Pastor Randy’s
devotional:
So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in
the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person.
Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:23-24
January 26th Prayer:
January 26th Prayer:
Father, You reconciled me to you through Jesus when there was no other
way. I know You have the power to reconcile my relationship with
_________________________________________. I ask You to help me. Help them.
Soften our hearts . . . and our words . . . and our attitudes. I will forgive
them. And I will forgive myself. Help me to release the hurt, anger and
resentment of my heart as I walk freely into Your presence to worship . . . in
Jesus’ name!
My thoughts:
Bitterness comes forth
from ones lips, and once done, it is twice as bitter on the lips upon taking
them back. We have all allowed temporary
emotions to drive the words and actions which often times destroy years of a loving,
wonderful relationship. Pride is often
times at the root of these issues, and controlling that pride is in most cases
very difficult and counter intuitive.
Looking at the examples we have in Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5,
he tells us to “turn the other cheek, love your enemies, go the extra mile to
help your brother . . . “ Then again, you
recall his words from the cross, “Father, Forgive them; they know not what they
do.” He taught us to forgive, regardless of what they have done to us.
We are all given one life to live for the Lord. Your life is no more valuable than the addict who is strung out in the middle of the alley at night. In the eyes of God, we are all His children and His desire is for all to be reconciled to Him and with Him in eternity. Who are we to then determine that someone is unworthy of this plan? If you are holding a grudge against someone, it is important to take a bigger look at the situation, from the perspective of your Father’s view. He may see the wrong, but He also sees the good that comes from each of us. He alone is set to judge good from evil, we are ill-equipped to do so. Our role is to love our neighbor as our Father loves them, which means swallowing one’s pride and forgiving them.
It’s hard to carry the image of Christ to the world, but this is a sure way to let them see that God is love.
We are all given one life to live for the Lord. Your life is no more valuable than the addict who is strung out in the middle of the alley at night. In the eyes of God, we are all His children and His desire is for all to be reconciled to Him and with Him in eternity. Who are we to then determine that someone is unworthy of this plan? If you are holding a grudge against someone, it is important to take a bigger look at the situation, from the perspective of your Father’s view. He may see the wrong, but He also sees the good that comes from each of us. He alone is set to judge good from evil, we are ill-equipped to do so. Our role is to love our neighbor as our Father loves them, which means swallowing one’s pride and forgiving them.
It’s hard to carry the image of Christ to the world, but this is a sure way to let them see that God is love.
Be Blessed,
Rich
If you would like to be added to the email distribution, please send an email here.
More information on The Crossing Church can be found here: FB: @thecrossing.cc; www.thecrossing.cc
No comments:
Post a Comment