Saturday, January 5, 2008

Are we nothing but beggars?




Matthew 6:14 - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you
I find it funny how ungrateful people can be. Perhaps funny is the wrong word as there is nothing amusing about it. It never ceases to amaze me that you can take a person in off the streets, a person who has nothing to live for, and you feed them, you clothe them, give them rest, and the next thing you know all your good will has been for naught. Circumstances lately has left me griping over this subject today, however in lieu of my grunts and grumbles, I have clarity (thank you Lord). My little pity-party got me to thinking, what must God feel like? He gives freely and abundantly to us, every second of every day. He is there silent when we turn Him away and then right back in our lives the minute we realize we need Him. It occured to me that we are all homeless and hungry at one point, and when we ask for God to bless our lives, He gives us the food and shelter we need. But then all too soon we take our shelter for granted as something we can get at any point in time under any circumstance (which we can) but we start to get so comfortable that we forget it was a gift. How strong God must be to bear every persons lack of appreciation! However, for as much as we are lacking, God comes back to embrace us every time. Why? Because He is the Creator of Forgiveness. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Christ Jesus died on the cross that our trangressions are able to be forgiven by Heavenly Father. But note the scripture above, Heavenly Father chooses not to forgive us if we cant forgive the transgressions of others. That doesnt by any means mean that every little heart stomping should be brushed off. Of course it should be dealt with, but with the means by which God has instructed. God wants us to let things go, but he wants us to let them go to HIM. After all, every persons salvation lies within His hands. When we dont forgive our transgressors, then we are taking the right of judgement out of the hands of God and placing them in the hands of men. The Lord throughout the scriptures states that things in the hands of men are doomed. Rom 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.It is not wrong to get emotional and angry against those who have taken us for granted. Jesus himself felt those exact same emotions. (see The Gospel of St Luke) But for Christians who are really trying to walk Christs' path, that anger and emotion should be dealt with in a Godly manner. How you act towards your trangressors is noted in God's mind and will be remembered on that day of Judgement.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.—2 Corinthians 5:10

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