Faith

Forgiven Much

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Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” (Luke 7:47 NKJV)

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life that required my wife and children to forgive me. Here’s a truth I’ve learned as they’ve forgiven me time and time again: love is the key to being forgiven. Jesus reveals two truths about love and forgiveness I’d like to share today.

The more we are forgiven, the more we will love.

One of the marks of a mature believer is their awareness of their own sins. As we spend more time applying scripture to our lives, the Holy Spirit make us keenly aware of the areas of our lives that fail to line up with God’s will.

When we truly comprehend the magnitude and consequences of our wrong doings, forgiveness becomes more valuable to us. It’s meaning is amplified in our hearts. When we receive forgiveness from God, we express our love for him with humility and thankfulness. We love him because he first loved us, he sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, and he has forgiven us.

The more we love, the more we will forgive.

When our daughter, Faith, was very young she was a natural at love and forgiveness. If Melissa and I argued or disagreed, Faith would interrupt us by saying “mama I love you” and “daddy I love you”. We would respond by saying “we love you too”. We couldn’t stay angry with each other after expressing sincere love for our daughter. It was like Faith was reminding us that we loved each other. That feeling of love helped us forgive each other.

Forgiveness is an act of love. God loved the world through Jesus. Its a love strong enough to forgive any sin. Each time we forgive others we’re saying we love them more than the hurt we received from their wrong doing. If you’re having difficulty forgiving others, it won’t be resolved by waiting on them to do something to appease your feelings. Your ability to forgive is directly dependent on your love toward them. Begin by loving them with the love of God.

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:8 NKJV)

To forgive much we must love much. Who’s mistakes do you need to cover with love?

The Beginning of Change

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Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. (II Chronicles 34:1-3 NKJV)

Josiah would eventually lead the greatest turnaround in the history of Judah. The country would change its spiritual direction away from idolatry and toward The Lord. Even though Josiah had positional authority to make any changes he desired, the true spark of change was ignited within himself first.

Leading change always starts within leaders who are changing.

Those who lead successful change in their families, communities, and organizations, understand they must develop themselves to make change stick. People can believe in change when they see leaders who are constantly striving to change for the better. Continual personal development ensures we will be leaders worth following.

At the age of sixteen Josiah began to develop himself by seeking God. By age twenty he began making changes to turn the kingdom around. What areas do you need to develop personally to help bring change to the organization or team you lead?

The Altar of Our Hearts

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In Judges 6 Gideon receives a visitor when he was threshing wheat in a winepress. They shared a lengthy conversation about Gideon delivering Israel from the oppression of the Midianites. When the conversation was over, Gideon asked the visitor to wait while he prepared a customary offering. Then something miraculous happened.  Then the Angel of … Read more

God’s Purpose in Marriage

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Later this month Melissa and I will celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary. We’ve spent almost half our lives together! We’ve shared so many memories, experiences, amd inside jokes I can’t imagine life without her. I’m thankful God put us together. I wouldn’t trade the benefits of emotional, physical, and intellectual intimacy we share for anything … Read more

How much can you take?

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Saul was enemy number one for the early church. He consented to the death of Stephen, had Christians dragged from their homes and imprisoned, and asked the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem to give him warrants to arrest believers in Damascus.  Along the road to Damascus, Saul had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. After his … Read more