Forgiveness

Forgiveness
 Note: There are those who debate whether or not we are to forgive someone if they do not accept our forgiveness.  For sometime I did not understand it until someone said, "blatantly forgiving someone who sinned against you, and they do not repent and accept it, is the same as accepting the sin to be ok."  In other words forgiving someone is not accepting what they did, but rather that you are willing to forgive them are praying for them digitally.  All this while being patient and not holding a grudge against them if they do not repent.

Romans 2:4
"Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

Matthew 5:43-47 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.  He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” 

Psalm 103: 12 "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

2 Timothy 2:4, 22-26 “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him…So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.  Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.  And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
 

        “Blessed is the one who receives vengeance upon their family and does not respond in vengeance!!”  For as we see in Romans 4:2 it is the kindness of the Lord that brings us to repentance.  In Matthew 5:43-47 we are told to love our enemies, but what does that really mean?  We hear forgive and forget all the time, but do we really take into account what that looks like?  I rarely hold grudges; however the death of a mother and daughter due to vengeance has caused me to question my thinking.  I was surprised and a little humbled with the response the family had in this situation.  "...I would like to extend my sincere thanks...We have almost felt in a physical sense God's hands reaching out to us and holding us up in your faithful prayers.  It truly has been a humbling experience for us to have received such loving support and mere words seem scarcely enough to express our thanks, but we want to give all the glory to our God."  Now it is not like I do not believe in the power of God, and honestly am not sure what I expected, but just did not expect a family in that situation to respond with such gratitude.  For Christ traded his life for a murderer, Barabbas, who did not even known who Christ was, but he did it anyway.  
        

For more stay tuned for link below for full devotional on Amazon coming soon:

Souces:

Jesus is Loving Barabbas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwX_EpNR4CA
God is not an Elephant Mike Donehey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-mNFhHafjM

The Chair Mike Donehey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4UDgKqY3EE

Other Resources:

If We're Honest Francesca Battistelli: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDcTvtuuVU8

Forgiveness Matthew West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9J6xOT3Ldw 

Leader or Follower

Matthew 15:14 (ESV)
"Let them alone; they are blind guides.  And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."

Deuteronomy 5:24-27 (NIV)

And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them.  But now, why should we die?  This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer.  For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived?  Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”

John 16:13 (NLT)

 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard.  He will tell you about the future." 

         Leadership is all over the media and affects all ages especially teens and kids today.  What about kids?  How should it be addressed?  What are good leaders?  When I was young  I never had a problem with making friends or hanging out with the wrong crowd, but I was always a team player; always following them around and doing what they did.  I listened to and sought after advice from mentors, teachers, and pastors but never really embraced it or stood for something on my own.  Growing up with a father who struggled with depression I never really had a leader in my life and was a little hesitant at first when I began to take on leadership roles.  I worried I didn't know what a leader was, but later realized I may have known more than I thought.
         There may be born leaders; however leadership is discovered.  If you look at the great leaders of today and through history, they all had guidance or someone to follow that formed how they lead and encourage others to follow the same things.  Even Jesus followed the example of his heavenly father.  When you think about it, choices determine who or what we follow.  If this is so doesn't that make them followers and not leaders?  "Hold up so you're saying there is no such thing as a leader?"  Don't get me wrong there are people who point or lead others in certain directions or they would not be called leaders; however they need a basis to form their opinions, thoughts, or ideas.  What it all comes down to is who do you follow?  When we learn to follow Christ it not only takes off the pressure, but leaves room for humility, and room for God's intervention or to do it God's way and not ours, so maybe I knew what I was doing all all along; to follow.  Yes we can lead others or point people to Christ, but is it not God who directs anyway?