Category Archives: God’s Grace & Love

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August 1, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Obedience

FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS

And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors. [Matthew 6:12 (RSV)]

Forgive us as we forgive others. [Matthew 6:12 (GW)]

Various plans for debt relief have been in the news and all over the internet recently. It may be tough to pay back those college loans but being in debt was much tougher in Biblical times. Back then, if someone was unable to pay a debt, he could be thrown into prison or have his family sold into slavery. Jesus told a parable about the forgiveness of debts. When the king decided to bring his financial records up to date, all those who owed him money were brought to him. One servant owed him ten thousand talents and was unable to pay. When the King ordered that he, his family, and everything he owned should be sold to pay the obligation, the man begged the king’s forgiveness; the king showed compassion and generously forgave his servant’s debt.

This servant then went to a fellow worker who owed him only one hundred denarii and demanded immediate payment. His co-worker begged for a little more time, but the man insisted on immediate repayment and had the debtor thrown into prison. Although the king had offered the first servant mercy and forgiveness, this same man was unwilling to offer mercy and forgiveness to someone else. When the king learned of this, he had the unforgiving debtor thrown into prison to be tortured until he’d repaid the original debt.

Jesus then advised His disciples that the same thing would happen if they refused to forgive their brothers and sisters. If they denied forgiveness to others, forgiveness would be denied to them.

It is so much easier to ask God for His forgiveness of our offenses than to offer that same forgiveness to those who have hurt or offended us. God, however, doesn’t hold grudges and Jesus didn’t die on the cross for a select few; He died for all. We are all sinners and our debt was paid by Christ. A refusal to forgive others is a refusal to acknowledge our own sinful natures. It becomes easier to forgive others when we remember how much God (and other people) have already forgiven us.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [Colossians 3:13b (GW)]

If you forgive the failures of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failures. [Matthew 6:14-15 (GW)]

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July 23, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

SHIFTING THE BLAME

“I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore. Make me one of your hired men.” … Then his son said to him, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore.” [Luke 15:19,21 (GW)]

The man answered, “That woman, the one you gave me, gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” [Genesis 3:12 (GW)]

DSC01629awebAfter brazenly demanding his inheritance while his father still lived, the prodigal son quickly wasted it all in a reckless and immoral lifestyle. Realizing the error of his ways, the ashamed and penniless youth swallowed his pride and returned to his father, hoping to be hired on as a servant. His story, one of repentance, forgiveness and redemption, is quite a contrast to that of a young woman whose tale is circulating on the Internet. She recently called into a radio show and told of getting a $90,000 college fund from her grandparents. In three years, however, she managed to blow through all of it—not just on tuition but also on clothing, college breaks and a trip to Europe. Now, having no way to pay her $20,000 senior year’s tuition, she called the show to complain—not about her recklessness and spendthrift ways but about her parents. Although any fifth grader knows enough to divide ninety by four and figure out how much money can be spent each year, she blamed her parents for not teaching her to budget; it was their fault she was broke. The young woman showed no remorse for her actions and refused to accept responsibility for her predicament. The prodigal son worked at a pig farm before returning home and was willing to work as his father’s servant. This young woman’s response to getting a job in the school cafeteria was, “That’s embarrassing.”

I wonder, however, if we’re really all that different from this young woman. Hopefully, we haven’t squandered $90,000 but we’ve all blamed others for our errors, difficulties, and even our sins. It wasn’t just Eve that Adam blamed for the apple incident; he blamed God for giving him the woman in the first place. We’re not much better. In an effort to excuse our actions, we shift the blame to our parents’ divorce, our ex-spouse’s greed, bad genes, the credit card company that shouldn’t have increased our credit, the loan officer who allowed us to refinance, the persuasive salesman, our idiot co-workers, the teacher who can’t teach, the woman who shouldn’t have been so seductive, the husband who shouldn’t have been so busy, the spouse who just didn’t understand, a troubled childhood, the bartender who over-served, and the other guy who made us angry or started the fight! We shift the blame to justify our own bad behavior and, if we show any remorse, it’s only because of the mess in which we find ourselves once we have to face the consequences.

With a repentant heart, the prodigal son took responsibility for his actions and was welcomed into his father’s house. Make no mistake about it, if we don’t accept responsibility for our actions with a humble and repentant heart, our story, unlike that of the prodigal son, will not be one of forgiveness and redemption.

When someone is tempted, he shouldn’t say that God is tempting him. God can’t be tempted by evil, and God doesn’t tempt anyone. Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him. Then desire becomes pregnant and gives birth to sin. When sin grows up, it gives birth to death. [James 1:13-15 (GW)]

If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. [1 John 1:8-9 (GW)]

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July 14, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Obedience, Prayer, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

LOCKED DOORS – WHEN HE SAYS “NO”

Who shut the doors to keep the sea in when it broke through and was born, when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea and wrapped it in dark clouds, when I put limits on the sea and put its doors and bars in place, when I said to the sea, “You may come this far, but no farther; this is where your proud waves must stop”? [Job 38:8-11 (NCV)]

7-14-15_5330webWhen the youngest grandchildren visited us in Florida, we were putty in their hands. But, being loving grandparents, we wanted to keep them safe and that meant saying “No!” at times. Among our precautions, the doors to the lanai remained shut and locked to keep the tykes from venturing into the pool without an adult. That’s not to say they didn’t try their level best to thwart our deterrents at every opportunity. They pled with us, made promises they couldn’t keep (“We won’t go near the water”) or resorted to tears. When that didn’t work, they tried to open the doors themselves. We love them too much not to keep them safe and know that certain situations (like toddlers and pools without supervision) require locked doors and firm denials. The little guys, however, simply thought we were being mean keeping them from having their way.

We are God’s children and, like my youngest grands, we often don’t have much common sense when it comes to what we desire. We pray and plead, wheedle and whine for something. When God doesn’t grant our prayers, we often console ourselves by saying that He isn’t denying us; He’s only delaying His affirmative answer. We just need to pray more and try harder to make it happen. Sometimes, however, God’s denials are just that—denials. He may even shut and lock doors to keep us from trying to take matters into our own hands. Just like toddlers, there are times we need doors closed and locks secured for our own protection.

When I look back at some of the things for which I’ve prayed, I can only say “Thank you, God, for blocking my way!” It is only in retrospect, however, that I appreciate God’s denials of my prayers and the ways He deterred me. I clearly had no idea what I was asking for in my prayers, but He did and, in His heavenly wisdom, kept me from making some enormous mistakes simply by obstructing my path. Thank you, God, for loving me enough to say “No!”

After we have made our requests known to Him, our language should be, “Thy will be done.” I would a thousand times rather that Gods’ will should be done than my own. [D. L. Moody]

I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. [Jeremiahs 2:11-12 (NCV)]

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July 13, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Holy Spirit, Miracles, Prayer, Thanks & Praise

ANSWERED PRAYERS

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And in the same way—by our faith—the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. [Romans 8:26 (TLB)]

Thank you, God, for answered prayers.

While it was obvious the relationship was in deep trouble, I knew neither how nor why it had happened nor what could to be done to remedy it. Realizing that this situation required divine intervention, I took it to God in prayer. As I poured out my distress, I was unable to articulate the problem or think of a solution. I just knew something was damaged that desperately needed to be fixed—how I didn’t know. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit put my lament into words as I dumped the frayed relationship in God’s lap, trusting Him to do the necessary mending. Recognizing that the situation was way beyond my job description, I stopped trying to repair what was torn or attempting to patch up what was tattered; that was clearly a task for God. While offering my wordless prayers and waiting patiently for His heavenly hand, I continued to love the person and did my best to keep the situation from further unraveling—the rest was up to Him. Praise the Lord, God came through! I don’t know how He did it, but He did!

Did the other person have a change of heart and attitude? Yes, indeed. What about me? Although I wasn’t aware of it, I think God may have made a few alterations on me, as well. All I know for certain is that prayers, even inarticulate wordless ones, can and do get answered.

We’re often perplexed about how and for what we should pray. It’s not always possible to voice our fears, sorrow, distress and longings. Thank you, God, for giving us the Holy Spirit who knows our hearts and makes our needs known to you. And, thank you, God, for answered prayers.

The best prayers have often more groans than words. [John Bunyan]

Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but earnestness of soul. [Hannah More]

But you, dear friends, must build up your lives ever more strongly upon the foundation of our holy faith, learning to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. [Jude 1:20 (TLB)]

 

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July 9, 2015

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Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Salvation: A New You, Thanks & Praise

HOW VALUABLE ARE YOU?

What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries. [Luke 12:6-7 (MSG)]

bee eater Arusha-TanzaniaWEBRecently, our Florida pastor held up a brand new $100 bill and asked who would like to have it. Hands were quickly raised. He then crumpled up the bill and asked the question again; hands were raised a second time. After all, what are a few wrinkles? Pastor then sneezed and wiped his nose with the money and asked the question yet again; no one seemed deterred by a few germs and, once more, up went the hands. He wiped the worn and slightly damp bill in his armpits and asked the same question yet another time. Our congregation didn’t get to their retirement years in Florida without knowing the value of a $100 bill, even a wrinkled germy dirty one, and our hands continued to be lifted in the air. Fortunately, Pastor did not stick the bill down his pants and ask the question again. His point had been made; money retains its value no matter how dilapidated and soiled it may be.

That afternoon, I did a little Internet research to determine my monetary value. Some estimates of the assorted chemical components of my body were as low as $1. Positive I had to be worth substantially more than a dollar, I searched until I found a site that claimed the chemicals in a 176 pound person are worth about $160. I was still disappointed, especially since I weigh considerably less than that. Nevertheless, I do have some gold and silver in my mouth along with a few titanium screws in various bones, so I could be worth more when adding the value of my scrap metal. On the plus side, if one were to sell my various body organs and tissue (heart, blood, lungs, bone marrow, kidneys, corneas, etc.), this same site said I could be worth as much as $45 million. Now, that’s more like it! On second thought, that’s probably assuming all of those body parts are in pristine condition, something definitely not true of my well-worn “mature” body. My organs have been damaged by age, environment, misuse and disease. In short, my past has probably devalued my worth considerably.

To God, we are worth far more than even 45 million dollars! It doesn’t matter to Him if our bodies are in less than pristine shape or even if we still have all of our original parts. Better yet, He doesn’t care about the damage our past history has done to our souls! We don’t have to be pure and unblemished to have value to Him because we are his beloved children. Abortion, addiction, anger, violence, maliciousness, drunkenness, insincerity, depression, dishonesty, attempted suicide, divorce, adultery, wastefulness, pride, and more—none of these have devalued us in the eyes of God. Like the $100 bill our pastor showed us, we retain our value no matter how sullied, stained, damaged, or tattered we may be. We don’t have to be perfect (or even in “good” or “fair” condition) to be loved by our perfect God.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for seeing our worth even when can’t see it ourselves. Thank you for your grace and mercy, for redeeming our damaged souls and loving us no matter what has happened in the past. Thank you for giving us a new beginning in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it. [C.S. Lewis]

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. [John 3:16-17 (MSG)]

 

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June 27, 2015

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Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Prayer, Trusting God

PRAY AS IF YOU BELIEVE

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Praying Mantis


Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. [Psalm 5:3 (NLT)]

Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! [John 14:14 (NLT)]

I never wrote a Christmas or birthday present wish list as a child; I was taught that it is impolite to ask for gifts. When I was first married, I remember being somewhat disappointed at the gifts my husband chose for me because he hadn’t selected whatever it was that I’d hoped to receive. Yet how was he to know? I foolishly thought that if he truly loved me he would automatically know what was on my unexpressed wish list. After a few disappointing holidays, I realized that I had to speak up and make my feelings known. Good man that he is, he hasn’t let me down since!

If I can express my wishes to my husband, why do I have so much trouble asking God for what I want? Am I afraid He won’t or can’t answer? The more critical the problem or greater the need, the less likely I am to pray as if He can deliver. When praying for other people’s needs, I can be pretty specific, but when praying for my own needs I often pray a somewhat generic prayer of, “Thy will be done,” without ever expressing my fervent hopes for healing or help. It’s as if I don’t trust God enough to ask for anything that specific. This, however, is the God who created the heavens and earth, parted the Red Sea, made the sun stand still, restored lepers to health, gave sight to the blind, and brought Lazarus back to life. I shouldn’t be afraid to ask God for anything, always understanding that my hopes may not be His will. I should, however, have the faith to ask Him anyway.

Father in Heaven, give me faith; help me overcome my unbelief!

“Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” [Mark 9:22-24 (NLT)]