Tag: Forgiveness

Forgiveness

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture2 Comments

Forgiving others is hard, mainly because it is not a once and done thing for us. We have to continually forgive every time the thought comes to our mind about an offense. Forgiveness is a choice that we make each time, not a “I will just think about it later” kind of thing. You know who I have a hard time forgiving? Anyone and everyone who has ever hurt me or one of my children in any way. That means that there are a lot of reminders in my spiritual life to forgive and keep on forgiving. Jesus made sure we were assured forgiveness from the Father, but it is up to each of us to forgive others daily, all day long.

The enemy of our soul wants us to hang on to the burden of hurts and the desire for revenge. That old self really wants payback. But God says He is the one who will avenge us if we will just step back and be still. Part of being still and trusting God is to let go of the heartache we feel from whatever pain the offense caused and to choose to forgive. We cannot forget because that isn’t part of our human nature. But we can choose to forgive each time the offense comes to our mind. I say things like, “This is hard, Lord, but I am choosing to forgive. Help me to let it go and to truly love this person the way you love them.” There is no magical formula for what to say when you forgive someone; you just have to say what is on your heart and really leave it at the foot of the cross.

Forgiveness doesn’t hurt the other person because they generally either don’t care or they are unaware of how you feel. Unforgiveness is a bitter root that starts growing in your heart, and if you water and nurture it with your anger and refusal to forgive, then it will destroy you from the inside out. It can destroy your mental health, your physical health and your spiritual well-being. God knows that we need to forgive for our own good.

There are lots of scriptures about forgiveness. If you are having difficulty with the very idea of letting go of the bitterness and anger resulting from how a person hurt you, I recommend that you memorize verses about forgiveness, meditate on them and ask God to help you to forgive. It is His will, so that’s a prayer that He will answer if you just ask.

Verb Tenses

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, Song2 Comments

As a Spanish teacher for over almost four decades, verb tenses have always interested me. I notice verb tenses as most people note adjectives and adverbs. I want to know when something happened or if it’s a progressive, ongoing thing. Look at the tenses in this scripture verse today.

The verse starts with God shows His love for us. Some translations say demonstrates, but no matter which version you read, this verb is in the present tense. This is an ongoing action…it happens constantly. We are sinners saved by grace, but we are still sinners. And God’s love keeps showing up for us, helping us to clean up our act and to be more like His Son.

The next verb says that Christ died for us. That is a completed action. Christ died once for all and he said “It is finished.” The sacrifice that God the Father sent Him to earth to complete is done, one time, on the cross. We are still sinners, but He died so that we can leave that sinful life behind and be washed clean in His blood. He died once but He loves forever. Tenses are interesting, but they are also important.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being around people who need to take a shower or bath. The smell often makes me try to hold my breath or I gag. I have come across homeless people who smell like this and it is not a pleasant odor. Now, consider that we were all unclean, wallowing in our sins, but God loved us right then, no more or no less than after we accepted His Son as our Savior. God loves the sinner even in the midst of our pig sty of sin and guilt and shame. Then, when we accept the sacrifice He made for us, He is the One who cleans us up with the precious blood of His Son and makes us righteous before Him. We didn’t have to get clean first and then come to the Lord. In fact, we cannot do anything to clean ourselves of our sin. That takes the blood of the Lamb, and that is the free gift of a loving Father.

Washed in the Blood-Faith&Grace

Prayer from the YouVersion App, Daily Refresh, 8-07-25

What’s the Catch?

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture1 Comment

You know the bait and hook schemes that are rampant in the world today, especially with all of us online much of the time? Well, this isn’t that. The catch is that there is no catch, no bait and hook, just simple truth.

The promise from God’s Word is that everyone who calls on Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be saved. There is no fine print that says this is only if you are smart enough, rich enough, famous enough or extremely popular. The promise is for all. But there is something you have to do to receive the promise. You have to believe that Jesus came to earth as a man and died for your sins. That’s it! Just believe and receive!

Jesus already did all that He needed to do to restore your relationship with the Father, your Creator. Now, it’s your turn. Pray, accept, believe. If you need more information, go to the book of John in the Bible and read John 3:16 and John 3:36. Then go to the book of Romans and read Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.16.NIV

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.36.NIV

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.3.23-24.NIV

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.6.23.NIV

You can stop what you are doing right now and pray to God for forgiveness of your sins. Tell Him that you believe that Jesus died for your sins. What do you have to lose? There is no fine print, no catch, no bait and hook. Just the free gift of salvation that saves you from eternal separation from God.

If you have prayed and believed, the next step is to find like-minded believers in a local church. They will support you and help you to become more mature in your beliefs as you learn more and more about the Savior you died for you to have life forevermore. May God bless you in your journey of faith. See you in Heaven!

Transparency Before God

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture3 Comments

One of the things that we as Christians need to realize is that confession and cleansing is not a “once and done” action. It is ongoing, a process that gives us transparency before God. That transparency isn’t for God’s benefit. He already sees all and knows all about us. It is for our benefit, so that we can have a clear conscience and stand before the Father pure and holy as He desires for us. I am not getting into the doctrine of “once saved, always saved.” I am talking about confessing our sins and being forgiven on a daily basis, sometimes more than once a day even.

I use the acronym ACTS for my prayers. If you are not familiar with it, here is what it stands for:

A=Adoration

C=Confession

T=Thanksgiving

S=Supplication

I used to get adoration and thanksgiving all mixed up together. But I have personally discovered that adoration is being aware of and loving God for His character traits, like His mercy, grace, holiness, etc. Thanksgiving is thanking Him for what He has done for us. So similar, but really not the same, right? Sometimes, it is hard for me not to jump right in and start telling God my prayer requests. But by using this acronym, I slow down and spend the time I need to acknowledge God’s power and love, tell Him how I have failed Him and ask for forgiveness, thank Him for what He has already done, and then I can tell Him my current needs or desires.

Anytime we sin, we let a little darkness into our lives. If we want to live completely in the light and be the light, we have to stay prayed up and transparent before God and others. There is a lot of talk about politicians being “transparent.” Since I don’t think that will ever truly happen this side of heaven, I don’t have a firm grasp on what transparency looks like, but my own thoughts are that I am totally and completely honest with God. It is humbling thing to do, but it is also necessary for my relationship with God to be closer and fulfilling. The door to my heart that God holds in His hand is closed until I open it with the key of confession and humble submission to ask for His forgiveness. It’s hard to hear from the Holy Spirit when I am holding on to unconfessed sin. Here are some reminders from the Scriptures of why the C in the acronym is vital to our walk with God.

Do you recall who in the Bible claimed to be holy and without sin? That would be the scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish leaders, whom Jesus called out and called “vipers.” Why would He do that to the leadership? They had not repented of their sins and they were using their positions of power to oppress the people under a multitude of requirements in order to gain power and wealth. I don’t claim to be holy except with the righteousness of Jesus. He cleanses me each time I go before Him and confess and then I move on and try to do better in the future. My right-standing before God is because of Jesus. My clear conscience before God is because I confess and ask for forgiveness.

Why not take a few minutes now to do the ACTS prayer? It can be as short or as long as you need. Just take time to refresh yourself before the Lord. I can assure you that you will have burdens lifted and be really ready to face a new day with the Lord. God bless you!

Undeserved: You Version Daily Devotional

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

Undeserved

When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…

They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.

They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.

And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:

“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬

Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)

God’s ways might not always be easy, but they can always be trusted. 

When we choose unforgiveness, hate and anxiety and bitterness will likely take root. But when we choose forgiveness (even though we might need to consider new boundaries), love and peace and reconciliation can flourish.

So, what about you? Have you ever been mean? Have you been selfish? Talked behind someone’s back? Broke a vital promise? Lied, criticized, or ignored? Have you ever decided to give up and walk away?

In our unique-to-us ways, we’ve all let someone down. We’ve disregarded God’s instructions and, instead, created our own instructions. We’ve messed up.

We deserve God’s wrath but, instead, He’s offered us His unconditional love. 

Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, we didn’t get what we deserve. And even while hanging on that cross, breathing His last earthly breaths, He cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus repaid our evil with extreme mercy, leaving us free to conquer evil with good. So today, let’s honor His sacrifice by treating others the way He treated us.

My Thoughts

All of us have sought ways to “get back” at someone who has hurt us, or even worse to do something to someone else before they can do something mean to us. That is part of our sin nature, but it isn’t attractive and it certainly doesn’t show people the Jesus living inside you. I have spent years now trying to get control of my anger against others and letting go of the hurts and bitterness that follow that quest for revenge. God is a God of love, mercy and forgiveness, not revenge. Yes, He metes out justice…but HE metes out justice. That is not my monkey, not my circus.

Don’t Be Shoeless

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/1201/day/36

Peace comes from within, from knowing that no matter who or what is coming against you, God is for you. I just cannot understand people who hold grudges, seemingly forever. They don’t understand the harm that their grudge is doing to them, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Jesus was never bitter. He didn’t come back from the grave and tell His followers, “Now, let’s go show those Romans and Pharisees who’s boss!” No, He just peacefully showed Himself to those who believed in Him and left them last words of wisdom and encouragement and their marching orders to go. If anyone had the right to be bitter (no one does), then it was Jesus. If anyone had the ability to avenge Himself, the Lord certainly could have. But that was not His purpose. His goal had been reached and He continued to keep His eyes on His Father and follow His Word. If we put on the shoes of peace, then we are able to follow in His footsteps, closer to Him than we may ever realize.

Live as a Child of God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

We change from the inside out, not the reverse. When I put on clean clothes, it doesn’t make me the person I am. What is inside me, inside my heart, determines my choices and makes me who I am. We need to recognize that our sin no longer has the power to separate us from God because we are His children and He calls us to repent and live rightly before Him, totally clean and knowing who we are in Christ. I want my public persona to match the person I am in private, so that I am always and consistently living as a child of God, with the knowledge of my place in Him. I am loved and He forgives me.

True Inward Transformation

Have you ever thought about what a proper response to God looks like when you make a mistake?

It was common in ancient times to tear your clothes as a way of repenting and showing sorrow over mistakes you may have made. It was an outward expression of something happening internally. 

But what would often happen is people would make a public display of repentance without actually repenting in their heart. So, rather than tearing your clothes, God says He would rather you repent in your heart. Tearing your clothes means nothing if your heart isn’t broken before God. Outward expressions should come from true, inward transformation.

And God says that anyone who comes to Him in genuine repentance will experience His grace and compassion. We do not need to fear God’s wrath since we are His children. He encourages us to repent and return to Him when we mess up.

Scripture says that God is slow to anger and abounding in love. Rather than living in guilt and sorrow, God says He will give grace and love instead. He desires that we experience and live within His love, even when we mess up.

What is your first reaction when you mess up? If you try to hide or ignore your sin, take some time to consider why. God wants you to experience freedom and love. Go to Him with what you’re carrying in your heart, and repent of anything that goes against His ways.

Remember that nothing can remove His love from you. He desires that you live in grace and mercy as a child of God.

An Opportunity to Love Again

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/26293/day/12

We have all been hurt at sometime by someone in our lives. It may be an unexpected, come-on-you-suddenly kind of wound. Or it may be a sneaking around for a long time and then striking kind of wound. Whatever wound you have, during your time of waiting, you can give it to the Lord to heal. Forgiveness isn’t a suggestion in God’s word; rather, it’s a command. God knows that we cannot move on in life without forgiving, even if we don’t really realize that there is someone we need to forgive. I know God brought someone to my mind this morning that I didn’t even think about forgiving because I thought the wounds that were inflicted were already forgiven. Not so much if I still feel pain each time I think of what was done, so I am going to spend some time today taking my wounded self to the cross and asking God to forgive me for holding on to the wounds instead of letting Him heal them. I want to open myself fully up to God’s love and forgiveness, don’t you?

Prayer for Israel, Part 2

On By vickleaIn prayer, Scripture1 Comment

Yesterday, my prayer was focused on Israel’s physical enemy. Today, my prayer will center on their spiritual well-being. It is not a new truth that the people of Israel need to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and most have not accepted Him as their Messiah. So, let us pray together for their salvation, that many will come to know the Lord even through this great suffering in their land.

I pray that they will see the need for Jesus and confess their belief in Him and His resurrection. That is the only way to salvation. The Israelites know much about the Old Testament and the Law. I pray for God to open their hearts to the truths of the New Testament and all of the prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

May these blessed and chosen people of God believe with their hearts and be justified, professing their faith in the Lord aloud and rejoicing in the salvation that comes with their belief in the only One who can truly save them. Jesus is the Passover Lamb, the final and ultimate sacrifice. May the Lord open their eyes and hearts to see and believe.

It is only by grace that any of us has been saved. It is a gift, and no amount of following God’s laws can save us. Only God’s grace and our faith in Him can lead to salvation. May the eyes of the Jewish people be opened and their ears attentive to God crying out to them to turn to Him.

No one…not one person can be saved without believing in Jesus. My prayer is for the Jewish people, especially those in Israel, to see their need for a Savior and the truth that the Messiah has come and will come again.

None of us is better than another. God desires to save both Gentiles and Jews. My emphasis today is on the Jewish people who have suffered so much for so long, in the darkness and without hope. May the Lord bring them into the knowledge of His Son as their Savior and into the light of His presence where there is hope and life everlasting.

It is fitting to end my prayer back in Exodus where I began yesterday. I pray that God will use His unfailing love to lead His people and to guide them to the real promised land, eternal life with Him.

In Jesus’s Name. Amen.