The cost of Unforgiveness.

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23)

Unforgiveness. We have heard the importance of forgiveness, but I want to share the other side of the coin regarding this subject. Many have said that unforgiveness does not hurt the other person, it hurts you. I want to submit to you that the other person can be hurt, too.

When a person clearly mistreats and lies on you, God takes it personal. His word says not to touch the Lord's anointed. (us) Words can hurt and scar us emotionally for life. Let's consider the following verse below

 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! (Matt 18:6-7)

In God's eyes, the born-again believers are considered children thru Christ Jesus. Notice how God reacts when we get treated unjustly and offended- It says woe to that man by whom the offence cometh. Now, I am not implying that we stay angry and hope to see that person's sin destroys them. Our duty as a Christian is to stand in the gap and pray for our enemies and those who offend us.

The importance of emotional healing.

Again, I call to your attention concerning verbal abuse and persecution. Words can hurt any person and create scars that will take years to heal. Forgiving others is not easy. We can say we forgive, but how do we feel about that person deep inside? Other will say things like this--"You don't know what he/she did to me" or "You haven't been in my shoes".

Emotional hurts are real and it is a major roadblock to forgiveness, but there is good news. Jesus said that he has come to heal the brokenhearted. ( Luke 4:18) Healing of a broken heart will allow you to fight the good fight and be able to forgive others. Let's look at the example of Joseph.

Joseph suffered abuse at the hands of his brothers. Due to their treatment and treachery, he was sold as a slave. During this time, he had to learn the language and customs of the people in the land. He had spent about 13 years in Egypt. They say time heals the wounds but that is a lie. It only camouflages it. The hurt was still there, but he had forgotten about it.

Then 13 years had passed and his brothers showed up. Since Joseph had adopted the ways of Egypt, he looked and dressed differently. His brothers did not recognize him. He treated them in a rough manner giving them a taste of their own medicine, but we see that God had convicted him. He revealed himself to his brothers and started to cry, which set the stage of his emotional healing. (Gen 43-45)

Retaining sins.

That is why, my brothers, we need to seek God when we are emotionally hurt. I heard a testimony about a man who took advantage of a Christian. This brother would lend him large amounts of money. The time came when he asked for his money, the man told him that he was not going to pay him back.

The brother was hurt and forgot to pray for him. The offender was driving down the road with his girlfriend when suddenly, he lost control of his vehicle. They fell off a cliff and they both died and went to hell. Brethren, many parents and family members have lost their loved ones when they forgot to pray for them. (After suffering abuse). At times, the hurt has been great that it has been hard to pray.

King David wrote in the psalms that he shed endless tears in bed. (Ps 6:6) He had reason to cry. His father in law-King Saul wanted to kill him. An army was after him and even his men turned against him. He did have reason to cry, but he never stop respecting and loving King Saul. He respected his authority and even wept for him when he was killed. (2 Samuel 1)

One key factor is that not getting healed from your hurts will cause you to retain the offender's sin. In turn, it can spell disaster for the person who offends you. When hurts and offenses comes, let's be quick to ask the Lord to heal us. Afterwards, let's just release the person and forgive them. Constant prayer will cause you to change your attitude and walk in the love of God. Remember, it's not a good idea to retain sin. Decide to walk in forgiveness and watch God move in your life. God bless.

Picture courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Reprint courtesy of the Christian Corner Ministries ( http://thechristiancorner.org )

A study on the book of Revelation....

 

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. (Gal 5:6)                                  

Greetings. How is your love walk on this day? You may ask–How does that relate to the study of the book of Revelation? First, a little background on the life of the Apostle John…

• He was Jesus’ best friend. Jesus, upon dying on the cross, entrusted the care of his mother to him. In this world, there are spiritual mothers and fathers who have children waiting in the winds for adoption. John was going to comfort Mary as a spiritual son. Mary may have been traumatized, seeing her son die on the cross. Another probability is that John may have lost his natural mother and Mary was to comfort him in his pain. ( John 19:25-27)
• He leaned on Jesus’ breast indicating closeness. His walk was a deep walk with the Father.
• He wrote the love chapters. John was very much familiar with walking in love with God and others. He learned to overcome fear in his life. (I John 4:18)
• He knew his identity with Jesus. God is Love. His love is perfect and he lives in us. (I John 4:18)
• He had reason to be bitter. The Romans arrested him and wanted to make an example of him. Tradition tells us that boiling oil was poured on him but he was not harmed. This took place in the Roman coliseum in front of a great multitude of people. The people upon seeing this miracle turned to God in droves. This, in turn, caused a great revival to occur.

The Roman authorities were tired of seeing the Apostle John survive this and other tortures. As a way to get this menace away, they exiled him to the penal colony of Patmos. This was a dangerous place with little odds of survival, but God was protecting him. Seeking refuge in a cave, he did not allow his circumstances to affect his love walk with God and others

Rev 1:1-2 indicates how God rewarded John. He showed him things that would occur in the future. Verse 2 indicates his faithfulness to God. He was not afraid to witness in the midst of danger and persecution. He, also, testified of his own personal encounter with the Lord.

Question to ask yourself–How is your love life?

• Do you want to become fearless in your walk with the Lord?
• Do you want to experience God’s best for you and others?
• Do you want to see signs, wonders, miracles, and impact your world for Christ?

This is a challenge for all of us! (Including yours truly) Let’s learn from the life of the Apostle John and improve our love walk today!

For more on the book of Revelation, click on the links below—

1-The Christian Corner community church 56

2-Video on Patmos 

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church.

 

The Love of God!

                                                    Me and my granddaughter Kathy


"....And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."  (Eph 3:19) 

                   This past July the fourth was one to remember for us. Our son Josh, his wife and granddaughter Kathy came from Florida to Virginia. We had a ball and spent some time together. As I ponder upon this, I find that life is so precious. Life passes us by at a very fast pace and we, sometimes, take our loved ones for granted. 
                   I have learned to savor life and take advantage of moments like this. A few weeks ago, my parents came to visit us. That, too, was precious. We tend to see our parents as towers of strength and think that they will, always, be with us. My time spent with my parents, especially my mother taught me otherwise. I noticed my mom had aged and had trouble walking. Time waits for no one. 
                   Getting back to my time with my granddaughter, something touched me deep in my heart. I noticed the love she had for me. When she arrived to spend some time with me, she told me that she missed me. With that statement, she smiled and gave me a hug. The saddest part was that when the time arrived for her to leave, she started to cry and wanted to stay with us.
            As I meditated on this yesterday in prayer, I thanked God for the love that my granddaughter has for me. It was a touching and humbling experience. Then the Lord spoke to me and showed me that he loves me much more than my granddaughter. With that I wept. 
              Why did I wept? Because like my granddaughter, our Father wants to spend time with us! How many times we made God weep because we make excuses not to pray? How many times he wants us to be in his presence, yet we put other things before him?
                   We have yet to comprehend the love of God. When we do get a sample of it, nothing else will matter. Yes, I am for working a job and spending time with family, but we need to spend some time with the Father ---Knowing him, loving him and getting filled with his fullness.
                 The world is looking for answers. Some look for drugs and alcohol to fill that void,but when you fill yourself with the fullness of God, you got it all. In this day, let's spend some time with the Father. Ask him to show you his love and be able to comprehend it. As you begin to understand his ways, you will enter a new dimension. A new experience, second to none that will change your life forever! God bless. 

Prayer--Father, help me to prioritize my time. Forgive me for putting things ahead of you. Forgive me for being sidetracked when I should have been praying. Forgive me for having fallen asleep instead of praying. Help me to understand the love you have for me. Help me to walk in love, not only with you but with others, so then I can be filled with your fullness. In Jesus name---Amen!