But I Can't Forgive!

One of the hardest things to do is forgive someone who hurt you deeply...especially if it seems they will never have to pay for what they did.

Somewhere in the back of our mind, we think that holding on to unforgivness will hurt them. It won't. Unforgivness hurts only us.

Forgiving doesn't mean what they did was okay. It means you want to be obedient to God and forgive. According to the verses below, God places a might high value on forgiveness. 

I'm not saying forgiveness is easy, but it's necessary as a child of God. Praying for the willingness and ability to forgive will open the door for you to step into obedience in this area.

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Contentment

Why is it that we are seldom satisfied with what we have? Perhaps it's our propensity to compare ourselves to others. Or maybe it's a knee-jerk reaction to all the advertising we see everywhere we look.

No matter the reason, the results are the same; a dissatisfaction with what we have or where we currently are in life. Usually resulting in a frantic attempt to get "that thing" that we think will make us happy.

Here's what God says about that...

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5 NIV

He has promised never to leave us, never to turn his back to our needs, but to be with us always - every minute of every day. As a good Father he understands what we need and will give it to us. Not what we WANT, but what we NEED. In his wisdom, he knows what affect granting all our whims might do to us. Knowing what is best and most beneficial to us, he gives us everything we need for a good life, beginning with a relationship with him through Jesus Christ, who came and died to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind, opening the door for the greatest adventure of our lives; walking in step with God and enjoying the love, freedom, peace, healing, acceptance and the contentment he brings.

Things will never satisfy our longing hearts, but God will. Have you reached out to him? Do you want to experience this way of life? Just invite him into your life, understanding that he is ready and waiting to accept you as his child and begin that step-by-step walk with you.

Let today be the first day of a remarkable new you and an awesome adventure. You will be enriched in every way and find true contentment.

Just ask.

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How Quickly We Turn

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Luke 19:38

These were the words of a patriotic crowd in Jerusalem just a week before Jesus was crucified. Unfortunately, they were sadly mistaken about Jesus' mission here. They thought he came to free the Israelites from the rule of the oppressive Roman empire. But, his mission was far greater than that. He came to free mankind from the tyranny of sin. He came to restore us to right standing with God. Jesus' willing sacrifice on the cross to die for our sins opened the door for anyone who believes in him and receives him as their Lord and Savior to enjoy a blessed life and eternity in Heaven after we leave this planet.

The amped-up crowd in Jerusalem that day were sorely disappointed that Jesus was not who they thought he was and did not do what they thought he would. For in just a few days, they were shouting, "Crucify him. Crucify him!"

We might shake our heads at the way they so quickly went from worshiping Jesus to condemning him, but let's stop and think for a moment.

Have you ever assumed that Jesus (God) would do something in your life, only to be disappointed that he didn't act the way you thought he would or should? How did that affect your attitude toward Him?

Here's the truth - God has a wonderful plan for our lives. He is not at our beck and call like some genie that is required to do our bidding. The issue is not his failure, but our unrealistic or misinformed understanding of who he is and what he wants to do in our lives, which is to make us one of his family and to transform our sinful nature until it matches the sinless nature of Jesus Christ.

This happens naturally as we lean into his word, into prayer and into obedience to his directions. These daily practices will  allow that transformation to take place. It's an ongoing process, which will only be fully achieved when we finally go to be with him. In the meantime, we live under the blessings of our relationship with God - never alone, because he has promised never to leave us or forsake us.

So, the next time God doesn't act the way we think he should, let's recall that he is God and will do what's best for us. 

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Are You Following at a Distance?

Does it sometimes feel like God is keeping His distance from you? Do you feel as if the close relationship you had with Him is waning? Ever wonder why? 

Let's take a lesson from Peter, the disciple upon whom Jesus said He would build His church.

Jesus had just spent 3 years teaching his followers. They had walked with him along the dusty roads of Israel, Slept in the desert and eaten in towns with Him. Sat with Him in the temples as He taught about God and His plan to bring salvation to mankind. Finally the time came when He needed to let them know that His death was drawing near.

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”  Matthew 26:1 (NLT)

As they traveled to Bethany, Jesus said... “Tonight all of you will desert me.  Matthew 26:31 (NLT)

Peter, was adamant! He declared, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you,"  Matthew 26:33 (NLT) 

But then, Jesus was betrayed and led away by a mob of men with clubs and swords. All the disciples scattered, perhaps fearing that they, too, would be hauled off to prison. All except Peter, that is. What did Peter do?

"Meanwhile, Peter followed him (Jesus) at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end." Matthew 26:58 (NLT)

Peter followed Jesus at a distance. This was the beginning of Peter's fall, which led him to deny that he had any relationship with Jesus at all.

We can pick up here with the truth that any time we begin to distance ourselves from God, He begins to seem further and further away. 

We might begin by neglecting to read the Bible, getting too busy to pray, or allowing things to slip into our lives that we know aren't right.

We might be still going to church (at least most of the time) and acknowledging that we are believers, Christ followers, but we've begun following at a distance and that can only lead to drifting away from our relationship with God. Suddenly we hit a crisis and need God's help. We pray and search the Word, but God seems so far away. The truth is that He is always as close as our next breath, but it doesn't seem so.

How do we fix that? How do we return to the close relationship we had before?

"This is what the Lord says: "Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old godly way, and walk in it." (Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT)

Prayer:

Father, I recognize that I've been drifting, that I've allow distance between us. Please forgive me. I truly want a close relationship with you. I'm turning back to what I used to do when we were close. Lord, strengthen my faith and give me a sharp awareness of your constant presence. Amen

Return to the things you once knew and God promise is this;

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you..." James 4:8 (NLT)

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