Forgiveness

'Forgive us, Lord, as we forgive those who trespass against us,'

 

Sometimes that prayer, as beautiful as it is, has been written backward, or at the very least, the author has made a huge assumption.  I really think the directions should be more like, 'Dear Lord, please let us forgive each other the way that you forgive us'.'

 

You see, because the Lord is so much better at this business of forgiveness that we mere mortals could ever hope to be, we're the ones who should be modeling His method, not the other way around.  The Lord forgives us unconditionally.  He doesn't need to sit and think it over, withholding His compassion, His mercy, and His grace.  He doesn't cling to his grudges, like we do, reliving them daily, reminding himself how He was hurt or cheated, or disappointed by someone as frail and flawed as we are.  He forgives and wipes the slate clean.  That is true forgiveness, the pure, ideal spirit of amnesty we must try to extend toward each other.

 

Everyone in this world is walking around, chewing on something that just won't go down.

 

It's a rate person who does not carry around some grudge, small or large, some onerous bit that won't go down.  But how many of us find that as we approach middle life and ever later, we are carrying around a load of grudges, like a big bag of rocks, slung over our shoulder.  The wrongs the world has done you - parents, siblings, friends, coworkers, neighbors - oh, so many wrongs that we righteously cling to.  It takes a lot of energy to carry that bag around with you, doesn't it?  It doesn't really make much sense, either. . . .So, why do we do it?  We drag it along, letting it pull us down when we can be lifted up.  When we can follow the Lord's example and forgive - and let go.

 

From the book 'Home Song' by Thomas Kinkade & Katherine Spencer

Proverbs 10:6

"The godly are showered with blessings."

 

What a wonderful picture: blessings showering down upon you like a steady, gentle spring rain! How aware are you of these blessings, though? Do you make a habit of noticing the "everyday" blessings that God showers upon everyone, such as sunshine and color and the variety of birds and blooms? What about the marvels of modern inventions that we take for granted? Then there are the personalized "showers of blessings" that are just for you: your health, your family, or something from the Word that speaks right into your situation. Today, grow like grass from the showers of God's blessings.

Matthew 17:1–5

"Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. "Peter exclaimed, 'Lord, it's wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I'll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' "But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.'"

 

 

God the Father gave his Son a literal mountaintop experience right before his death. Jesus talked with Moses, giver of the Law, and Elijah, the prophet of prophets, both of whom prefigured Jesus. The Father publicly affirmed Jesus' authority and his own love for his Son. Perhaps it was this experience that strengthened Jesus for what he knew was just ahead: his suffering and death. Jesus himself received the Father's grace; it is the love relationship between Father and Son that Peter, James, and John witnessed. That's the love to which we are also given access.