrifice of a bull.

Two unblemished male goats were taken from the community and lots were cast to determine which goat would be given to the Lord. The first goat was sacrificed and its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat of the Ark. This was the sin offering and made to appease the wrath of God and atone for the sins of the people. Then, having received forgiveness, the second goat was brought before the altar. As a way of transferring the sins of the people to the goat, the priest laid his hands on its head and confessed all the peoples’ sins and transgressions. This goat, the “scapegoat,” was then sent out into the wilderness to carry those sins into the wasteland. In this ancient ritual, the blood of the first goat provided propitiation by appeasing God’s wrath and the second goat provided expiation by atoning for and removing those sins. This atonement ritual was to be repeated year after year.

Without a temple in Jerusalem, there no longer are animal sacrifices or scapegoats. Nevertheless, Jews throughout the world continue to observe this holy day. When a fast day occurs on the Sabbath, it is postponed until Sunday but Yom Kippur is the exception to that rule. Referred to as the Shabbat Shabbaton (the Sabbath of Sabbaths), our observant Jewish friends will fast from all food and drink (including water) from just before sunset Friday until after sunset Saturday. Along with fasting, many Jews will abstain from wearing leather footwear, washing or bathing, applying lotions and creams, or having marital relations. Most of Yom Kippur is spent in the synagogue in intensive prayer, introspection, and the asking of God’s forgiveness for the past year’s sins. The day ends with a single blast of the shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) followed by the proclamation, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Unlike the yearly sacrifice of goats, the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross needed to be done only once. Christ was both our sinless high priest and the unblemished sacrifice. When He gave himself up for us, Jesus took God’s wrath upon himself as His blood dripped on the ground beneath Him. When He suffered and died on the cross, Jesus was both the propitiation and expiation of our sins for all time. By dying, this sinless man took on God’s wrath—the wrath we sinners deserved. Rather than take our transgressions into the wilderness, He “removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” for all time. [Psalm 103:12] Thank you Jesus!

If you are ready to partake of grace you have not to atone for your sins—you have merely to accept of the atonement. All that you want to do is to cry, “God have mercy upon me,” and you will receive the blessing. [D.L. Moody]

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. [Romans 3:22-24 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2024 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 30, 2024

Posted under

Bible Stories, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises

HE NEVER DISAPPOINTS

Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me.” … Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. [Matthew 26:31a,33-35 (NLT)]

I think the worst thing my parents could say was that they were disappointed in me. Knowing I hadn’t lived up to their high expectations, I’d hang my head in shame as they added, “We expected far better from you.” I never wanted to disappoint them but, unfortunately, like every child, I often did.

While parents tend to envision having the perfect child—one who never disobeys, makes unwise choices, or gets a bad grade—God doesn’t operate under that delusion. Knowing us, He has realistic expectations of His fallen children. Nevertheless, while He understands that we can’t live up to His standard of perfection, God does expect us to do our best and He provides the guidance and power to do so. Even so, we’ll falter more times than we can count and, when that happens, rather than being disappointed in us, God is disappointed for us.

When they deserted the Lord that Thursday evening in Gethsemane, none of the disciples behaved much like true believers. Although the others also may have denied knowing Jesus that night, only Peter’s denials were recorded for posterity. While Jesus was being questioned, slandered, spit upon, blindfolded, and beaten, Peter was warming himself by a fire. Then the disciple who claimed to be ready to die for Jesus failed Him miserably by denying even knowing the Lord. Jesus wasn’t surprised in the disciples’ desertion and Peter’s betrayal; He expected it. In fact, He predicted it.

When Jesus appeared Easter morning, He didn’t tell the disciples how disappointed He was in them or shame them for their desertion. Instead, Jesus’ first words were words of love and reconciliation, “Shalom…peace be with you.” Then, instead of chastening them for their fear and doubt at His resurrected presence, Jesus ate with them! Rather than single out Peter and censure him for his denials, Jesus simply asked the disciple if he loved Him. Despite Peter’s previous failures, Jesus loved and forgave the man and appointed him to “feed my sheep.”

Peter’s failings didn’t define him and neither should ours. Peter denied Christ and yet he was in that room with the other disciples on Easter morning. A betrayal doesn’t have to send us away from Jesus into the depths of despair, as it did for Judas. A betrayal can bring us closer to Christ, as it did for Peter. Repentance and forgiveness turned Peter, the betrayer, into Peter, the Rock, the powerful preacher and fearless leader of the early Church!

Like Peter and the disciples, we are flawed people. As much as we want to honor and please God, there will be times we make poor choices and disappoint Him. The good news is that God never will disappoint us! Although He grieves for every one of our bad choices, He never will leave us, stop believing in us, or take His Holy Spirit from us.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. [Ephesians 4:30 (NLT)]

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Lamentations 3:22 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2024 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.