- What Will Christians Be Judged For?
- Just Give Up Already
- The Genius of Generosity
- The Path to Healing
- Being Certain in Uncertainty
Thanks for reading,
Allen White
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Most Read Posts of July 2011
Here are the Five Most Read Posts of July 2011:
Pursuing the Love of Lack
By Allen White
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
Adding to Jesus’ teaching on our hearts following our treasure (Matthew 6:19-21) and our eyes following our desires (Matthew 6:22-23), He points out that our allegiance can only lie in one place. We can’t multi-task our devotion.
This is not an indictment against money itself rather Jesus is getting at the heart condition involved. After all “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money is merely a thing, unless we allow it to become something else.
We can be devoted to God and have money. Allegiance to God doesn’t require poverty, unless our hearts are wrapped around it, as in the case of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-30). We can even be wealthy and be fully devoted to God, but you can’t be devoted to money and have God
The love of money causes use to despise God. In fact, Jesus says that it causes us to hate God. The love of money is about accumulating and getting more. The love of God is about generosity. The love of money puts material things as the object of our affection. The love of God challenges us to give to those in need (Matthew 25:31-46) and to forward Kingdom causes (Luke 16:9) trusting that God will provide for all of our needs.
Either God will have us or money will have us, but not both. When God is crowded out of the equation, money will become a cruel task master. The love of money should really be called the “love of lack,” because it always demands more with the lure of satisfaction. The secret is that money never satisfies. We weren’t designed to be satisfied by money. We were designed to find satisfaction in God alone.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “Okay, Allen is a preacher who has never had real money.” Financially, I’m doing alright, but I’m not loaded. So, don’t take my word for it. Listen to the wealthiest man who ever lived, King Solomon.
Solomon’s wealth compared to that of Bill Gates or Warren Buffett would have Bill and Warren on food stamps in Solomon’s day. There was nothing out of his reach. Yet, at the end of his life Solomon concluded:
“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). We might be drawn to the idea of becoming dissatisfied at that level, but we too would find wealth meaningless.
Who does your heart belong to? Your treasure, your purpose, and your devotion are all key indicators of your heart’s condition. It’s easy to think that you can compartmentalize on this. God goes in the Sunday box and the emergency box. Work and wealth take up much of the other space. This thinking is flawed.
Why ignore the One who allows you to get the most out of life? Why pursue something that has no possibility of fulfilling you? But, how do you know that this is really true? You have to believe that Jesus knows what He is talking about. What’s your life worth – devotion to God who loves you or devotion to the pursuit of more that will never satisfy?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Are You Living in the Dark?
By Allen White
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22-23
Okay, I’ll be honest. I had to do a little digging on this one. The meaning is not so obvious.
The first step in understanding this passage is to look at the context. The passage from yesterday is Jesus’ direction, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…” (Matthew 6:19-21). The passage following is Jesus’ admonition, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Even though today’s passage is about eyes and light, the context shows us that it’s really about wealth.
Jesus uses the concept of eyes and light as a metaphor. This passage has nothing to do with whether you’re far sighted, near sighted, or dealing with presbyopia and need reading glasses. What Jesus is getting at has more to do with what we’re focused on rather than how well we can focus.
An unhealthy eye, or an evil eye, sees the world through covetousness. An unhealthy eye wants everything that it sees. It is envious of what other’s have. The result is that it brings darkness into the soul.
A healthy eye is devoted to a single purpose. This eye looks through the lens of generosity. Whether we’re generous with wealth or words, a healthy eye brings light into our soul.
How do we see the world? Do we look at the world through eyes of scarcity or eyes of abundance? Do we see things and feel that we lack? Or, do we see things and feel grateful for the blessings in our lives?
As Tim Sanders writes in Today We Are Rich, “Like gratitude, generosity is a spiritual muscle. When you build it up, you possess the strength to give freely and, with enough development, to be free from an inordinate attachment to possessions or status. When we don’t give the generosity muscle attention because of our possession oriented culture, it grows flabby. That is why some people have fleeting moments of generosity and yet on a day-to-day basis remain self-centered.”
The Bible tells us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:9-10).
Goodness, righteousness and truth are things that God gives to us. It’s not a matter of our working harder, but of asking God to give this to us. When we focus on Christ rather than the world, our eyes become healthy and light enters our souls.
Helen Keller wrote, “Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” Helen Keller lived in a dark, silent world, blind and deaf since birth, yet her healthy spiritual eyes shed a great deal of light on her soul.
What are your eyes focused on these days? Do you see all that you have and how you can be generous? Or are you stuck on all that you lack? Fortunately, diseased eyes are not terminal. By refocusing on your life’s purpose on Christ, His light will flood your soul.
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A Heart-Healthy Life
By Allen White
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
Over the years, I’ve challenged people to check their priorities by examining their calendar and their checkbook. Of course, nobody writes checks anymore, so I guess check your online banking. For most of us, the greatest portion of our time is devoted to work and sleep. The greatest part of our money goes to the government. I wouldn’t say that those are necessarily our priorities – more like obligations.
But, what do we do with those slim margins of time to ourselves and discretionary income. If you’re thinking, “Ya right,” then what would you do if you had the time or the money? What if you could really live your life?
If we put our hope in the markets, our hope will vacillate up and down like a roller coaster. The market drops, and our hearts sink. While there are certainly wise investment strategies, something as fickle as the stock market certainly doesn’t deserve our hearts.
Some of us know what our hearts are drawn toward. When we match our gifts and our strengths to the needs of this world, we find a satisfying intersection to rest our hearts. But, sometimes we don’t know until we actually try.
Our hearts will follow our treasure. Several years ago, I actually had a shot at an IPO. It was a tech fund. I didn’t have a ton of money to invest in it, but I invested what I had. I watched that stock every day. It gained 60 percent overnight. Woohoo! I hadn’t set a goal. I just let it ride.
Overtime, the fund lost the gain. And, then it started to lose the principle. I hadn’t set a lower limit either, so I just watch it sink hoping that it would head the other direction pretty soon. It didn’t.
My son needed a big boy bed. I cashed in the stock, bought the bed, and took a nice tax write off. Today, I don’t care about that stock. I don’t watch it. I don’t really remember its name. It no longer has my attention or even a little piece of my heart.
What have you set your heart on? What makes you jump out of bed in the morning? If you don’t know, then it’s time to find out. Try something new. Find someone to invest in. Get involved in the community or with students. What needs concern you? Find a ministry or an agency that addresses that need and see how you can help.
It’s time to get your treasure in the game. Your heart will thank you.
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Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Win $600 of DVD Curriculum
My friends at only144.com have asked me to run a contest for them over at allenwhite.org. You can win $600 in DVD curriculum by Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, and Tommy Nelson. Just follow the instructions at allenwhite.org.
Stuffed with Stuff
By Allen White
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20
I like stuff. I can stuff myself with stuff. When I think that I have all of the best stuff, the best stuff gets even better. Then, there’s new stuff – new inventions. New innovations. I read a lot of books, but now there’s added excitement to a new book – a new book reader. But, it’s also an Android tablet.
Now, I can check email on my laptop, my book reader, my cell phone and my television. Isn’t stuff great? The problem is that stuff doesn’t satisfy.
Dissatisfaction is great for marketers, but it’s not so great if you want to be satisfied. New stuff can be a lot of fun, but instead of satisfying us, it causes to want more. It’s like after a big Chinese meal. You feel stuffed and bloated – a little swollen from the MSG. Someone on twitter called this a “Chang-over.” Then, an hour later, guess what? You’re hungry again.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have a great passion for Dim Sum. I’m getting hungry just thinking of cha siu bao (pronounced just like it's written).
If stuff was meant to satisfy us, then we would be satisfied. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy my stuff just as much as the next guy. But, there will be no iPads or book readers or sports cars in Heaven. But, there must be cha siu bao there. It’s heavenly.
Stuff breaks. Stuff rusts. Stuff gets stolen. Stuff must be maintained. It’s all susceptible to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. So, we insure our stuff. We have an extended warranty. We buy the service plan. We hire specialists to keep our stuff in tune.
When we get tired of our stuff, there’s always eBay or Craig’s List or a garage sale, where we can earn a dime on the dollar, if we’re lucky.
I’m not saying to get rid of all of your stuff and join the priesthood or something. Enjoy your stuff. Just don’t expect it to satisfy you. Use stuff and love people. But, don’t love stuff and use people. People are eternal. Stuff is going to burn.
Maybe instead of investing ourselves in another reality show, we invest ourselves in a real person. We don’t even have to find one. We already have real people around us: our spouses, our kids, our friends, our neighbors. How can we use our stuff to influence them for good (Luke 16:9)? How can we make a satisfying, eternal investment in their lives?
Don’t just watch your kids play. Get down on the floor. There is so much more to life that just taking up space and oxygen. You and I were put here for a purpose. Our purpose has more to do with influencing than accumulating.
What thing in this world do you think will make you happy? Why do you assume that your satisfaction won’t come from God? While we would never actually say that, we often live that. Why not ask God to help you find satisfaction in your life?
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Monday, July 25, 2011
Celebrating 500 Posts on the Galatians419 Blog
By Allen White
Almost two years ago, I started writing daily devotionals. Plugging away at five devotionals per week for 52 weeks per year, I am actually surprised that I haven’t run out of things to say.
Today we celebrate the 500th post. Readers have gone from zero to now 1,209 subscribers with another 6,652 reading directly from the webpage and another 10,210 getting the word through Twitter. I try not to think about all of this when I write. It’s a bit intimidating.
Here are the Top 25 Most Read Posts of All Time:
- Emotions Are So Unreasonable (April 2011)
- What If We Stopped Complaining? (May 2011)
- God’s Will for Your Life (February 2011)
- Jesus’ Opposite World (March 2011)
- I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up (November 2010)
- God Trumps Strategy Every Time (February 2011)
- Playing the Victim (January 2011)
- God Never Wastes a Hurt (March 2011)
- The Key to Reducing Stress (February 2011)
- Thou Shalt Party (March 2011)
- Dealing with Irrational People (April 2011)
- You Might Want to Flip the Channel Instead (February 2011)
- Something Better Than Fairness (May 2011)
- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Church (December 2011)
- Don’t Let Your Behavior Become the Issue (February 2011)
- Do You Engage People or Lecture Them? (March 2011)
- Griswolds Anonymous (December 2010)
- I Don’t Have Time to be Generous (June 2011)
- God is Always There for Us (February 2011)
- Worry If You're Not Suffering (December 2010)
- What Will Christians Be Judged For? (July 2011)
- Please Continue to Hold... (January 2011)
- Has Friendship Lost Its Edge? (Novemeber 2010)
- All Dressed Up and… (January 2011)
- Que Sera Sera (February 2011)
And, the post that started it all: Living a Balanced Life Day 1 (September 2009)
Thank you for reading. I am truly honored.
Allen White
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Sunday, July 24, 2011
From Restraint to Rejoicing
By Allen White
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:14-17
John the Baptist’s disciples were afraid that Jesus was leading His disciples astray. The practice of religious folks in that day, especially the Pharisees, was to fast two days a week without water. This strict observance served to discipline the body, even though the Law only required fasting on the Day of Atonement as a form of humbling themselves (Leviticus 23:27).
John’s disciples were “serious” about their faith. Jesus’ disciples came across as party boys. Jesus was the life of the party.
Jesus turns the conversation from fasting to feasting. No one fasted at a wedding. In fact, a wedding feast would typically last for seven days. There was plenty of eating and drinking. The disciples’ time with Jesus called for rejoicing, not restraint. Jesus brought a new relationship between people and God.
To exercise self-restraint in the presence of the Messiah made about as much sense as patching an old garment with new cloth or putting new wine into old wineskins. A well-worn piece of clothing had shrunk from washing over time. A new piece of cloth had not. The patch would only add to the damage, not repair it.
The fresh press of grapes needed room to expand during the fermentation process. Today, that would happen in oak barrels in a wine cave or in stainless steel tanks in a place like Livingston, California, which resembles a refinery more than a winery.
In Jesus’ day, fermentation happened in an animal skin. As the new wine fermented, the wineskin would stretch and expand. An old wineskin was already stretched out. To fill it with new wine, when it was already stretched to capacity, meant that an explosion was imminent.
New wine belonged in new skin. New cloth belonged on new clothes. A new covenant prized rejoicing over ritual.
There is a place in our spiritual life for self-discipline. There are days when we need to routinely connect with God, even if we don’t feel like it. But, if our regimen of spiritual disciplines has left us dreading our relationship with God, then we have taken things too far.
Yes, God wants dedicated disciples, but He also wants us to delight in Him as He delights in us (Psalm 149:4). When the things that used to bring us closer to God begin to get in the way of our relationship with God, then it’s time to try something new.
There are many ways to connect with God. Sing worship songs at the top of your lungs while you’re driving. Take a passage of Scripture and put it into your own words. Serve someone who needs help. Talk to someone about your relationship with God. Pray out loud. Be quiet and turn off the noise for half a day. Skip a meal -- spend the time with God and spend the money on someone in need.
God doesn’t want our mindless obedience. He desires meaningful interaction. When giving becomes like paying the bills, when praying sounds like placing an order, when serving becomes just another thing to do, it’s time to do something different. The doing doesn’t make the difference. It’s our connection to God that matters.
Are you stuck in a rut in your relationship with God? Where have good habits become dreaded routines in your life? Try something new. Don’t let even good things sap your joy.
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Thursday, July 21, 2011
Why Fast?
By Allen White
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18
The purpose of fasting is to devote meal times to pray and to depend on God to sustain us. In this, our hope is to better discern God’s will for us and to draw closer to Him.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day resorted to fasting for show. They would show up in public looking as pathetic and miserable as they possibly could as a sign of their extreme devotion to God by fasting. Some, apparently, were impressed by this show of piety. God wasn’t impressed.
Jesus said that fasting for the sake of public opinion was self-rewarding. If their aim was to connect with God in a meaningful way, then it was self-defeating. Fasting for pity or piety got them nowhere with God. They were missing the point.
Fasting helps believers uniquely focus on God. By devoting concentrated time to God through prayer and relying on God for our well-being brings another dimension to our relationship with God. During a fast, we realize how little food we need to survive and in the process, come to understand what little else we really need to be happy and meaningfully connected to God.
By denying our physical bodies, we place the priority on our spirit rather than on the flesh. Anything that we can do to curtail the influence of the flesh, the better off we are.
If you’ve never fasted, then a Noon to Noon fast might be a good place to start. You eat breakfast, then start fasting at lunchtime. You spend lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day in prayer. You break the fast at lunch the second day.
Many people will still drink liquids during that time. The key is devoting yourself to God in prayer. Don’t get caught up with what you should or should not try to put in a blender.
There are other types of fasts. Some practice media fasts where they unplug themselves from email, internet, cable and cell phones for a given period. These constant inputs in our lives can cause us to ignore the people who are with us, like our families. The noise level in our lives can also cause us to miss hearing God’s voice.
So, when you fast, put on a happy face. Don’t advertise that you’re fasting. Impress them with your kindness rather than your fasting.
If you have a health condition that could be affected by not eating, check with your doctor before you begin a fast.
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Don’t Forgive and God Won’t Either?
By Allen White
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
When I read these words, I honestly wonder if Jesus even knew Paul. Paul wrote to the Ephesians saying, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). While works are an expression of our relationship with God, no work is a condition on our salvation. But, if God requires us to forgive in order to receive His forgiveness, wouldn’t that be putting a condition on His grace?
When people are saved by grace through faith, they come into a new relationship with God. God’s former enemies (Colossians 1:21-23) become His children. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). When God saves us, He saves us completely and forgives us of all of our sins.
No one who comes to Christ has his act together. In fact, it takes the Spirit’s work in our lives over time for us to resemble Christ. Some bad habits persist. Wounds need healing. Negative thinking needs renewal. Bad behaviors require repentance. Neil Cole puts it this way, “Sinful people produce great growth because there’s more fertilizer in their lives.”
While God saves completely, we cannot discount Jesus’ words. Forgiveness is a weighty issue. But, if unforgiveness doesn’t jeopardize our salvation, how does it affect us?
Think about the relationships in your life: your marriage, your children, your parents, your closest friends. There are lasting commitments that define these relationships. But, what happens when your spouse or a close friend offends you? Do you immediately part ways and end the relationship? Probably not, because more than likely we’ve also offended them.
Eventually, the offender will seek forgiveness, and we will forgive. We hope that they will change. They probably hope that we would change as well. Grace is required in any lasting relationship.
But, let’s say that your spouse offends you, but you don’t forgive. You decide instead to hold the issue over her head. How’s that going to play out? There will definitely be tension in the relationship. You will interpret what she says and does through her hurtful actions. She will interpret you through your stubbornness and lack of forgiveness. What initially happened, in and of itself, is not necessarily bad enough to cause a divorce, but the issue and the reaction have created a rift in the relationship. Unless you decide to work on forgiveness, the truth is that you and your spouse are slowly parting.
Now, think about your relationship with God. If you have trusted Him for your salvation and have committed your life to Christ, God has saved you. God has declared you as righteous (Romans 3:21-26) and has adopted you as His child (Ephesians 1:4-6). It’s a done deal.
But, let’s say that even though God has forgiven all of your sins and saved you, someone offends you. They hurt you deeply. You don’t want anything to do with them. And, you certainly don’t want to forgive them. You continue a relationship with God, who has completely forgiven you, yet you harbor resentment against another. Now what?
God isn’t going to revoke your salvation, but He’s also not going to overlook your lack of forgiveness for another. Sooner or later, you will sin against someone or in some way. You will feel convicted of your sins. The guilt will motivate you to pray and seek God’s forgiveness. And, according to Jesus’ words, God will hold out on you.
As long as you refuse to forgive another, God will refuse to forgive you. That doesn’t cause you to become unsaved, you just experience the tension in your relationship with God just like you would the tension with your spouse. In fact, Scripture tells us that if a man is at odds with his wife, God will not answer his prayers (1 Peter 3:7).
If you stubbornly refuse to forgive another, your stubbornness is nothing compared to God’s stubbornness. God is eternally stubborn. You don’t want to play that game with Him.
Does this mean that God has put a condition on His love for us? Absolutely not. Out of His love, God doesn’t want to leave us in such a miserable state. God doesn’t want us to be bound by bitterness and resentment. He wants us to be free. We can only experience freedom when we’ve exercised His grace and forgiven others their sins.
While our salvation is not in jeopardy, unforgiveness causes a miserable existence. Freedom comes through generously extending God’s grace to others. Jesus said, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
Who has sinned against you? Who do you need to forgive? If you feel that it’s impossible to forgive someone, ask God to help you.
The thoughts for today’s devotional were inspired by “The Issue of Forgiveness in the Sermon on the Mount” by Greg Herrick on bible.org.
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Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tempted by God?
By Allen White
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13
Is Jesus implying that if we don’t pray this, then God is leading us directly into temptation? That seems odd. Bible translators have wrestled with this sentence too. Some say, “lead us not into testing.” Another interprets, “keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.” Who’s leading what where?
We know from Scripture that God doesn’t tempt us. “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” (James 1:13). Temptation comes from our flesh (Matthew 26:41) and from the devil (1 Corinthians 7:5).
God’s role in temptation is providing a way out. “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). If we want a way out, God will lead the way. If we don’t, God will allow that too.
Temptation takes various forms that are unique to each of us. For some, resisting temptation means avoiding the neighborhood bar. For others, it’s avoiding the neighborhood buffet. Some temptations make absolutely no sense to us. Others disgust us. We can be thankful for not being tempted by those things.
The evil one, the Devil, has one purpose – “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Once the pleasures of sin have run their course (Hebrews 11:25), the end result is never pretty. The Devil has allegiance to no one. Even those who do his work, end up robbed and destroyed.
People can tie themselves up in knots over the evil in this world. No one would argue that things are actually improving. But, God is greater.
When we ask God to protect us or to redirect us from temptation, He leads us toward an abundant life. The life that God gives doesn’t lack anything. It doesn’t need to be supplemented with the pleasures of sin. There is pleasure enough in what God provides.
As for the devil, he is a defeated foe. The evil one is certainly more powerful than you or I, but his power is nothing in comparison to God. After all, “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). As we stay closely connected to God, we have nothing to fear.
Where is temptation tripping you up these days? God can provide a way out. Sometimes it comes as an interruption. Sometimes it comes as a moment of clarity. Sometimes it comes as a friend. Sometimes it comes as a support group. If you want help, there is help. Often the path God uses involves other people.
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Monday, July 18, 2011
The Path to Healing
By Allen White
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12
Some of us have faced that uncomfortable moment in a church service when the congregation recites the Lord’s Prayer in unison. Everything goes fine until we reach today’s verse. There’s a fork in the road – do we say “debts” or “trespasses”?
Even though many modern translations use “debts” here, most recitations go with “trespasses,” especially with our Catholic friends. The original word means “something owed” or morally “a fault.” The English translation is correct both ways.
Everyone who prays the Lord’s Prayer falls into both categories, except for the Lord. He never sinned. We have all wronged God, and we’ve all been wronged. The person who is wronged holds a debt over the offender.
If the debt was financial, it would be repaid with money. If the debt was a favor, it would be repaid with an act of service. If the debt resulted from property damage, it would be repaid with restitution. But, a trespass is a spiritual debt. A person can’t afford that payment.
Let’s say that you lie about me. I hear about the lie. I am hurt and offended. I might avoid you. I might not. I might confront you. I might do something to get you back. I said “might.” This is hypothetical.
What if I decide to seek revenge? If you lie about me, then I’m going to retaliate. The next time you mess up, I’m going to hit you like a ton of bricks, but indirectly, of course.
So, let’s look at the score: You offended me. I’ve offended you. We’ve both offended God. Everyone has lost. But, rather than repent, we proceed. We continue to add offense after offense until we’ve accumulated a debt that only an act of Congress could resolve (well, nevermind).
We wonder why we’re not closer to God. We wonder why people don’t like being around us. We wonder why we don’t have more friends. The debt of sin and unresolved conflict feeds our negativity. It isolates us. It torments us (Matthew 18:32-35).
Going back to Jesus’ prayer, we ask God to forgive our debts as we have forgiven our debtors. This is God’s economy. God forgives a debt that we cannot repay, and we forgive each other of debts that we cannot repay. The offended are equally offensive in other ways. We’re all in the same boat.
But, do we just let them off the hook? Yes, we do. Just like God let us off the hook. While reconciliation isn’t necessarily immediate, forgiveness should be offered ASAP, even if they don’t ask for it. Why?
To forgive is to relieve a burden from our hearts regardless of whether the offender deserves it. Granted, in many cases, it requires the help of God’s mighty power to do it, but He will help us.
The big question here is whether God is putting a condition on His forgiveness of us. If we don’t forgive someone, will God forgive us? I think the bigger question is whether God would put conditions on His unconditional love. That just doesn’t make sense, does it? (I know that Matthew 6:14-15 is coming up in a couple of days).
God is patient with us. He will work with us until we reach a place where we want to forgive. If we are deeply wounded, this is not a short path. But, forgiveness is the only path to our healing.
If we stubbornly refuse to forgive, then we don’t really understand God’s grace very well. God extended His grace to us when we were His enemies (Colossians 1:21-23). With God’s help, we can offer grace and forgiveness to our offenders as well.
Who seems impossible to forgive? How is unforgiveness harming you? How is bitterness interfering with your relationship with God? Ask God for His help. He’s willing to help you to forgive.
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