Ay mih people, is Tuesday…and the ole fella is tired. Just finished having a nap after breakfast. Believe me, it was hard to get up, and I still can’t catch mihself, so if some strange things happen in the Bit, don’t be surprised eh. (smile) Today seems to be a rest day, as the people who were supposed to come from the country to visit won’t be coming, but some of the town folks will, so it won’t all be rest.
Oh, yesterday was certainly a busy day, out and about in the hot sun, visiting a friend in the afternoon, stopping along the way for a couple of the famous Devon House patties – add a piece of a nice bread pudding to that – then getting home just in time to shower and change and go back to an Open Week Library function on the university campus, acknowledging and celebrating some of the educational books, some twenty of them, published in the last year by university people.
That was a good time too, some singing by a young lady, Mrs. Alicia Taylor, I believe that was her name. Then we had some fine words from our guest speaker, Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison, wine and scrumptious finger food and good mingling. Just for your info, they appreciated the ole fella’s lively spirit. And why wouldn’t they eh? (smile) Enough of my rambling though, let’s get to what the Lord put in my heart and soul to talk about today.
And friends, today’s topic is oh so important; it’s possibly the most important element in a Christian’s life after acceptance of Jesus…and we talking about FORGIVENESS! Yeh fellow saints, it’s so important that Jesus included it in the prayer He taught His disciples, and consequently us, to offer up to the Father, each and every day: ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ Oh precious people, those words are so important that we ignore them to our peril.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Jesus again. ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt.6:14-15) Yes people, as always, Jesus spells it out loud and clear: forgive and you will be forgiven; do not forgive, and you will not be forgiven! It’s as simple as that. But you know that we selfish and sinful humans like to ask, even beg the Lord for forgiveness, but hesitate, no, bluntly refuse, to offer forgiveness to others. How can that ever stand us in good stead eh my fellow believers? It certainly won’t.
But even putting aside Jesus’ warning, what we foolishly don’t seem to realize is that forgiveness is not really for the other person but for us. When we forgive, we are set free from whatever bitterness and anger and any other negative emotion that we’re holding on to by not forgiving. A Bruh Paulian sentence that! (smile) Ofttimes the other person, or persons, are not even aware of any wrong they’ve done you, or know and really don’t care, so it’s just you who’s holding and strangling your soul with all that ungodly emotion.
And you don’t necessarily have to tell them that you forgive them either. You just make a conscious decision to do so, ask the Lord for His help, let it go, and move on with your life. Yeh, I know it’s seldom that easy, taking into consideration some of the awful wrongs that have been done, and are being done in these evil times, but like life itself, it is a process, and the sooner you make that decision to forgive and actively work towards that forgiveness, the sooner it will happen, and the better off you will be.
Now hear this rather informative exchange between Jesus and Peter on the subject. ‘Then came Peter to him (Jesus), and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times.’ (Matt.18:21) Peter must have figured that he was being very generous to forgive his brother seven times. But listen to Jesus’ answer. ‘Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.’ (Matt.18:22) Mamacita! Can you imagine forgiving somebody 490 times – especially for the same wrong! Not many of us can, but it’s what we’re required to do if we want to be faithful believers and workers for Jesus.
And these words of Bruh Paul to the Colossians, highlighting the Christian virtues, admirably guide us in this respect. ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of (tender) mercies (heartfelt compassion). Kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; Forbearing (bearing with) one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’ (Col.3:12-13)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘3:13. The fact of believers being urged to assume the virtues of verse 12 signifies that none has yet “arrived” spiritually. As the believer is developing these virtues, he must be forbearing and forgiving toward his fellow church member. For his Christian brother is also in the process of acquiring the virtues of verse 12 and therefore retains some flaws, deficiencies, and weaknesses. Hence the need of forbearance and forgiveness.’
Friends, that means we need to be forbearing and forgiving until we die, or Jesus’ comes back, because NONE of us will ever arrive spiritually before those times! So for all of our sakes, let’s ponder the state of our hearts today, and see if there be any unforgiveness in them nuh, then ask the Lord to help us. As Bruh David requested of the Father: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps.51:10) And you know the Lord will always answer that kind of prayer if it’s sincere.
Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with all sincerity: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ So let’s go and do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…forgiveness benefits the forgiver…more than the forgiven…both emotionally and spiritually…
SCRIP-BITS 
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 February 2017 Colossians 3:13.
10 Feb 2017 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anything productive for Jesus, broken down, celebrations, colour commentary, compassion, debtor's prison, enthusiasm, even as Christ forgave you, forbearing one another, forgive, forgive not every one his brother their trespasses, forgiving one another, Friday chant, friends, from your hearts, fun, generous help, give thanks, glorious kingdom, he hwo has ears to hear, he will certainly feel, how oft shall my brother sin against me, if any man have a quarrel against any, inspiring, let him hear, LOVE, negative circumstances, party hearty, quarrel, repair the situation, sensible, seven times, seventy times seven, so also do ye, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the power of forgiveness, the weekend, tired, unlimited forgiveness, wicked servant, wisdom
Colossians 3:13. Forbearing (bearing with) one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Ah mih people, yuh hear the Friday celebrations going on? The working man is overjoyed at two days off work and he plans to fully enjoy it in his own way.
That’s why he’s singing ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend’s here at long last! Steups! Thought it would never come yes! This week’s surely been a rough one! The slave driver was at his nasty best.
But Hallelujah! He can’t stop the weekend, and we going to party hearty; party right through it. That’s why we have to give thanks for Fridays and the weekend. TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’
Yeh friends, I know some of us would agree with all that, especially after a rough week at work, but the truth is, it just does not repair the situation, it only makes it worse, because then you have to go back out to work the following week all broken down and tired, and unable to do anything productive for Jesus under those negative circumstances.
Much better our simple but renewing Friday Chant. So let’s chant it now nuh, with the same enthusiasm that the working man sang his Friday song. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that sounds much more inspiring and sensible. At least when you go back out to work you’re not more tired than when you left. And here now is our Bit; possibly the last day for it. But who knows eh? (smile) Only the Good Lord!
‘Forbearing (bearing with) one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’
Oh friends, those words are so important to both our earthly and heavenly lives, that if we truly understood the power of forgiveness, we’d just run quickly and forgive everybody that ever hurt us.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to Peter and Jesus’ conversation on the subject. Jesus had been telling them about praying while having a brother trespass against them, and how they should go and straighten out the situation first. (Matt.18:15-20)
‘Then came Peter to him (Jesus), and said, Lord, how oft (often) shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.’ (Matt.18:21-22)
Yes my fellow believers, seven times just won’t do! Here’s how the scholars explain it. ’18:21-22. All this teaching on forgiveness seemed overwhelming to the disciples, thus prompting Peter’s question: Lord how oft (often) shall my brother sin against me? Peter wrongly assumes that seven times are ample to forgive anyone.
Jesus responds that seven is not only insufficient but that one should forgive seventy times seven, in other words, unlimited forgiveness must characterize the true disciple.’
Wow mih breddren! Even forgiving 490 times is not enough in Jesus’ kingdom! Forgiveness must always keep flowing, just like God’s forgiveness keeps flowing down to us!
Then Jesus told them the parable of the king who took account of what his servants owed him. This one servant owed him oodles of money, but he begged for forgiveness and the king forgave him.
Meanwhile, that same servant accosted another servant who owed him a pittance in comparison to what he had owed the king. However, when his fellow servant pleaded for forgiveness, he instead threw him into debtors prison until he could pay the pittance that he owed.
Obviously the other servants brought the mater to the king’s attention. ‘Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged) me:
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him to the tormentors (torturers), till he should pay all that was due unto him.’ (Matt.18:32-34)
Oh my fellow believers please pay very close attention to that story, because this is how Jesus concludes the parable. ‘So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt.18:35)
That’s as plain and straightforward as it can get my brethren. And please note the words ‘from your hearts.’ They are not there just to provide colour commentary, but to specify that our motives must also be right.
And that’s it for today. Please, let’s seriously ponder all that we’ve learned about forgiveness over the last few days nuh, and realize just how important it is in our very lives. That’s wisdom of untold reckoning! Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…else he will certainly feel…