Tag: forgiveness

What Pride Is

Leave a comment

Pride is the thing that keeps you from asking for help because you don’t want others to think you have a problem, even if you do.

Pride is the thing that keeps you silent when you should speak because you don’t want to cause trouble or cause a scene even if what you need to say is true.

Pride is the thing that prevents you from reconciling because you are right and being right is more important than a person.

Pride keeps you safe.

Except it doesn’t.

It keeps you isolated.

No matter how many people you have in your life, trying to love them through the lens of pride keeps you disconnected and self protected.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV

You are loved and you are made to love others freely, fully, with hope and joy.

Love is not proud.

Lay down your pride and let love heal what is broken.

What Forgiveness Is

Leave a comment

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  

Colossians 3:13 NIV

Forgiveness breaks the power of the past.

It is a choice to let God have it, hold it, and be responsible for it- whatever it is. 

Forgiveness is taking the power away from someone else and giving it back to God. 

You don’t have to trust someone to forgive them.

They don’t have to know you forgive them.

They don’t have to be sorry in order for you to forgive them.

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice.

Forgiveness is not about restoring trust in them, it is about trusting God with them. 

What you do have to do is make the choice to give them to God.

And then every day after, make the choice to give them to God.

Keep doing that until the feelings lines up with the decision.

Forgiveness is about freedom – yours.

Who do you need to forgive today?

Not A One Only Time Deal

Leave a comment

“and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in His name to all nations.”

Luke 24:47 MSG

Forgiveness is not a one time only deal.

It is not a one and done.

It isn’t reserved for “the first time” you recognize you need help and you need God.

It is an every day, in the moment, after the knee-jerk reaction, after the words you wish you hadn’t said, opportunity God holds out to you.

Ask for it.

The more the better.

Make time for it – right now.

Be brave.

Get real with God and receive right this minute, forgiveness.

You are worth it.

Every Regret

Leave a comment

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.”

Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭1‬ NIV

Jesus knows every regret you have ever had and why you have it.

He can turn a memory of disappointment into a moment of discovery, a revelation of wisdom or a catalyst for change.

Useless regrets are only regrets that you don’t learn from.

Through love and forgiveness, He can transform all your regrets into gifts that will grow you.

Let Him.

Purify My Heart

1 Comment

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:3‬ ‭NIV

A crucible is used to melt the silver and gold so the impurities of the precious metal will rise to the top.

When it does, the refiner will skim it off. 

It is the same with your heart.

The Great Refiner can use the fires of life to expose things that don’t belong there.

In His kindness, He will bring them to the surface to clear them away.

When He brings it to the surface, it means that you are ready to deal with it.

Your job is to stay in His hand, deal with what comes up (which almost always begins by forgiving yourself or others) and allow the healing balm of His love to make you new.

How is your heart? 

What is Jesus bringing up?

What do you need to do with it?

Go Toward It

2 Comments

Relationships are not easy.

They take grace, forgiveness, honesty, and courage.

You may think that it would be easier and simpler to withdraw, it is not.

Don’t cheat yourself or others by withdrawing in fear.

Persevere. 

Go toward the problem. 

Reach out. 

God can make a way where there seems to be no way.

Quiet the fear-filled beat of your heart and listen for the encouraging whisper of the Holy Spirit.

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,”‭‭ 

Romans‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What Forgiveness Is

Leave a comment

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  

Colossians 3:13 NIV

Forgiveness breaks the power of the past.

It is a choice to let God have it, hold it, and be responsible for it- whatever it is. 

Forgiveness is taking the power away from someone else and giving it back to God. 

You don’t have to trust someone to forgive them.

They don’t have to know you forgive them.

They don’t have to be sorry in order for you to forgive them.

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice.

Forgiveness is not about restoring trust in them, it is about trusting God with them. 

What you do have to do is make the choice to give them to God.

And then every day after, make the choice to give them to God.

Keep doing that until the feelings lines up with the decision.

Forgiveness is about freedom – yours.

Who do you need to forgive today?

Finished

Leave a comment

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John‬ ‭19‬:‭30‬ NIV

After the unfair trial.

After the man’s judgment.

After the sentence to death.

After the unbelievable physical pain.

After the unbearable separation from the Father.

After receiving horrific judgment and sin of the world upon Himself.

Before His final breath.

“It is finished.”

My sin paid for. 

My debt paid.

My forgiveness, offered.

My redemption, complete.

My relationship with God, possible.

Before you ever began, He finished it.

Proof of Love

Leave a comment

“All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children”. 

Matthew 27:25 

After Gethsemane, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, abandoned by His disciples and denied by Peter.

Then He was brought before Herod to be judged. Herod sent Him to Pilot, but Pilot couldn’t find a reason for a death penalty.

It came down to the people and the people demanded that Jesus be crucified and the murderer, Barabas, be released to them.

Unfair, unjust, unreasonable are just three words that come to mind. He did nothing to deserve a penalty of death.

The crowd shouted: “His blood be on us and on our children.” 

He must have stood there marveling as He heard the crowd cry out for His death, knowing that He was going to bear their judgment physically, spiritually….literally.

Now their cry has become mine: “His blood be on us and on our children”,  not the blood of judgment but the blood of forgiveness.

While Jesus was on the cross, He drank deep from the cup of God’s fury against our sin so that you and I could drink deep of the cup of forgiveness. He took our judgment so we could be pardoned for all eternity.

Now their cry has become mine: “His blood be on us and on our children”,  not the blood of judgment but the blood of His amazing love and forgiveness.

If you don’t know how much Jesus loves you, look at the cross – the proof lies lifeless there.

Forgiveness Is Not What You Think it is.

Leave a comment

Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a choice to let God have it, hold it, and be responsible for it– whatever it is.

Forgiveness is taking the power away from them and giving it back to God.

You don’t have to trust them to forgive them.

Forgiveness is not about restoring trust in them, it is about trusting God with your heart.

They don’t have to be sorry in order for you to forgive them.

They don’t even have to know that you have released them to God.

What you do have to do is make the choice today and every day after, then continue to make the choice until the feeling lines up with the decision.

And it will.

One day you will be able to remember what happened without reliving the pain.

“Forgive us what we have done wrong, as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us”    

 – Jesus

Matthew 6:12 CJB