Wednesday, June 17, 2020

For Forgiveness Sake


If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 8-9

Sometimes, it is better to forgive than to forget.  Those were words that haunted me the other day.  I got into a debate where I was falsely accused of something that I did not say.  The discussion was spirted, and my answers were both pointed and direct.  However, one person did not accuse me, but I added them to the debate as if they did.  It was wrong.  I was wrong.  After thinking about it, God just kept wearing on me that I had left something open that needed to be closed.  The next day, I gave in, and apologized.  I admitted that I needed to set a better example as a Christian, and that was on me.  It was amazing how gracious others were in my asking for forgiveness, and it was more uplifting than the previous discussion we had had.  It reminded me of a key part of the Lord’s Prayer, which simply says, “and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”  It was a stunning how the simple act of asking for forgiveness can be a greater act of love than we realize.

God’s grace is one of His greatest acts of love.  In these times of strife and conflict, one of the things that I have noticed is that we often fail to for lack of better term ‘stand down.’  Our need to be right has become paramount, and there is no room for backing down.  This can be destructive when we are so willing to stand on what we believe that we do not see when we say something that is truly harmful and wrong.  Just this past weekend, a well renowned pastor made a controversial statement about slavery putting it into the context of something positive.  His heart was in the right place, and it made for an interesting point.  But it failed by ignoring the greater evil of it.  He followed up by giving a heartfelt apology that was readily accepted by many black people who understood the love he had shown for others previously.  That along with my own experience revealed a couple of things.  First if we love Christ, we are given an opportunity to ask for forgiveness.  A forgiving heart is one that is honest, sincere easily noticeable either through a person’s history or the words used.  In either case, it reveals a level of God’s heart within them.  Second, we are shown love if we are brave enough to right our wrongs.  The verse today is a reminder of God’s mercy on us should we be vulnerable to simply own up to wrongdoings.  It ends up being more rewarding for it often mends our own brokenness.

Grace is a wonderful thing!  In reading the book of Romans, Paul spoke frequently and lovingly of it writing, “Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:15-16).  Finally, there is no better example of the power of His grace than that of the adulterer brought before Jesus.  When no one cast a stone, the exchange between Him and her is often the part of our narrative when faced with our own sinful nature:

Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?
No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.  John 8:10-11
Let us kneel before Jesus like she did willing to accept guilt for our wrongs and be both reinvigorated and inspired by His grace.  What sin is wearing on your mind and heart today?  How can assurance of God’s grace uplift you?  My prayer is that we acknowledge our own imperfections and simply ask for forgiveness sake.  Amen.

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