"Here it is again, The Great Reversal; many of the first ending up last, & the last first" (Msg)
I'm ok with this verse except when it is applied to the 1 or 2 people who have harmed me deeply. What if they spend eternity with the Lord, too? As a Christ follower, I should desire that they do. But as a person broken as a result of their acts, something inside of me screams "No!" Lord, help me to forgive them.
Psalm 25:11 "Keep up your reputation, God; forgive my bad life; It's been a very bad life." (Msg)
Psalm 25:15 "If I keep my eyes on God, I won't trip over my own feet." (Msg)
Keep me from tripping today, Lord. Help me to focus on you.
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Here's what I'm working on with this thing of forgiveness:
ReplyDelete* I realize that there is nothing that others have done that can limit the impact of God's grace and mercy on my life (or anyone else's)....This is God's "trump card" for all the unrighteous and unjust acts against me...even if I don't realize the fullness of that freedom until I meet Jesus face to face
* I know God does not "excuse" anything.....someone will pay....in full (the one who wronged me, or the One who stood in the gap for me -- and offers to do the same for this person), so I choose to defer to Him when it comes to rendering judgment.
*I keep rehearsing these truths in my head and occasionally make some progress! :)
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Matthew 20:1-16 The Parable of the Workers...
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how no matter how big and out of this world our gifts will be when we die we cannot help but think "i worked my whole life to achieve the same thing he did in his dying breath!" I try not to just think of the prize...i think of the work...the landowner was paying them for a hard days WORK. He didn't just go to the marketplace and hand out gold to those standing around. He hired them to do work. Even those who worked for an hour WORKED. How many vats of wine were made from the grapes picked that day? What do you think came from their fruits of labor? How many goblets have we filled without knowing? We may have worked all day in the scorching heat but through that work have we kept another out of a worse scorching heat? An eternal one? How can we look past jealousy and share in what is to come? Maybe the grapes picked in the last hour were enough to fill one cup. One soul...one life... call me crazy but i think one life is worth it...