Why Doubt?

As I write this blog today I am reminded that it was 46 years ago today that my sister and I were hit by a car and she was taken from this life.  This week has been a very difficult one for me as satan has tried to come in and rob me of my joy.  I have thought about the accident this week but it was not that which caused me pain.  This summer is really hard for me.  It has been 27 years since I worked a summer job.  At that time was expecting our first child.  My husband was farming and I was working.  I worked on August 2 and on August 3 our beautiful daughter was born!  I didn’t mind working the summers, no problem, my husband was busy in the fields anyway.  This week we were blessed to have our granddaughter with us which made me realize that normally (for me) I would have been able to spend so much more time with her if I had my job in education and my sister is spending time with my dad, helping him get moved back to Ulysses and I am stuck at work.  It is very frustrating to me and just brings out my disappointment in not having an educational position back.  Then, I had to think of all those job applications that I put out there with no response, not even an interview.  Yet, I told the Lord that I didn’t want an interview if I wasn’t going to get the job.  So why can’t I just be satisfied that He has other plans for me and right now it is not in education?  Please don’t get me wrong, I did not work in education to get the summers off, in fact, I always said that when I retired I was going to take a fall vacation because I never got to do that as a teacher!  Well I didn’t get to retire in education and the life that I now have is so different from what I have been used to.  Having to get my granddaughter ready in the morning and leave her was very difficult for me.  What was wonderful is that I just had to hold her and know that God is good!  Outside influences also caused me to have turmoil within as well.  Words from others can sting and hurt even when they might not be aware that they are doing it.  Satan definitely got me wondering and asking the question, “why?” and he enjoyed me playing the “Only If” game.  But once again, all I needed to do was pick my beautiful granddaughter up, hold her, and know that God is good.  Thank you to our kids for letting us watch her this week!  And even more, thank you to our Lord for allowing us to be her grandparents!

As those doubts about my self-worth came into play this week it was very difficult for me to put a smile on my face.  On Tuesday our pastor called to see if I could teach the high school Sunday school class this Sunday.  I was delighted and pleased to be asked and right away went and got the Sunday school material.  With having our granddaughter here I didn’t take the time to really pick up the book and look at the lesson until Friday evening.  That was one big mistake!  As I looked at the lesson, I realized that it was not the pastor that was asking me to teach but it was my Heavenly Father.  He had a lesson for me, provided a clear answer to my questions, and it was setting on our dining room table all week long.  The lesson was entitled, “Why Do I Doubt?”  I have been asking that question all week long!!!!!!  Even though I know that God is in control, even though I know He cares for me, even though I know He has great plans for me, I doubt.  I have told people more than once that I know that God is in control because nothing makes sense and then I doubt.  That is very frustrating to me.  I want to be one of those people that even though the outside world is falling apart the inside world is peaceful, content, even joyous yet when someone doesn’t like the choices I make, my self-worth begins to crumple.

The scripture reading that I was drawn to was Isaiah 40:21 – 31, it is written below for you to read as well, be blessed as you read His word.

Isaiah 40:21-31

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

²¹ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
²³ He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
²⁴ No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

²⁵ “To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
²⁶ Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2040:21%20-%2031&version=NIV1984)

Seek Him in your joy and seek Him in your distress and you will be blessed!

Seeking Him with all my heart,           

Sheila

Where Will You be in the Line in Heaven?

Matthew 19:28-30

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:28%20-%2030&version=NIV1984)  

I have been blessed to be raised in a Christian home and to have attended church all of my life.  I have lived in the same town, except while in college, for all of my life.  It never seems to be the right time to leave when we think about doing so.  When I see my friends with their grandchildren and their children around them I think of how blessed they are to have their children close to them.  Then I read this scripture and I have to wonder why I am still in this small town.  I have to wonder who is more blessed, the person whose family is scattered but they are serving the Lord or the one that has their children close at hand?  I also have to think of those who look down on others as lesser than them.  They may have a big surprise when they find the one that they is lesser in their eyes, at the beginning of the line, ahead of them in Heaven. 

I don’t believe that God has called us all to go into foreign missions yet I know He has called us to spread the Gospel.  He has called us to serve Him and to give up all for His name sake.  I can’t sit here and say that I have done that.  My children have moved on, they have established lives away from our home town.  I didn’t leave them, they left us.  I didn’t freely give up a job for His name sake, the job was taken from me.  I have to really wonder what I have truly done for the Lord.  I have to wonder, where will I be in that line? 

The disciples asked the question regarding their place in Heaven.  They gave up everything to follow the Lord.  They left their vocation, dropped their nets, and followed Him when He asked them to. They suffered death because of their willingness to serve Him and proclaim Him throughout the region.  We need to each ask ourselves the question, “What am I doing for Him?”

As you seek Him today, as you serve Him today, remember that He has called you to put aside everything for Him.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Complacency Vs. Compliance

 Matthew 19:16-26

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

¹⁶ Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” the man inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:%2016%20-%2026&version=NIV1984)

I have read this scripture many times, heard sermons on it and have studied it in Bible studies, yet today it really hit me personally.  I have never thought of myself as rich but compared to some people I am extremely rich.  I have never had to go to bed hungry because there was not any food in the house.  I have never had to wonder where I would sleep, there has always been a comfortable bed for me, and I only had to take a cold shower when the hot water heater went out.  Not everyone can make that claim and I am thankful to God that I can.  I was raised in a Christian home, have always had Christian friends and I married a Christian man that was also raised in a Christian home.  My life has truly been protected by God but today I had to wonder what I have given up for Him. 

Years ago my husband and I thought about doing foreign  missionary work.  We even visited with missionaries and fellow Christian regarding this that had been placed in our hearts but nothing ever materialized.  We were hesitant to go to the mission field because of the health of my mother but one missionary couple told us how they had left a family that had many health problems but they felt they were in the center of God’s will so they went not knowing if they would see their family alive on this earth again.  God did allow them to come home to their family a few years later.  I have thought of their story many times when I think of being in the center of God’s will.  When our daughter went to a foreign country a few years ago as a missionary I was able to send her willingly knowing that she was in the center of God’s will.  I believe the safest place to be is in His will.  Allowing Him to use you to do His will is the most satisfying moment anyone can have on this earth. 

Today as I read this passage I had to think about my current situation.  When I was laid off from my job I was very devastated but I felt there was something better out there for me.  I really thought that I would not have difficulty finding a job in the field of education because I had high reviews and it was what God had gifted me with.  I never had a bad evaluation, they were always well above the expectation mark.  I had been involved with state work and had knowledge and experience that ranged from early childhood to high school and from special education to general education.  Yet door after door closed on me.  Jobs that I thought fit me perfectly just shut in my face.  I had people tell me how good I was at what I did but no one would hire me.  I have asked the Lord many times why but not in a negative way.  I just really want to know and understand what He wants me to learn.  If it was something about me that I had done wrong, I wanted to know so I could change it.   

During those times I began to write this blog because I knew I needed to be in the Word and I had hoped that others would spur me on and be in the Word with me.  From the blog sprouted a Bible study that I have with woman in my home.  It is a study that I have in the afternoon, something I could not do when I was working full time. 

This caused me to wonder, is my job what I gave up to follow Jesus?  Has He not allowed me to have a job in my field of passion because that is exactly what it was, a passion for a job not a passion for Him?  I dedicated my job to Him, I asked Him to be with me and to guide me each step of the way.  He guided me away from the job.  It has caused me pain, yes.  Have I ever felt He had abandoned me? Absolutely NO.  He has been with me the entire time and has guided me and probably protected me from situations I will never know about.  Do I still get an urge to be in education?  Absolutely YES.  Do I still cry and ask Him why at times?  YES.  But if I have to give up all of that to follow Him, I will do it.  I don’t want to be like the rich young ruler that clung so tight to what he had that he could not experience the joy of following Jesus.

Read the last verse of this passage once again.  Matthew 19:26  ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:26&version=NIV1984)  What an amazing verse!  There is nothing that is impossible with God not even a camel walking through the eye of a needle.  I can’t even get the thread to go through sometimes but God can get a camel through.  I have heard many explanations regarding the eye of a needle.  Some say it is a rock that looks like it has an eye like a needle and that camels don’t like to walk through them.  Some take it as a literal needle.  I think if you get hung up on what Jesus meant by the “eye of a needle” you miss the point of what He says is verse 26, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD!  Why is it then that I found myself without a job?  It is because God has other plans for me.  Maybe for now it is drawing closer to Him through reading His word and listening to what He has to say.  Maybe I am to inspire someone to follow the Lord that I would not have ever met without this blog or my current job.  Maybe He is giving me a break so I can go back stronger and better.  I don’t know, but I do know that He is in control and when He wants me somewhere nothing is too impossible for Him to put me there.  I must remain willing to give up all in order to follow Him.

Where are you today?  Are you happy and content in your current situation?  Are you continuing to follow Jesus?  Do you things?  Often times our happiness and contentment is a sign of complacency towards Him.  Jesus has not asked us to be content with this life but to give up all and come follow Him.  As you seek Him may you find Him in the center of your life.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila   

Children Need the Lord

Matthew 19:13-15

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:%2013-15&version=NIV)

I have come to the conclusion that most of the disciples were not family men.  They thought it was easier to be single than to get married and they really didn’t know how to handle children.  I believe these men were this way because God had other plans for them plans to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Being disciples of Christ did not allow these men to do anything else.  It didn’t allow them to be family men, just as Jesus said in Matthew 8: 19 – 20  ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  ²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”   (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%208:19-20&version=NIV) .  So when the little children came along they had no idea how to act.  They thought they were just a bother and needed to be sent on but Jesus had other plans for the little children.  He made sure He touched each and every one of them before traveling on.  By doing this He set an example to both the disciples and to us. 

Yesterday I saw a news story about a lady that was harassed by children on a school bus. They said very mean things to her and acted very unbecomingly towards her.  They showed her absolutely no respect.  I had to wonder, would these children have acted this way towards this woman if someone would have taken the time to touch them when they were younger?  It is so easy to blame the parents who of course are the primary caregivers and the responsibility lies on them.  However, you have to wonder if anyone touched them as children.  It is a cycle, one that needs to be broken.  Families are growing up children who do not know the Lord.   When we realize the problem is not with the parents or the schools we should be challenged that we need to do our part. 

So many are quit to say that it is the public school system as to why we do not have children knowing the Lord.  As a child I remember saying a prayer in school before we went to lunch.  That doesn’t happen today.  Scripture was also read in schools years ago.  Do you know why those scripture readings quit?  It is my understanding that it was because the Protestants and Catholics could not agree on which Bible should be read, the Catholic version or the Protestant version.  Because of this the church (both Catholic and Protestant) decided they would take on the Christian education of the children upon their shoulders.  Now, look at where we are today.  We have everyone blaming parents and the school system in not teaching children good moral ethics.  Yet, we all know the way to have good moral ethics is to live a life worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ.  We can all be good people but without communion with Jesus Christ, our lives are meaningless and even evil.

The question today, “What are you doing to touch the lives of children?”   Touching a child and teaching them about Jesus Christ and their hope for the future is like taking time to smell the roses. 

As you seek Him and find Him may you have a strong desire to share Him with others.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila   

Is Marriage for You?

Matthew 19:10-12

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:10%20-12&version=NIV1984)

The previous blog was on how we should conduct ourselves in a marriage.  Today we will look at the response of Jesus’s disciples.  I guess some of them thought that His words of instruction sounded much too hard.  I have to think of reading instructions in putting something together or just reading all the duties of a job and not knowin quite how you can fulfill all of it.  Sometimes it can seem rather overwhelming when you don’t have the knowledge on how it all works.

Marriage is not always easy but it is well worth the effort in my eyes.  Jesus is saying here that we are not all called to be married but if we are we should make up our minds prior to marriage to accept His words of instruction and live by them. 

What are some things that are non-negotiable in a marriage?

1.      Your marriage should always include the Lord so as not to have a hard heart.

2.      Woman we need to let the man lead.

3.      Men need to lead.

4.      Divorce is not an option.

5.      The two shall become one flesh.  Never again is it all up to you.  There is always someone else to consider. 

6.      A marriage should be the beginning of a new family.  In a marriage we are no longer in the nest and should not run back to mom and dad when things are rough.  You should run to each other and to the Lord.  Men, the wife is your primary responsibility, mom does not come before her.

7.      Be faithful one to another and to the Lord.  No one should ever steal your spouse from you and you should never be looking when you are married.

8.      Marriage is a life time commitment.  This is something that should not be entered into lightly.

9.      Honor one another in sickness and in health.

10.  Never enter a marriage thinking divorce is an option if it doesn’t work out.  Enter is saying DIVORCE IS NOT AN OPTION.

Not everyone feels comfortable in a marriage situation and Jesus is saying then you should not enter that relationship.  If you are committed to marriage  rest assured that if you have not yet found the spouse of your dreams, if God has put the desire in your hear to marry, then God will provide.  In the meantime seek the Lord and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

The Marriage that Honors Him

Matthew 19:1-9

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:1%20-%209&version=NIV1984)

Divorce, this is a subject that many try to avoid.  In our society today it has become an accepted practice and I have to wonder if it is much like in the days of Moses when it was allowed because the people’s hearts were hard.  I believe many hearts are being hardened these days.

There are four things I want to look at in regard to the passage for today.  1.  Leadership  2.  Unity  3.  Hearts

 4.  Permission.

1.        The first thing I noticed in this scripture is that it is the man that permits the divorce.  It is the man that is to leave his family and cleave to his wife.  I notice that Jesus doesn’t say that the man and woman are too but that the man should.  I believe this was intentional as we look at the design of the man being the leader of the home.  The ultimate responsibility is directed to the man.   We always say there are two sides to every divorce but in this passage the responsibility lies with the man.  If the man is the head of the house anything that goes on in that house is his responsibility.  That was the design that God made from the beginning but how many of us accept that and adhere to that today?

2.       The two shall become one.  Those are powerful words are they not?  How do you separate your own body?  When two people are united through Christ and they truly become one, there is nothing that can separate them.  Does becoming one mean that we always agree with one another?  If so, I am in trouble because I don’t always agree with myself!  I believe becoming one means that we respect one another in such a way that nothing could ever separate us from each other.  I have been told that a man would rather see the actions of respect than to be told, “I love you”.   Although women like to be loved, I think they want to be respected too.  How do you show one another respect?  For men, it may be that we women allow him to be the leader that he was designed to be.  I get disgusted at commercials and TV shows that paint the picture of an incompetent man.  My man is my source of strength and encouragement (along with God).  When he is hurt or sick, much of my strength is gone.  I believe God designed him to be that for me.  Respect for the woman is that the man sees her and only her.  That he works hard to keep his eyes off of other woman and directed only at her.  That he sees her as beautiful no matter how fat she may get or how many wrinkles she might have.  When we are one with each other, Christ needs to be there too. 

3.       I know people who have been divorced prior to accepting Christ as their personal Savior or who were not walking with the Lord in their marriages.  They are now Christians and they are married to Christians, living a life holy and acceptable to Him.  I believe this is a beautiful thing and one that is honored by God.  Prior to being a Christian they made decisions that were not based on the Word of God.  Their hearts, although not completely hardened were not turned towards God.  Now that they have hearts for God, the words of Jesus need to be adhered to.  I believe that their past is the past and they need to live their lives now according to the will of the Father.  If we truly have a relationship with the Lord and our spouse does too then I do not believe divorce will be an option in our lives.  If we are truly one with Christ why would we divorce?  Divorce amongst those who attend church has risen over the years which concerns me and make me wonder what we are teaching in our churches.  Are we teaching how to grow in Christ?  Or, how to invite God into our marriages? Are the older women teaching the younger women how to respect their husbands as leaders of the home?  Are our men teaching the younger men how to love their wife and how to be a good spiritual leader in the home?

4.       When was permission granted for divorce?  When the man’s heart was hardened.  I had to think about how Joseph was going to divorce the woman he was pledged to be married to after she had conceived through the Holy Spirit.  Joseph had a visit from an angel and his heart was not hardened.  He chose to care for her and marry her and she gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ.  What would have happened if his heart would have been hard?

Divorce is a difficult subject.  We all know people who have been divorced and all of their stories are different but one key theme that runs through them, someone had a hardened heart and there was not a true communion between each other and with the Lord.  Divorce is another sin of humans that God will forgive but it is not in His best plan for our lives.

As you seek Him and find Him, if you have a spouse share His love together with each other.  Invite Him into your home to dwell you and your family.  For those of you who have not yet married a few words of advice for you as well.  Be sure that both of you are willing to invite Him into your marriage.  Begin that relationship with Him together as a couple.  Then once you are married it will be a part of your lives.  Be sure to keep your bodies holy refraining from sexual intimacy until after marriage.  May God bless each and every marriage that places Him in the center of the marriage.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Do You Want to be Forgiven?

Matthew 18:21-35

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents^[b] was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶ “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.^[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018:%2021%20%2035&version=NIV1984)

“I forgive you,” those are very easy words to say but are they always heartfelt?  This is a question that each one of us needs to ponder as we will be judged according to our forgiveness of others.  There is another place where Jesus specifies that we need to forgive, Matthew 6: 12, 14-15.  We find it when Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray.  When He said,  ^12 “Forgive us our debts  as we also have forgiven our debtors”.  Following that prayer He made another special emphasis on this specific portion of the verse when He said, ^{14 “}For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”.  (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:%2012%20-%2015&version=NIV1984) Is forgiveness important?  It is if you want to be forgiven by the Father! 

Sometimes it is easier to forgive than other times.  Because we look at sin at different levels.  In our eyes a lie dims in comparison to murder.   In Isaiah 59: 2 – 3 we see murder and a lie are in the same category, one that separates us from God.  ² But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. ³ For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt.  Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things.  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, in Matthew 22: 37 – 40,   ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018:%2021%20-%2035&version=NIV1984Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022:%20%2037%20%2040&version=NIV1984)  If you stop and think about every commandment, each of them applies to either our relationship with God or our brother. 

Some hurts, for humans are deeper than others.  It is much easier for us to forgive a lie than it is a murder.  It is much easier for us to forgive the debt of our brother if it is $100.00 but if it is $1,000.00 we are a little less likely to forgive it.  God doesn’t look at it that way.  Any sin we commit is a separation from God, as is stated in Isaiah 59. 

Now that we have established the seriousness of all sin, let’s look back at our verses for us today.  Our Father has forgiven our huge debt in which we should be more than grateful for.  Yet, if our brother speaks against us and we hold that against them, not forgiving them is not acceptable to God.  If we can’t forgive how can the Father forgive us?  We are not any more special to our Father than our brother is.  Forgiveness is essential.  We can say, “I forgive” but it is our heart that the forgiveness needs to come from, not our mouths.  It is so easy to tell our brother that they need to forgive but we need to first look at our own hearts and make sure we have forgiven.  Jesus gave us an example of forgiving from the heart, one that we ourselves need to take to heart when our brother has sinned against us.  It can be found in Luke 23:34  ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2023:34&version=NIV1984)   It is written how they beat Him, spat upon Him, mocked Him, and stole from Him but He forgave them even while He was in pain, hanging from a cross.  We are to use His example and forgive others. When we are in our deepest hurt over the actions of others we need to forgive and forgive from our hearts, not lip service.  We need to each one examine our hearts to see that we have forgiven or our brothers from our hearts.

As you seek Him and find Him, remember that just as He has forgiven you, so must you forgive your brother.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila