FORGIVENESS

“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

John 8:3-11

King James Version

It is so easy to point a finger at someone and say “Look what that person did”, isn’t it?  It’s a lot harder to point the finger of guilt at ourselves.  How dare you and I go to a Holy God and ask Him to forgive us if we aren’t willing to forgive the ones who hurt us.  We are the ones who say one sin is worse than the other sin, to God, sin is sin.  If we want people to forgive us, we had better forgive them.  It is so true, you get back what you give out.  If you give love, you will get love.  If you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven.

Several years ago, I was talking to a man whose granddaughter had died.  I told him that I was praying for him and that God loves him.  The man replied “What kind of God would let a baby die”?  What kind of people are we that we would cause Jesus to suffer and die for our sins?  We are sinners who need the cleansing blood of Jesus applied to our heart for the forgiveness of our sins.  

We have a compassionate tender loving Heavenly Father Who loves us so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins.  God knows how it feels to have your child die because not only did His Son die, His Son was crucified for us so we can have our sins forgiven.  If we refuse to forgive those who have hurt us, we are hurting God and breaking His heart.  

Jesus didn’t have to die for our sins.  He could have come down from the cross had He chosen to do so because all the nails in the world couldn’t have kept Him on the cross but He stayed on the cross because He loves us so much.  This is why I keep telling you and I will say this until God calls me home “Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will”.

Ray Overholt wrote one of the most beautiful hymns that I think has ever been written about our precious Saviour “Ten Thousand Angels”.  The words in this hymn make me want to get on my knees if I was physically able to do do and stay there for hours telling Jesus how much I love Him and how much I appreciate Him dying for my sins.

“They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed;They led Him thro’ the streets in shame. They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin; They said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame.  Upon His precious head they placed a crown of thorns; They laughed and said, "Behold the King!" They struck Him and they cursed Him and mocked His holy name All alone He suffered everything.  He could have called ten thousand angels To destroy the world and set Him free. He could have called ten thousand angels, But He died alone, for you and me.”

If you refuse to forgive those who have hurt you, may God have mercy on you because you might as well have been there pounding the nails into the hand of our loving Saviour.  How do you think it makes Jesus feel when you won’t forgive those who have hurt you when He died for your sins?  It breaks His heart.  Jesus loves you and He proved how much He loves you.  Do you love Him enough to forgive those who have hurt you?

Heavenly Father, how I love You.  Thank You for giving Your beloved Son to die on the cross for my sins.  I pray that You will speak to the ones who refuse to forgive and remind them that You are willing to forgive them for their sins so they should be willing to forgive those who hurt them.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family and for the privilege You have given me to serve Your Son.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

                                 Joanne Lowe

                                July 26, 2019