As We Forgive Those

Forgiveness is something we struggle with.

One reason is that we have been conditioned from childhood to look out for ourselves.

For another, we have been taught not to let others take advantage of us.

There are without a doubt many more reasons and excuses we could cite.

When someone wrongs us our first response is not forgiveness.

We might be tempted to retaliate.

If we overcome that hurdle then the temptation to dwell upon it arises.

This is the temptation that we normally give into.

Dwelling upon the injustice accomplishes nothing.

It distracts us from what we could and should otherwise be doing.

It can even keep us awake at night as we replay the event over and over in our minds.

But that is not what Jesus wants for us.

Jesus tells us that we must forgive.

This is not an option nor is it just good advice.

When Jesus taught us to pray, He was very clear about this.

We are to pray "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us".

That is from the Lord's Prayer and that is the way forgiveness works.

It is, in essence, a two way street.

If we wish to be forgiven, we must forgive others as well.

Yet forgiveness does not come easy to us because of our human nature and weakness.

That is why we have to rely on God's strength rather than our own.

When we do that then the task of forgiveness becomes much easier to accomplish.

Once we forgive, something truly remarkable happens.

We are liberated.

We cease to carry around a completely unnecessary burden that interferes with the kind of life He wants us to experience,

Think of your life as a ship and the unwillingness to forgive as an anchor.

While anchored, our lives are stagnant.

No progress is possible.

But true forgiveness is not merely the act of pulling up the anchor and taking it with you.

True forgiveness is severing the line and completely leaving the anchor behind.

We then have complete freedom to sail to the next destination He has planned for us.

Jesus told us more.

Matthew 5:7-8 (NET) - Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

When we truly forgive we are being merciful to others and have taken a big step in purifying our hearts.

The best part is that we do not have to do this alone.

We can ask for His help.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The  Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 4, 2014.
I’ll be back here on Friday, July 11, 2014

Prayer Revisited

I recently had the privilege of leading two adult classes on the topic of prayer.

Prior to leading those classes I posted a blog on my other site entitled Teach Us to Pray.

There I cited the examples Jesus gave us on the proper approach to God in prayer as well as the model He gave us which we now lovingly refer to as The Lord's Prayer.

In this post I thought would expand on the topic of prayer based not only on the curriculum but also from feedback I received from those in attendance.

To begin with, I still maintain my position that prayer is much more than "praying big" to God whose power is limitless.

Prayer remains one of the best means we have of strengthening our relationship with God and not merely a means by which we receive things we request.

Please do not misunderstand me.

I think it is a wonderful thing to pray for others especially when they are ill, coping with loss or dealing with difficult situations.

If we are faced with similar issues, then we should take them to God in prayer as the old hymn reminds us.

But we also need to exercise good judgment when it comes to praying for ourselves.

By that I mean that we really need to understand what is motivating us to pray for ourselves.

When it come to praying for things we really need to exercise caution.

Let's take praying to God for a new church building or for the expansion of an existing one as an example.

On the surface, this seems benign but even in this case we need to examine our motives.

If our motivation is to edify the body and we need more room to accommodate more people then I think we are on good footing.

If our motivation is merely to have a nicer and more beautiful structure then perhaps we should take time to think things over before approaching God.

Granted, I am painting with an extremely broad brush, but this is merely for the sake of example.

That said, let us examine the results of prayer.

For example let us say that there are two people and each has a close family member who is extremely ill.

Let us also say that each prayed for the healing of his family member.

Let us also assume that the first family member was healed but the second died.

Can we conclude that the second person did not pray as hard as the first, or that the right prayer was not said?

Can we conclude that the first person had more faith than the second?

The answer to all these questions is "No".

God has a plan and understands it completely, whereas we cannot.

Though each of the two prayers was answered in a different way, the relationships between each of those praying and God were strengthened.

And the prayers should not end there.

The second should pray for comfort, peace and understanding.

The first should pray with gratitude.

Thus the relationships between those praying and God continues to be strengthened.

It must be stated that too often it is the prayer of gratitude that is overlooked.

These are but a few thoughts on prayer, so I invite you to read Hebrews chapter 11 in its entirety to put things in a proper perspective.

Bear in mind the last two verses.

Hebrews 11:39-40 (NIV) - These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

This brings up a final point.

Some prayers are not answered right away.

Some might not even be answered in our lifetime.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The  Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 20, 2014.
I’ll be back here on Friday, June 27, 2014