I was thinking the other day about sin. How when we sin we have a hard time letting go and forgiving ourselves. The thought came to me of when Peter asked Jesus how often should he forgive his brother if he sins against him. He asked Jesus should he forgive him up to 7 times. And Jesus responded by telling him that he should forgive 70 times 7 - Matt. 18.21-22. Just think about that, we are to forgive 70 times 7, that is 490 times. Can you imagine 490 times a day. How many people actually sin 490 times in a day, probably no one. However, if you did sin that many times you would have to try really hard. Now if God tells us to forgive our brother 490 times a day, wouldn't he hold himself to the same standards that he gave to us. That would mean that God is willing to forgive us 490 times a day. That is a lot of forgiveness. Now if God wants us to forgive our brother 490 times in a day, wouldn't he want us to apply that to ourselves?
When it comes to forgiveness we need to learn to forgive ourselves. Anytime we do wrong and we have a hard time accepting God's forgiveness, let alone our own we need to remember that even God is willing to forgive us 490 times a day, so we ought to be willing to forgive ourselves with the same amount of forgiveness that God has made available to us. So when you find yourself in a state of sin, feeling guilty, alone, sad and dejected, remember you are not without forgiveness. God forgives you and so you must also forgive yourself. The scripture says that if you aren't able to forgive your brother, God is not able to forgive you your sins. If you aren't able to forgive yourself, how can you ever find the forgiveness of God. It would seem to be impossible. Forgive yourself and let God be the forgiving Father that he is.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Preaching Without Speaking
I heard a minister say something the other day, "Christians are to preach the gospel always and sometimes use words." This means that we are to represent God in everything that we do. We don't have to verbally speak the word of God in order to visibly preach the word of God. Our lives should predicate our belief in God, our belief in his principles and should always bring honor to Him. Sometimes even we as Christians fall short. We are and ought to represent God in everything that we do. However, we are human and subject to the weakness of the flesh. When we are living out the WORD of God, there is no power that cannot succumb to the power of God in our lives. On the other hand, when we are not living according to God principles that is when we find that we are just as susceptible to the weaknesses of the flesh and the temptations around us.
When Christians and non-Christians see Christians in a fallen state they are very quick to point out the wrongs of the fallen Christian and blame God for the sins/misdeeds of that Christian. What they don't understand is that Christians are not God. Christians do represent God, but God should not get the blame for everything wrong that is done by a Christian. It seems that Christianity is the only religion where God is blamed for the wrong of His followers. When a muslin kills, allah is not blamed the muslin is. It is the same with other religions, but not Christianity. Is it because Christianity is the only religion where righteousness and purity is the standard? The answer is probably "Yes". God is sinless and cannot sin. People, on the other hand, are fallible. Should we as Christians not live righteously because we are susceptible to sin? As the good book says, God forbid.
We as Christians should always live our lives out by God's words and principles and when we find ourselves out of God's will we must always find our way back to our savior. He is the only way to life. Can we overcome the flesh? Sometimes I wonder, but by FAITH I know that we can. It is FAITH that leads us to God's saving grace and it is that same FAITH that will sustain us and help to keep us until we see HIM. Knowing that we have an advocate with the father, JESUS CHRIST the righteous should be enough for us to prayerfully stay before Him and know that He which hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ Phil 1:6
So we must continue to preach without speaking and show forth the gospel of Jesus everywhere we go. God Bless.
When Christians and non-Christians see Christians in a fallen state they are very quick to point out the wrongs of the fallen Christian and blame God for the sins/misdeeds of that Christian. What they don't understand is that Christians are not God. Christians do represent God, but God should not get the blame for everything wrong that is done by a Christian. It seems that Christianity is the only religion where God is blamed for the wrong of His followers. When a muslin kills, allah is not blamed the muslin is. It is the same with other religions, but not Christianity. Is it because Christianity is the only religion where righteousness and purity is the standard? The answer is probably "Yes". God is sinless and cannot sin. People, on the other hand, are fallible. Should we as Christians not live righteously because we are susceptible to sin? As the good book says, God forbid.
We as Christians should always live our lives out by God's words and principles and when we find ourselves out of God's will we must always find our way back to our savior. He is the only way to life. Can we overcome the flesh? Sometimes I wonder, but by FAITH I know that we can. It is FAITH that leads us to God's saving grace and it is that same FAITH that will sustain us and help to keep us until we see HIM. Knowing that we have an advocate with the father, JESUS CHRIST the righteous should be enough for us to prayerfully stay before Him and know that He which hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ Phil 1:6
So we must continue to preach without speaking and show forth the gospel of Jesus everywhere we go. God Bless.
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