6-15-2015

Good Morning All!!

        Luke 23:34a; “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

    Does it surprise you?  Does it surprise you that the very first words that a dying Savior would say are words of forgiveness?  Most of us probably look at this situation and we would curse or insult those who were harming us.  We would probably not forgive them.  Yet in many, many ways; this statement is the basic foundation of our faith.  It is not a faith based on obedience to a law; it is not based on attaining a certain level of consciousness; it is not based on achieving a level of knowledge.  Our faith is based entirely on forgiveness.  We place our hope and confidence in the simple truth that God, in his incredible love and mercy, forgives our sin and reclaims us as his children.  Because Jesus, although true man and suffering unimaginable pain, was also true God who forgave the sins of those who were abusing him and killing him.  He stated that they did not know what they were doing.  In in their ignorance, Jesus forgave the people.

    Sometimes it is easy to forgive the ignorance of others; people who do not know that they are hurting you.  When someone unintentionally hurts us, it somehow seems less painful.  We assume that the action was accidental and not intended to do us harm.  Yet how do we react when the person “does know what they are doing”?  How do we react and respond when someone we love hurts us?  How do we respond when we hear a cruel word or experience an unkind act from a family member or a close friend?  That can be tough.  Many times, these events lead to broken relationships like divorce or family members refusing to speak to each other for years.  We feel the pain and hold onto the hurt and anger.

    This makes our forgiveness by God even more amazing!  We know God’s will, we know his law and we know his desire for our life.  We know what is right and what is wrong and we do what is wrong every time.  We are not among those who “do not know what they do” we know what we do and God’s love forgives us any way.  His love surpasses any ability of ours to comprehend or understand.

     So no matter what is in your past; it is left there, as far as the east is from the west.  There is no sin in your past which keeps you from God’s grace.  He wants you to be his child.  He wants you to be his redeemed child and to live in his mercy forever.  He wants you back; so he forgives you because of his love.  So when you have the opportunity, forgive one another.  Don’t hold grudges or live with anger but rather share what you have received, the redemptive power of forgiveness.

Father, you touch our lives and change us through your love.  Move us by your Spirit to know your love and to always trust your promise of redemption.  Lead us to know your freedom from what the devil aims at us.  Give us your peace and hope.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret