Word for Today, Thu, 03 Oct 2002: Be kind... forgiving...
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
I'd like to share Bob Gass' version of Word for Today with you
today. The message in his mailing for Friday is direct: "Let it
go". Ephesians 4:32 is equally direct when it exhorts us to " 32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you" (NIV).
I cannot stress the vital importance of this enough, yet day
after day, I run across people and situations where people do not
have forgiveness in their own hearts. I take no comfort in that
at all. The only things that do for me is to remember to pray
for others often, and also to keep a short account of my own, and
if I detect a lack of forgiveness in my own heart over something,
I am quickly reminded to let it go!
My prayer for those who believe is that this will become a way of
life for each of you. For those of you who read these messages
but do not completely understand the ways of God, it is my prayer
that the genuine message of love and forgiveness will penetrate
your heart and the love of Christ will transform you from within.
For those who believe, but struggle (that should be most of us),
I pray that God will help us with each of these matters, teach us
to forgive, teach us to pray for and encourage others, and
demonstrate the same kind of love that He first demonstrated to
us!
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
From: "ChristianNet" <christiannet@frater.net>
Subject: [WFT] Fri 04 Oct 02 - Let it go!
Date: Fri, 04 Oct 2002 00:39:24 +0100
WORD FOR TODAY by Bob Gass
04 Oct 2002
Let it go!
" ...FORGIVE... AS QUICKLY AND THOROUGHLY AS... CHRIST FORGAVE
YOU. " EPHESIANS 4:32 (TM)
Some scientists set out to capture a rare species of monkey and
bring it back alive and unharmed. To do this, they devised a
trap; a small jar with a narrow neck into which they placed a
handful of nuts. Smelling the nuts, the monkeys reached in to
get them. But when they tried to withdraw their hands, they
discovered they couldn't get their clenched fists back out. They
were trapped; unable to escape, because they were unwilling to
let go!
Sometimes we're just like those monkeys, aren't we? Unable to
escape our past as we are unwilling to let it go! Has somebody
mistreated you? Have you said to yourself, "I'll never forget
this as long as I live"? Whether you know it or not, you're not
holding on to resentment - it's holding on to you. You're
trapped! The real victim of resentment is the one who carries it.
Are you a carrier? Hate prolonged is just a slow form of suicide.
Do you think the other person is the one who needs forgiveness?
Think again. Paul said, "...Forgive...as quickly and thoroughly
as...Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32 TM). How did Christ
forgive you? (a) When you were completely undeserving of it. (b)
With no strings attached. (c) With full knowledge that you'd fail
Him again.
"What's the answer?" you ask. Forgive and forget! More issues are
forgotten than are ever resolved. To forgive is to set a prisoner
free - and discover that the prisoner is you!
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--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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