You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘forgiveness’ tag.
“and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” John 13:5
He washed their feet. All of them.
The one who would betray him.
The one who doubted him even though he’d seen his miracles,
The ones who were racist.
The ones who were just along for the ride,
The ones who didn’t get it.
One could not be a foot-washer without getting down on their knees on the hare floor. A foot-washer dealt with mud, smelly feet and humiliation. It was physically demanding and emotionally draining. Only the lowest of slaves were given the foot-washer job.
No one EVER volunteered for the job of foot-washer. Not kings. Not nobles. Not even blue collar workers wanted the job.
But Jesus did.
It wasn’t the character of the disciples but the love of the master that drove him to his knees to wash their feet. He served those who could never serve him back at that level.
It’s easy to serve those who like you. It’s beneficial to serve those who have the ability and resources to pay back. But those who have nothing to offer? Those who label and ridicule you? That’s another story.
Who is it you need to serve today? Maybe a text message? A phone call? Paying it forward at the coffee shop drive thru? Praying for a random stranger? Servant-hood isn’t easy. It can get messy. But it’s what Jesus would do.
The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: “I will place one of your descendants on your throne.” Psalms 132:11
A friend of mine was promised an important position in the business he worked for by its owner once he retired. Unfortunately, the owner died unexpectedly leaving the business to family members. When he told them of the promise the owner had made, none of them knew about it or believed him. In fact, upon mentioning the promised position, his position was terminated and he was sent packing.
There’s an old saying, “A promise is only as good as the person making the promise.” There tends to be a lot of truth to that statement. It’s easy to make promises, but making good on those promises? That’s another story. We see that every election season. Promises made to get a vote don’t often result in fulfillment.
The promises of man are fickle, but the promises God gives us can be counted on to be true. The number of promises God gives us is up for conjecture. Suffice it to say there are many.
Psalm 132, is one example of a promise God gave to King David. God promises that David’s throne would last forever and that there would be one to sit on it that would be an eternal King. We know this promise is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. God’s promises are something we can count on for eternity.
But let’s take a closer look at that promise. David was called a man after God’s own heart and it’s because of this that he was promised his throne would be eternal.
The real beauty doesn’t lie in the promise itself, but in what happens after this promise was made. Although David was considered a ‘man after God’s own heart’ he certainly wasn’t perfect. In fact, in many areas he failed miserably. He was a lousy husband, a distant father, a murderer, a bad friend, and the list goes on.
Following David to the throne throughout history, we see a line of Kings guilty of murder, incest, rape, violence, idolatry and rebellion.
But God’s promise, inspite of man’s rebellion held true. He promised messiah would come from David’s lineage and that’s exactly what happened, in spite of the failure of men.
The beauty of God’s promises is that they are not dependent on our performance or character. They are dependent on his power to forgive, love and extend mercy to us knowing full well that we will fail. The struggles we go through now won’t change our destiny. Our problems don’t affect God’s promises. We can count on him!
“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” John 9:25
Have you ever been questioned for your beliefs? Have you ever had someone confuse you with ‘convincing evidence’ that you are wrong?
Today, more than ever the Bible, the resurrection or even existence of Jesus, even basic Christian morality is in question. It’s been placed on the main stage of ridicule. Those of us that hold to the teachings of Jesus and the Word of God are labeled as intolerant, racist, homophobic and a plethora of other labels.
Even within the body of Christ there are those who seem to see their mission in life to find fault in certain pastors, worship styles, etc. Whether they intend to cause doubt and confusion, doesn’t really matter. The divisiveness they create weakens the testimony body of Christ and, in my opinion, makes the church a laughing stock to the unbeliever or former believer. They wave their theological degrees as some sort of flag of importance.
The Apostle John tells a story in his gospel of a blind man that Jesus healed. Blind from birth, people questioned whether he sinned, or his parents sinned causing the blindness. Poor guy was judged from the very beginning!
Now if you were healed from blindness you may think life would be much better for you. Not the case for this guy, not at first anyway. The religious elite questioned his identity. They questioned his integrity. They bombarded him with all sorts of theological questions that he couldn’t answer. Finally, in desparation, he answers them by saying, “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25)
I’m with the blind guy! I don’t have all the answers. I don’t understand everything in the Bible. I don’t understand completely why God allows what He allows. I just know this: “I was blind and Jesus healed me.” That’s enough.
Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20
How are you today?
The question is a common one when people greet each other. There’s a couple ironies to the question though. Often we ask that without really wanting or waiting for an answer!
Secondly, when we are asked that question we respond with, “good!” or some other sterile generic version of the answer.
Then, of course, there are those people who, when asked, give you a detailed answer much longer you needed. (We tend to avoid that question to those people.)
For those times when we are sincere with each other, the question is a valid one. We want to know how the other person is feeling, what’s going on in their lives and perhaps how we can support/pray for them.
Feelings are powerful. They can determine our outlook on life, affect how we respond to crisis, and impact our relationships.
They also make us vulnerable and that’s the scary part. Few of us would respond to “How are you feeling today” by saying, “I’m feeling really guilty today” or “I’m really ashamed today, thanks for asking.”
During those times when our feelings can get the best of us it’s nice to know God not only knows our deepest, most secret feelings. He is stronger than them!
Rather than focusing on our feelings, which can be fickle, focus on our God and His promises to love, forgive and strengthen us when emotions try to tear us away.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 