Forgiveness
This coming Sunday is the 3rd Sunday in Lent. As a church, we continue our journey toward the Cross of Christ and what His death means for us. Our theme for the week is Forgiveness.
The general understanding of the Old Testament concept of forgiveness is that it is to be limited to three occasions of offense, whether it is an offense against God or another human being. It seems that our spiritual forebears seemed to believe that on the fourth offense, God would not forgive, and humans should not.
Most of us have lived long enough to have been burned by circumstance or some person…or both. We are familiar with the rush of anger, which the body registers with blotched or reddened skin. When our instincts call for blood, and our minds say: “Don’t get mad, get even,” only our spiritual resources will save us from a war in which there are no winners. There are so many relationships in life which generate situations in which we must forgive or be forgiven in order to maintain those relationships…and the list includes friendship, marriage, children, divorce, politics, church, self…and the list goes on and on.
The truth is that forgiveness is a superhuman act. It requires a source of strength that we do not have on our own, because some offenses are not easily forgiven. Others, we can put into perspective, and we may get away with nothing more than a slight scar. But there are some offenses and hurts for which forgiveness is humanly impossible. This message is not just for the neurotic grievance collectors, in whose life ‘littleness’ expresses itself in many unlovely ways. It is also for those who have experienced some Mt. Everest offense which threatens to overshadow all of life. It is to those who labor under an offense that is too big to carry and too serious to turn loose that I speak. In your mind, you know that marinating in it will not resolve the problem…but you are so glued to it that giving it up (and giving it over) to God will require strength far beyond your own.
I know that there are some whose eyes are on this now and you are living under an offense you cannot continue to carry, and you believe you cannot forgive. The Bible teaches us that God can help us do what we cannot do on our own. He can help us walk through the process of forgiveness. I do hope you will take advantage of His offer to do that…because you’re worth it.
Blessings to you – Pastor Bobby
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