I heard an account of some missionaries who received a package. It was a nice looking care package with smiley faces on it, which turned out to be a bomb. The missionaries weren't at home, but their 16 year old was, and he got blown across the room and injured badly. They eventually found the guy. He has four kids. The dad carries a picture of the man who made the bomb in his Bible with him to remind him to pray for the guy every day, because he loves him. The 16 year old, after finding out the guy has four kids, asked his dad if there was anyway they could help support those kids.
That's loving like God.
I heard another account of a guy who got mugged by three guys. He had his laptop stolen and was forced at gunpoint to take some money out of the ATM. He was able to tell one of the muggers that he forgave them and was able to share the gospel a little bit with him. His biggest regret? That he was not able to share more of the gospel with all three of them. His biggest hope out of the event? That they went through the contents of the stolen laptop, because there is a lot of Christian material on it, and God could use that to change their hearts.
That's loving like God.
I heard another account of missionaries who were imprisoned and tortured. Some of them ended up dying because they would not deny Christ. A report from those who were released talked about how one of the group volunteered to die first, but a number of members in the group kept one-upping each other to explain why they should die first instead, laying his life down for his friends.
That's loving like God.
I've also watched a movie before called Amish Grace. It's based on a true story of a man who came to an Amish school and shot a number of girls there, killing some of them. The most shocking parts of the story? The forgiveness the community showed to the man who shot the girls, and the compassion they showed to his wife, who couldn't believe they cared so much about her pain in the midst of their own.
That's loving like God.
These stories just blow me away, and they are just a drop in the bucket. Crazy acts of forgiveness that are beautiful pictures of the love of God for the world -- sending his son Jesus to die to pay the price for the sins of a world full of people bent on rebelling against him.
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Monday, April 5, 2010
Another False Idol
I sinned against the LORD and my wife today. Granted, I do that pretty much every day without knowing about it, but today it was blatantly obvious. Thank the LORD for grace, patience, forgiveness, and mercy! In the spirit of taking a bad situation and pulling something good out of it, and least I came to realize something that hopefully can be useful to another brother or sister.
Among the many false idols that we must be wary of, reason can be one of them as well.
Specific examples aside, here is the situation. My wife wanted something done. Just a not-too-difficult task that came out of an off the cuff remark. The task seems to be pointless. It seems to be a waste of time, a little bit of money, and encourages something else that seems to be a further waste of time. To appease the logical side of my brain, a reasonable reason needs to be given! My wife thinks the asking in itself is enough of a reason.
Guess what? She was right.
After sinfully contributing to my end of the ensuing argument and sucking joy out of our lives, for a short time, for both of us, I got the reason I was seeking. It was a valid one. It contributed to further bonding between her and some members of the family she is trying to get closer to. Perfectly valid, as relationships are very important.
However, she was still right. I didn't need to know that. The asking in itself should have been enough for me if I was loving her correctly. Christ didn't say "ask, present your case in a good amount of detail, and it shall be given". Our dad in heaven doesn't just answer the prayers that have a rock solid court room style defense laid out for our requests. So who am I to demand more than God?
No, sometimes loving our wives also means trusting them and seeking to be a blessing when opportunities come up -- even ones we don't understand. We don't need to understand, whether or not there is a good reason to be had.
I'm so glad the Spirit convicts us soundly when we do wrong. Praise the LORD for his correction, his patience and his love!
Grace and Peace
Among the many false idols that we must be wary of, reason can be one of them as well.
Specific examples aside, here is the situation. My wife wanted something done. Just a not-too-difficult task that came out of an off the cuff remark. The task seems to be pointless. It seems to be a waste of time, a little bit of money, and encourages something else that seems to be a further waste of time. To appease the logical side of my brain, a reasonable reason needs to be given! My wife thinks the asking in itself is enough of a reason.
Guess what? She was right.
After sinfully contributing to my end of the ensuing argument and sucking joy out of our lives, for a short time, for both of us, I got the reason I was seeking. It was a valid one. It contributed to further bonding between her and some members of the family she is trying to get closer to. Perfectly valid, as relationships are very important.
However, she was still right. I didn't need to know that. The asking in itself should have been enough for me if I was loving her correctly. Christ didn't say "ask, present your case in a good amount of detail, and it shall be given". Our dad in heaven doesn't just answer the prayers that have a rock solid court room style defense laid out for our requests. So who am I to demand more than God?
No, sometimes loving our wives also means trusting them and seeking to be a blessing when opportunities come up -- even ones we don't understand. We don't need to understand, whether or not there is a good reason to be had.
I'm so glad the Spirit convicts us soundly when we do wrong. Praise the LORD for his correction, his patience and his love!
Grace and Peace
Saturday, November 21, 2009
800 Pacos
A co-worker posted this. I think its from Turning Point.
A Spanish father and son had a falling out, and the son ran away. The father set off to find him, and after months of looking to no avail, he finally put an ad in the Madrid newspaper. It read: “Dear Paco, meet in front of the newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your father.” 800 Pacos showed up to the newspaper office that Saturday, all looking for love and forgiveness from their fathers.
Forgiveness is a difficult concept. Our main point of reference on the subject is how hard it is to forgive someone who has hurt us or a loved one. And because we struggle with forgiving others, we sometimes have a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness. But regardless of how we view God’s willingness and ability to forgive, He sees us in purity through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, rather than in the filth of our sin.
When we feel like running away from God because our sin is just too great, we have to remember that all is forgiven. He loves us, and He is waiting for us with open arms.
Grace and Peace
A Spanish father and son had a falling out, and the son ran away. The father set off to find him, and after months of looking to no avail, he finally put an ad in the Madrid newspaper. It read: “Dear Paco, meet in front of the newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your father.” 800 Pacos showed up to the newspaper office that Saturday, all looking for love and forgiveness from their fathers.
Forgiveness is a difficult concept. Our main point of reference on the subject is how hard it is to forgive someone who has hurt us or a loved one. And because we struggle with forgiving others, we sometimes have a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness. But regardless of how we view God’s willingness and ability to forgive, He sees us in purity through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, rather than in the filth of our sin.
When we feel like running away from God because our sin is just too great, we have to remember that all is forgiven. He loves us, and He is waiting for us with open arms.
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Idle Hands
Lord forgive my idle hands
That the devil takes under his command
To do nothing for your kingdom's sake
But rather your Son's heart break
Thank you for holding on tight
And not letting go without a fight
To pull me out of the pit I jumped in
When I betrayed you for my sin
When far from you I surely stumble
Thank you Lord for keeping me humble
And bringing me back to your embrace
As I bathe in your mercy and your grace
Thank you for again showing me
Why you bled and died upon that tree
I need clear cut reminders that you bought
Me, a member of a stubborn stiff-necked lot
And that for me to be free you gave your all
So the next time that I trip and fall
Please pick me up and help me to stand
And forgive this sinner his idle hands
That the devil takes under his command
To do nothing for your kingdom's sake
But rather your Son's heart break
Thank you for holding on tight
And not letting go without a fight
To pull me out of the pit I jumped in
When I betrayed you for my sin
When far from you I surely stumble
Thank you Lord for keeping me humble
And bringing me back to your embrace
As I bathe in your mercy and your grace
Thank you for again showing me
Why you bled and died upon that tree
I need clear cut reminders that you bought
Me, a member of a stubborn stiff-necked lot
And that for me to be free you gave your all
So the next time that I trip and fall
Please pick me up and help me to stand
And forgive this sinner his idle hands
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Run, Joseph, Run
I get mad at myself sometimes. Its about the same time I also feel guilty about doing something that I know I shouldn't have done -- and knew I shouldn't be doing at the time I was doing it! You may recognize a similar conversation between you and the Holy Spirit (I'd like to think so anyway so that I'm not alone):
Holy Spirit: "Um, dude, I don't think that's a good idea."
Self: "I'm good, there's no problem here."
Holy Spirit: "You're going to do something stupid and regret it later."
Self: "Ssh, be quiet, no problem."
Holy Spirit: "Jesus doesn't want you to do that. I know, I'm pretty tight with Him."
Self: "Sorry, didn't hear you bro."
[a short time passes]
Self: "Crap."
Holy Spirit: "I told you so."
Sometimes its hard to hear the Spirit talking to you; however, when He does and you CAN hear Him...LISTEN! When He tells you to RUN like Joseph did when Potiphar's wife was trying to seduce him, RUN! Don't hang around thinking "maybe I can do this for just a little while longer without getting into a real bind here" or "well [this] isn't so bad, as long as I don't do [that]" or "I'm basically a good person, this isn't THAT bad". Its too easy to turn a situation into "managing sin" or falling into the pit of legalism or using relative morality instead of absolute morality. If you've got that voice telling you there's trouble ahead, just RUN! It certainly is a lot easier to say than to do all the time.
On a related side note, I hope one day to meet Paul in heaven and ask him if he had anything specific in mind when he wrote "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Romans 7:15) Then again what he has to say about that might just tell me why he has a tri-level mansion while I have a box under the bridge!
"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." (Romans 7:25)
Thank you God for forgiveness.
Holy Spirit: "Um, dude, I don't think that's a good idea."
Self: "I'm good, there's no problem here."
Holy Spirit: "You're going to do something stupid and regret it later."
Self: "Ssh, be quiet, no problem."
Holy Spirit: "Jesus doesn't want you to do that. I know, I'm pretty tight with Him."
Self: "Sorry, didn't hear you bro."
[a short time passes]
Self: "Crap."
Holy Spirit: "I told you so."
Sometimes its hard to hear the Spirit talking to you; however, when He does and you CAN hear Him...LISTEN! When He tells you to RUN like Joseph did when Potiphar's wife was trying to seduce him, RUN! Don't hang around thinking "maybe I can do this for just a little while longer without getting into a real bind here" or "well [this] isn't so bad, as long as I don't do [that]" or "I'm basically a good person, this isn't THAT bad". Its too easy to turn a situation into "managing sin" or falling into the pit of legalism or using relative morality instead of absolute morality. If you've got that voice telling you there's trouble ahead, just RUN! It certainly is a lot easier to say than to do all the time.
On a related side note, I hope one day to meet Paul in heaven and ask him if he had anything specific in mind when he wrote "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Romans 7:15) Then again what he has to say about that might just tell me why he has a tri-level mansion while I have a box under the bridge!
"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." (Romans 7:25)
Thank you God for forgiveness.
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