Tag: forgiveness
Week 27–Day 1–Pray Like This!
Scripture reading for June 29: Matthew 6:9-15 “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
As we close out this twenty-six week devotional for first responders, I want to encourage each of my brothers and sisters to develop a prayer connection with God the Father using the pattern taught by Jesus Christ to help connect with God effectively. This prayer has often been neglected or mis-used. Some memorize it and say it repetitively with little thought. For others, myself included, it is a wonderful help in keeping my focus on God’s holiness and grace and humbly presenting my personal needs. It was a pattern for corporate prayer among believers.
This prayer begins with relationship and our identity in Christ as God’s children. “Our Father” is recognition that all of us are created in God’s image and He is truly our Father in heaven. Our Father is Holy. He is complete and whole in Himself. He is the King of the heavenly kingdom and His will is to be our desire and focus on earth as it is in heaven. He is the source of all our needs, physical, emotional and spiritual and we are to ask Him for what we need each day. Forgiveness of sin is our deepest need and we are to ask Him for forgiveness and because He forgives us, we are to forgive others who wrong us. Reinforcing this is the admonition that if we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive us. Ending this short pattern is the humble request to deliver us from evil or the evil one. By faith, we pray, believing that God hears us and answers His children.
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, holy is Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, power, and glory forever! Amen.
Week 21–Day 1–EMS Encouragement
Scripture reading for May 18: Psalm 103:1-5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
King David loved to worship God and composed many of the psalms, including this one. This psalm extols the blessing of God, encouraging each believer to remember and worship God Who alone can bring these benefits. This song of blessing to God comes from deep inside of David’s heart and the blessing are tied to personal experience of each one. We note that David blesses God’s holy Name. God’s Names in the Old Testament reveal these benefits and are part of His revelation to man of His merciful character and desire to see man made in His image made whole and fully reflecting Him.
First, God forgives us of all our iniquity. Iniquity is a term used to describe not just a transgression of God’s law, but a pattern of living outside of God’s law. When we confess and repent, God not only forgives us our sins but has the ability to help us live victorious over the patterns of sin that beset us.
God also heals all our diseases. Disease and sickness are part of living in a fallen world. They are part of Satan’s plan to kill, steal from us and destroy our bodies and souls. God revealed Himself as His people’s healer in Exodus 15:26 and the psalmist declares this as a benefit of trusting God. Jesus came doing miracles of healing to show His Father’s compassion for sick and hurting people.
As first responders who are believers, God wants us to allow His love and mercy to flow through us to those we respond to. We are to bless people by our competence and care, trusting God to do the healing. As medical professionals, we can only show compassion and treat disease and injury. God can bring healing and renew strength like an eagle.
Prayer: Father God, we bless You for all Your many benefits and Your steadfast love and mercy. We willingly give ourselves to You to minister Your love and mercy to those You send us to. Amen.
Forgiveness Applied!
Scripture reading for July 30: 2 Corinthians 2
“For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” 2 Corinthians 2:6-10
Paul had worked with the Corinthian believers and church leaders through a difficult case requiring church discipline. (1 Corinthians 5) Evidently, this person who had been given over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh was now repentant. Paul urges the church to forgive him as Christ has already forgiven us. Withholding forgiveness can cause excessive sorrow and unnecessary division in Christ’s church. Forgiveness is not saying what was done was now accepted. Forgiveness says that a repentant heart receives grace from God and as God’s family, we also must give grace as Christ gave us grace.
Paul tells how he personally had to forgive members of the church there that had turned against him and spoken critically of his ministry and motives. Paul pointed them to Satan’s designs to cause hatred and distrust and division in Christ’s church. When we forgive, we defuse Satan’s designs and plans. These truths help all of Christ’s followers to see how to operate against a cunning enemy. Forgiveness is a choice that springs from the heart of our Lord Jesus Himself and the Holy Spirit living in us.
Have you ever found it difficult to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply? How does this instruction to the Corinthian church help you to be aware of Satan’s devices against you and the church? Have you ever been repentant but not found forgiveness from the one you wronged, in spite of asking?
Prayer: Father God, I admit that I have struggled to forgive those in the church that have turn against me or falsely accused me. Thank You for leading me to repentance for my attitudes and helping me to be aware of Satan’s devices. Please pour out Your grace on Your church enabling forgiveness. Amen.
Sunday rest–Forgiveness and Restoration
Dear brothers and sisters,
Greetings on this day of rest! Reflecting today on the trial of Job, we see that our Lord was and is good and that His plans to restore and bless His people are amazing. Job had lost everything over a period of time that is not defined for us, probably a year or more. He lost his children, in spite of praying and sacrificing for them regularly. He lost his wealth and possessions through theft, even though he was generous and did not worship his wealth or possessions. Then he lost his health and vigor when he should have been in his prime. In all this, Job did not curse God or accuse Him of wrongdoing.
As he experienced this trial, he was abandoned by his wife, who told him to ‘curse God and die.’ His three friends did come to sit with him in silence at first. But as they began to speak, they took up the taunt of our enemy the devil, accuser of the brethren. They accused him of harboring some unknown sin and of pride and arrogance. They told him he was being punished even less than he deserved. Job told them that they were ‘miserable comforters’! The young man, Elihu, also tried to offer wisdom but failed Job in telling him that God was clothed in awesome majesty, but that no one could find Him, especially those wise in their own conceit (like Job)! (Job 3:24)
But God does appear to Job and speaks personally to him out of a whirlwind. He questions Job and probes his lack of true understanding of God and His creation. Job repents of his own doubts and questions for God. God instructed Job to pray for his friends, forgiving them and blessing them. “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10 This emphasized how important forgiveness is in our relationship with God and others who may wrong us. Job lived another 140 years and had ten more children and many grandchildren to the forth generation! God is Good! In His Love, Pastor John
Good news: mercy and justice!
Scripture reading for June 30th: Luke 3, Psalm 130, Proverbs 6
Luke 3:15-18 “As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all saying, “I baptize you with water, but He Who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of Whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear the threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached Good News to the people.”
John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, created a stir among the people and religious authorities. His preaching called people to repentance and to baptism or washing of filth in expectation of the coming Messiah. This Messiah, according to John, would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. He would come to bring in the harvest of souls from the earth, symbolized by a winnowing fork, a tool that was used to harvest the wheat. The wheat would then be beaten on the threshing floor to remove the chaff. The Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, cleansing all sin and creating a new life. Sins would not only be forgiven, but consumed completely because Christ paid our penalty for sin. This message was “Good News” for sinners who were humble enough to repent!
Psalm 130:3-4 “If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your great mercy in sending Your Son to take the fire of judgment for broken law on our behalf on Calvary’s cross. Thank You for Jesus Christ, our Messiah, providing us with an inner baptism of the Holy Spirit and cleansing us with Holy Fire from Your altar of mercy. But for Your mercy, we would be consumed in the fire of judgment as chaff instead of gathered into Your Barn!
Proverbs 6:27-29 “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.”
Living in perfect harmony
Scripture reading for June 9th: Colossians 3
Key Scriptures: Colossians 3:12-16 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Paul simply stated that God’s love flowing through His Body, the Church, would bind together the various members of His Church in “perfect harmony.” It is the character of Jesus Christ that embodies ‘perfect love.’ When we repent, we ‘take off’ the old man and ‘put on’ the new man. This includes forgiving one another of past issues. We must forgive as the Lord Jesus has forgiven us. We replace our complaining with thankfulness for God’s mercy toward us and for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are also being transformed into Christ’s likeness. There is no room for offense and bitterness where the peace of Christ and Word of Christ dwells in our hearts. Instead we sing psalms and spiritual songs of worship to our Lord.
Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, I sometimes struggle with forgiving others in Your body who have wronged me or the church. Fill me with Your love and Word and thankfulness for Your mercy so I might live fully in Your perfect harmony with all believers. Let the world believe the Father has sent Jesus through my life of unity and practicing harmony.
John 17:20-21 “I do not ask for these only but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”
Grace as a free gift!
Scripture reading for February 11th: Romans 3
Key Scriptures: Romans 3:21-26 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it–the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
God’s amazing wisdom and grace for righteousness was made available to Jew and Gentile. Although they were all sinners under God’s wrath, God provided redemption through His Son’s blood to all who would believe on Jesus Christ. God demonstrated his righteousness and divine forbearance-patience in delaying justified judgment–by justifying those who came to faith in Jesus. The Jews had the Law and Prophets that bore witness to God’s righteousness. They still could not keep it by their works. The Gentiles had their conscience where God’s Law was written and nature that declared God’s power and authority but they could not earn righteousness. But God gave freely to all who believe in Jesus the free gift of His grace!
Psalm 103:2-4 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. . .”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the covering of Your blood over my sins and Your patience with me and other sinners. Give me grace today to patiently declare Your righteousness and amazing grace through Jesus to those You send me to.
Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”” (Psalm 14:1-3)
Learning and living!
Scripture reading for September 10th: Proverbs 12-14, Colossians 3
Key Scriptures: Colossians 3:12-15 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
Learning and living go together in our walk with Jesus Christ. As we follow Jesus, His example is to guide our conduct and His Holy Spirit is to fill us with the fruit of His Holy character. We are one with Christ and other believers in one body, His Church!
Proverbs 14:2-3 “Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises Him. By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.”
Prayer: Lord, clothe me today with Your Holy Spirit and Christ’s character so that I might reflect Your goodness to the people You love and died for. Amen.
Dwelling place for God
Scripture reading for August 28th: Psalm 129-132 and Ephesians 4
Key Scriptures: Ephesians 4:29-32 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Christians are not under the law anymore, but under grace through faith in Christ Jesus. They have been forgiven of their sins and cleansed in their hearts. The Holy Spirit dwells inside them to lead them in the new life of grace. This changes our speech, attitudes and past anger and malice towards others. Our attitudes and actions should now reflect Christ Jesus living within our hearts.
Psalm 132:13-16 “for the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place:”This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.”
Prayer: Lord, dwell in me today, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and clothe me with salvation and joy! I will proclaim Your grace to others. Amen.
God’s Amazing Plans
Scripture reading for May 22nd: 1st Chronicles 21-23, Acts 13
Key Scriptures: Acts 13:36-39 “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but He (Jesus) whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
As Paul preached to the Jews in Antioch, he carefully led them through the history of God dealing with their ancestors and how King David had served Israel in his generation but had died and was buried. Now a Son of David, Jesus Christ, had been raised from death and now offers forgiveness of sins to all who will believe. King David actually bought the site of the temple as the place where Jesus Christ would offer Himself for the sins of the world.
1st Chronicles 22:1 “Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”