Tag Archives: forgiveness

The Good Ritual

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I said to the Lord, “I am a liar and a fool. The only good I have is imagined honor. Imagination is not food.  

But you Holy Father, in Christ your Holy Son, are righteousness and purity forever. In your wisdom you created mercy. In your Holiness you created justice.”


Then I said, “Let me own my sins. Let justice rain on my soul. Let the condemnation of my doings come and cast me to the ground. Let me see the damage I do so easily. Let me understand the murder I inflict.  


It is then that I will seek mercy. It is then that I will cry out to you. It is then that you will offer your gracious hand of love. It is then that you will forgive my sins, allowing no punishment to come to anyone else because of me.  


Let the matter be finished in the blood of your Holy Son. Let my legs find strength to stand. Let my folly be replaced with wisdom and restraint. Let me bring you honor by believing your Holy Word; your promise to bring life through forgiveness of sins.”


And so begins another day. And so the next morning will hear these words again.  


By His Grace.

Freedom or Chains

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I wanted to be careful about how I wrote this. But then the Lord reminded me, “Every word of God can be misused”. So I’ll just write what I saw and let be what will be.  

It is not the size of our sin that condemns us to hell. It is the size of our faith to receive his desired gift of forgiveness.  


We were dead in our trespasses. We can’t possibly know the grandeur of that death. Likewise, with his forgiveness we are offered eternal life. We can’t possibly know the grandeur of what he holds in his hand.  


But what if someone holds onto remorse and shame, thus spitting into the hand who offers life? Hiding in the shadows, not daring to draw near.  


Do you believe? Then take his joy. Take his strength. Take his fearless abandon. Take his dedication. Take his wisdom. Take his godly and never ending love.  


Aren’t those the things that are spawned by the forgiveness he offers? For by those things we approach the throne of the living God with confidence. There we learn things we did not know. There we are strengthened by the touch of his hand or the smile on his face. But without forgiveness, God remains no more than a religion. And the shadow of death is our closest friend.  

Our Haunting Past

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My hands stay firm upon the wheel.  For I must go where I am sent. 


Yet, memories catch up with me.  

Ah, the piercing pain of stupidity!


The “hands” of my soul stretch far behind, to undo the past that tortures my mind.  


There! In the mist, I see it now. I foolishly think, “I can reach it somehow”.


Then shadows do measure the distance between. That dark and gray mist is as light-years from me.  


I haul my hands back, and give this some thought. “Remember from what your soul has been bought”.  


The past is removed! Far more than my reach. “Lest, by misguided love, My promise you breach”.


Remember this, friends, when history assails. Whether seconds or centuries, as fear makes you pale.  


You cannot go back. And no blame’s to be had, regardless your deeds (if they’re good or they’re bad).  


As long as your trust is in Jesus, you see. Your sins are forgiven by Righteous Great Glory.  

What is Forgiveness

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Lord Jesus, Holy Father:

That you should be willing to forgive our sins as we forgive others. Such an awesome mountain of failings blown away by a breath from your nostrils. And all we have to do is humbly ask you and receive. Living out a life of thanks in the valley of penetrating knives. Just as you showed us should be done.  


What incredible power to overcome that is; eternally beyond our words to describe. Not only does someone love us, but the very creator of all things!


Spoken at your birth sustained by your righteousness forever: “Peace has come to earth, and goodwill to all men” (paraphrase).


Billions thank you. Recognizing that we can’t thank you enough. And even while we thank you, doesn’t the next failing prepare.    


By your display and patience you are astounding! Ceaseless and endlessly powerful is the love of God for all who call on his Holy name.  

The “Assumption”

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Let me speak from my own experience.  How can I be sure this applies to others.  Yet I strongly suspect it does.

People will assess another’s value by the things they saw him do and say in the past.  Put any distance between them, and people will assume the negative long before they consider the possibility of the positive.  The distant stranger, whom they knew before, will always be considered somewhat less than human.  In my estimation this is a given in regard to Human Nature.  In the Flesh, “Distance provokes animosity, not love”.  In the Spirit of God the opposite is true.  But how many walk in the Spirit 24/7?  And aren’t we the sum of our doings?

I speak for myself, I know who I am.  I know what I did.  But I also know what I have become.  And I would be wrong to expect others to see me as I currently am.  I have no right to demand that you love me.  I have no right to demand your forgiveness.  And I have no right to demand your understanding.  If I don’t have any of those things from you, I must say, “That is the way things are.  That is the best you can currently deliver.  And by His Mercy, I am strong enough to carry you”.

It’s alright if you cannot receive me like I am.  Absolutely no charge will be held against anyone, come Judgment Day, because of me.  Why should I blame anyone, when He has promised me eternal life and forgiveness for all my sins?

I only ask that everyone consider this from their own perspective.  Isn’t the same thing true in your own life?   For the sake of God’s mercy in Jesus, leave room for His work in others.  Prejudgment is brother to murder.  Try not to listen to the slander of your heart.  Things are rarely as they appear.

If we cannot be unified because of what we were, at least let us be unified in what we have become.  And if that is still too much to bear, let us be unified in God’s promise to make us complete.  If He has grasped you for His promised Joy, He will complete his promise.

In the coming age, there will be no separation between us.  There will be no remembrance of wrongs done.  We will not have to assume anything about anyone.  Love will be our master.  And as much as it is possible, isn’t it right that we should strive, with all we have, to live that Day now?

Know this, I love you with all I have to give.  For the good of all,  I pray this is enough.  And this is because He has loved me.

By His Grace.

Will the Godly Stand Up?

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A little boy was murdered by his mother.  She beat him  for hours until he died.

And so the talk around the coffee table will begin.  I’m going to put my 2 cents here.
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Many will say I have my head in the wrong place.  Many will say I have my mind is in a useless place among Man.  “So Heavenly minded that he is no earthly good”.

Define the word GOOD.

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Remember these two indelible items:

“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Response to tragedy:

Does the ground care that it soaks up the blood of so many?  Do the walls and rocks care that they witness such great violence?  When the deed is done, silence rules as king.  What is left to do?

Mop up the blood.
Incarcerate the perpetrator.
Sentence from Justice. 

What sentence of Man can mop up the regret of a life lived in violence?  What punitive action drives away the sorrow of having been an animal?  We throw them in jail.  We offer some meager counseling.  But nothing cleans the heart.

If they are released, have we done them any favors?  If they are put to death for their crimes, have we release them from guilt?

God Alone can clean the conscience.  I stand as one to testify that this is so.  Yes we live as prisoners because of the things we have done.  And isn’t Justice required for every man’s life?  (“As you sow, so shall you reap.”)  But the freedom to love comes from a Love that gives freedom.

Whoever has been forgiven much, loves much.  “But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”  

I’m not asking us to disband prisons.  I’m asking us to have mercy.  If you can’t hug the murders, the least you can do is appeal to the One who can.  What kind of people do we say we are? 

Is this too hard for us?  Of course it is!  But it is a simple matter for the Christ we say lives in us.

A question for us all:  who stands to gain more, the violent ones or the righteous?

Let us make proper assessments.  But let us be restrained from taking God’s rightful place of judgement.  “Do” the Gospel.

(Is the Gospel of Christ only reserved for those who do what is good?)

THINK ETERNITY