Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 February 2022 Matthew 6:12.

16 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 6:12.     ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ 

And what shall we talk about this damp, cloudy Wednesday morning eh my faithful brethren in Christ? I asked the Lord that question, and you won’t believe His answer. He said, talk about forgiveness. Yes friends, that’s what our heavenly Father wants us to talk about today. And it’s not an easy problem to talk about, much less to put into practice. But the only way we can become true believers in and followers of Christ is if forgiveness is numbered amongst our many attributes. 

Now the first thing we need to remember are the words of Jesus in the prayer we call the ‘Lord’s Prayer,’ where He says: ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt. 6:12) Then He clarifies it all by saying: ‘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 Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 614-15) Oh my people, that is so in your face that you couldn’t get away from it, even if you tried! (smile) 

But still, many of us don’t take it seriously, thinking that somehow or the other we can get away with not forgiving others. However, like so many other things we try to get away from, that’s merely a fool’s wisdom. And I’ve found some reading on the situation that I believe will help us understand it more clearly. It’s the writing most aptly titled ‘Forgiveness’ found in our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. 

So please read with me: ‘Forgiveness. What does it do for us? In an amazing way it creates a fresh beginning. It lifts us out of the tangled seaweed of resentment. A miracle is performed! It may not happen in a moment or a day. We may have to forgive at six o’clock on Monday and start over again at two o’clock on Tuesday. There is no magic wand to simplify forgiveness. Forgiveness is a deliberate setting of our will, often with no emotional high whatsoever. 

But once having genuinely forgiven, our soul is washed clean. We walk in dignity again. We sense a new vitality. We’re no longer concentrating on hurts; we’re concentrating on God. If we would only forgive, our lives would undergo transformations beyond our highest expectations. Above all, Jesus Christ would be exalted, for it is His forgiveness that makes the difference. 

Forgiveness is a beautiful word. It is God’s word passed to us to use freely, joyfully. When we ask for the gift of forgiveness, God always says yes. He gave His Son to make us free, and forgiveness is the secret key to freedom.’ 

Mama Oh Mama! Isn’t that beautiful my people! And not only beautiful but also the gospel truth! And I’m wondering here if I’ve ever encountered or used that marvellous passage on Forgiveness before, because it doesn’t seem familiar to me. And I would be highly disappointed in myself if I’ve had such a fantastic explanation of ‘Forgiveness’ in my possession for so long and never used it. 

And, if after reading that ‘forgiveness’ doesn’t have a new meaning, then something’s seriously wrong with us. It’s a miracle! It untangles our tangled up lives and gives us a new beginning! But we have to make a positive choice to forgive and work at it continually, because there’s no magic wand to it. It washes our soul clean! 

Wow! It even adds dignity to our walk and a new sense of vitality? Why is that you ask? Because when we forgive, we let go of all the petty hurts and resentments and begin thinking of God, pure and simple! And remember that’s why the Lord sent Christ to earth, so that He could die on the cross and atone for our sins; that means forgiveness of our disgusting iniquity. So, it’s His forgiveness in the first place that makes all the difference in our lives. And when we use that beautiful word forgiveness, we’re using the word the Lord gave us so that we can have freedom and joy, because those magnificent things only come through forgiveness! 

Oh mih people, the ole fella’s on a roll here. (smile) And the Bible verse used as a promise for this passage comes from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, where he’s talking to them about Christian virtues, and admonishes them: ‘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.3:13) 

Now that’s the King James version, but this NLT (New Living Translation) version might make it a li’l clearer. ‘You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.’ And we can’t get away from that written in stone fact, no matter how we try my people, because Jesus preached it so much. 

Listen to Him as He talks about prayer and believing when you pray. ‘And when ye stand praying, forgive if ye have aught (anything) against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:25-26) How much clearer can it get eh? But yet we insist on praying when we have a whole lot of unforgiveness, resentment and hatred filling our hearts. 

As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus. ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:31-32) 

Oh friends, when are we going to learn that the two most important words in God’s vocabulary are LOVE and Forgiveness? He sent Jesus because He LOVED us and consequently wanted to see us forgiven of our terrible sins. And until we have them in great measure in our souls, we are just wasting time, just spinning our wheels and not growing spiritually. However, for those of us who are sincerely and seriously endeavouring to get those attributes in our lives, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most marvellous position in Christ Jesus! 

Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And let’s remember that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So please, let’s keep on keeping on for Christ nuh! Much LOVE!

…there’s no forgiveness without LOVE…and no LOVE without forgiveness… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 February 2019 Colossians 3:13.

13 Feb 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.
 

And the snow has stopped falling – at least for the time being! Who knows what’s next eh? But what to do, nothing but grin and bear it as best you can. It’s not like we don’t expect snow to fall in winter, but yet we complain so much when it does! (smile) 

Anyway friends, we not going to talk anymore about the weather, I have to go out the street and do some stuff today, so we’ll just leave it all in the Master’s hands, to carry me and bring me back safely. I do hope though, that the fellow we’ve already paid to clean our driveway will come and do so before I’m ready to go out. End of complaining! (smile) 

Now let’s move on to the topic for the day; a rather important one in the lives of ALL believers, and one which we don’t do as well as we should, we’re talking about ‘Forgiveness.’ And that’s the title of the reading from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. 

It says: ‘Forgiveness. What does it do for us? In an amazing way it creates a fresh beginning. It lifts us out of the tangled seaweed of resentment. A miracle is performed! It may not happen in a moment or a day. We may have to forgive at six o’clock on Monday and start over again at two o’clock on Tuesday. 

There is no magic wand to simplify forgiveness. Forgiveness is a deliberate setting of our will, often with no emotional high whatsoever. But once having genuinely forgiven, our soul is washed clean. We walk in dignity again. We sense a new vitality. We’re no longer concentrating on hurts; we’re concentrating on God. If we would only forgive, our lives would undergo transformations beyond our highest expectations. 

Above all, Jesus Christ would be exalted, for it is His forgiveness that makes the difference. Forgiveness is a beautiful word. It is God’s word passed to us to use freely, joyfully. When we ask for the gift of forgiveness, God always says yes. He gave His Son to make us free, and forgiveness is the key to freedom.’ 

And isn’t that the gospel truth friends; we can’t be free until we’ve been forgiven…and we have forgiven! That’s just the way the Lord set it up! And the most important thing we need to know, understand and get deep down in our spirits is that forgiveness is not merely for the forgiven, who oftimes don’t even know or care, but forgiveness most of all is for the forgiver! It’s for us above all else. Because it sets us free from resentment and all the other negative emotions that can occur through a spirit of unforgiveness. 

Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the Colossians nuh, when talking about the Christian virtues. ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of 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 have an interesting explanation of that last verse. ‘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.’ 

That’s simple common sense friends, all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, therefore we need to be compassionate and forgiving of each other’s faults and weaknesses, just like Christ forgave us. And so many of us forget that oh so important fact; that Christ forgave us, that’s why our sin debts have been paid and we’re heaven bound. 

But foolishly and selfishly and arrogantly we refuse to forgive others while we go with hypocritical hearts to God crying out for forgiveness for our own deficiencies. That’s so wrong my brethren. And Jesus made that quite clear early on in His ministry. Note in the prayer that He taught, which we call the Lord’s Prayer, the second to last line says: ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt.6:12) And it means just that; as we forgive, so we will be forgiven! 

And Jesus made it even clearer a couple of verses later: ‘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 Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt.6:14-15) It couldn’t be any clearer than that friends! 

So let’s get some wisdom and common sense going in respect of forgiveness nuh, because we only hurt ourselves when we don’t forgive. No one says it’s always easy, but with God’s help we can ALWAYS accomplish it, no matter how long it takes! 

Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our position in Christ Jesus: With sincerity, in loud voice and strong sense of purpose: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! 

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And please believe it, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…forgiveness frees the forgiver…so that Christ can forgive them… 

P.S. I just went upstairs to reheat my coffee, and looked outside…and wonder of wonders, the snow has begun falling again! So who knows what the day will bring eh? (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 February 2017 Colossians 3:13.

08 Feb 2017 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Well hello there mih lovelies! This is the ole fella, alive and kicking…decently! (smile) If I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t be able to run from pillar to post to all these doctors for numerous tests. And they keep telling me that my heart is weak. Steups! 

Anyway the lateness for the Bit was caused by one of those early morning forays into the big city for more tests, and by the time I got home it was early afternoon and the ole bod was crying out for rest. 

But we’re up and about now, and we’ll begin the proceedings with this essay from our ‘One year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.’ It’s titled ‘Forgiveness,’ and I just could not pass up sharing it. 

Please read with me. ‘Forgiveness. What does it do for us? In an amazing way it creates a fresh beginning. It lifts us out of the tangled seaweed of resentment. A miracle is performed! It may not happen in a moment or a day. We may have to forgive at six o’clock on Monday and start over again at two o’clock on Tuesday. 

There is no magic wand to simplify forgiveness. Forgiveness is a deliberate setting of our will, often with no emotional high whatsoever. But once having genuinely forgiven, our soul is washed clean. We walk in dignity again. We sense a new vitality. We’re no longer concentrating on hurts; we’re concentrating on God. 

If we would only forgive, our lives would undergo transformations beyond our highest expectations. Above all, Jesus Christ would be exalted, for it is His forgiveness that makes the difference. 

Forgiveness is a beautiful word. It is God’s word passed to us to use freely, joyfully. When we ask for the gift of forgiveness, God always says yes. He gave His Son to make us free, and forgiveness is the secret key to freedom.’ 

Oh friends, isn’t that beautiful? It surely is! It’s one of, if not the best writing I’ve ever heard on forgiveness! And would you believe, I don’t remember ever seeing it before in the two or three years that we’ve been using this devotional. 

Hopefully it’s just my mind is a tad foggy, and I’ve shared it before. It’s too beautiful not to be shared again and again. And what I like about it, is how it covers every aspect of forgiveness; from what it does for us, to how we came by it; through God and His Son Jesus. 

So much of it is true: ‘there is no magic wand to it.’ It’s a definite decision we have to make to forgive, and then work painfully through it. ‘But once we have genuinely forgiven, our soul is washed clean.’ 

Oh how precious that feeling of being washed clean is, my precious people! It’s like when you take a shower after rolling around in the mud. You just feel refreshed and exhilarated; like a new you has been born. 

And believe me when you truly forgive, a new you is really born, because then you stop focusing on yourself and begin to focus on Almighty God, your Creator and benevolent Provider! 

And if we would only concentrate on forgiving, rather that holding anger and resentment in our hearts, our lives would truly undergo such beautiful transformations, transformations beyond all that we can ask or imagine. 

But instead too many of us, (Christians included) choose to foolishly hold on the negative emotional aspects of life, that’s why our lives are so topsy-turvy and we have so little peace and contentment. 

And certainly, our constant use of forgiveness exalts and glorifies our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, because that’s one of His foundation themes. As He says plainly in Mark. ‘And when you stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought (anything) against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:25-35) 

Oh friends, it couldn’t get any simpler or more straightforward than that! Forgive, and you will be forgiven! Don’t forgive, and you won’t be forgiven! 

However, many of us go to God crying out for forgiveness, but are still harbouring unforgiveness in our hearts towards others. God won’t answer those prayers. God forgave us our sins against Him, by sacrificing His Son Jesus for us, therefore He expects us to forgive others of their wrongs against us. There are no ifs ands and buts about it!  

And before I forget, (smile) let’s check out the promise for that writing, and also our Bit for today. ‘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.’  

Yeh mih people, forgiveness is one of the foundation blocks of Jesus’ philosophy and eternal kingdom! If you don’t practice it, then it won’t be practiced on you. Now let’s go home, energized and refreshed, burning inside with forgiveness, (smile) and gratitude and thanks and praise, as we declare our Wednesday Wail. 

In all sincerity and truth now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Oh my fellow believers, I can’t find appropriate words, words that truly reflect the wonder and glory of sincerely following Jesus nuh! You won’t believe it, until you experience it! Why don’t you open your heart to Him today, and see the wonderful difference He’ll make in your life. Much LOVE!

…forgiveness is the secret key to FREEDOM…