Quote from Forum Archives on June 21, 2001, 2:41 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I received a thought provoking prayer about forgiveness in The
Christian connection newsletter. I'd like to share it with you.

=============
UNFORGIVENESS
Author Unknown

Nothing is as painful, As unforgiveness to the soul;
A heart that's torn asunder, With forgiveness becomes whole.
A single kind word spoken Means more than countless words;
The three words, "I forgive you," Are all that need be heard.

To a soul that has been wounded, Like a healing, cooling balm;
Forgiveness soothes and comforts, Till at last the soul is calm.
For the soul that seeks forgiveness, When forgiveness can't be found;
It struggles vainly everyday, To hear that simple sound.

The power in those three kind words, Can heal a heart that's broken;
But that heart cannot begin to heal, As long as words remain unspoken.
Compassion in it's purest sense, Reside in those three words;
The three words, "I forgive you," Are all that need be heard.

=============

For most of you who live in the Northern Hemisphere, it is now
officially Summer - the Summer Solstice has arrived. Do you know
that it will remain light all night long tonight at the North
Pole? Whew! I don't want to live there! As it is, it is
getting increasingly difficult to get the kids to go to bed when
it is still light outside! A few stormy days in the Northeast
have helped that situation - bringing dimly lit skies in the
early evening, helping sleepy children to close their eyes!

My Internet Brother in Christ, Larry Davies, has written a part
two message to follow up on last week's message, A Different Way
of Looking at Jesus: Angry Part 2. I hope you find this message
as useful as I do. We will have to wait until next week to read
the third part of Larry's message, but as always, we can gain
insight ourselves by reading the scriptures, examining our own
hearts, and discussing the meaning of the scriptures privately in
prayer with God. It is my fervent prayer that every one of us
will do just that.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Reply-to: "Sowing Seeds of Faith..." <sowseeds@nesbe.com>
Subject: A Different Way of Looking at Jesus: Angry Part 2

If you missed part one -- click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/Angry.Jesus.1.htm

Sowing Seeds of Faith

A Different Way of Looking at Jesus: Angry Part 2 Larry Davies

Blind guides! How terrible it will be for you Snakes! Sons of
vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? Strong
language from a Jesus most of us would describe using only loving
and compassionate language. Even more surprising, his outburst
was aimed at Pharisees who were considered among the most
religious folks in the community. They could be your Sunday
school teacher, a member of your choir, an elder or even your
pastor. Ouch! Why was Jesus so angry?

In chapter 23 of Matthew: Jesus said, How terrible it will be
for you Then he explained why:

* Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra
wide prayer boxes Traditionally, Jews wear prayer boxes on
their arms or foreheads but Pharisees had to wear big boxes. Many
Christians wear crosses but yours has to be a big cross,
complete with flashing lights. Big deal!

* You wont let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven You almost
had to be born a Jew to become a Jew. There was solid evidence
that Romans and Greeks were interested in the one God of the Jews
but there was little or no encouragement from the Pharisees. We
too frequently condemn someone for what is humanly lacking rather
than offer praise for what God is changing.

* You cross land and sea to make one convert and then you turn
them into twice the son of hell as you yourselves are The
Pharisees were teaching Jews to obey the law and be good
Pharisees rather than holy people of God. Which is more
important? What are we teaching Christians today?

* You say that it means nothing to swear by Gods Temple but
then you say that it is binding to swear by the gold in the
Temple. Pharisees were experts at swearing oaths then changing
the rules. Today, its called aggressive advertising to announce
a ridiculously low price and then bury the truth in fine print.
We marry for life but also seek prenuptial agreements just in
case. Sad!

* You are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income
but you ignore the important things of the law justice, mercy
and faith. It would be like finding a dollar on the street and
while driving to church to give a tenth you pass right by an auto
accident and a house fire. Cold! Really cold!

* You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the
dish but inside you are filthy I have a bad habit of leaving
half-filled coffee cups throughout the church. If you happen to
find one several weeks later, it may be potential penicillin but
whats inside that cup is not a pretty sight. Sunday is often the
day we put on our best outfits but what about the inside? It
isnt pretty. Ugh!

* "You are like whitewashed tombs beautiful on the outside but
filled on the inside with dead peoples bones and all sorts of
impurity. Jesus is repeating the same point so it must be
important. The tombs may be beautiful on the outside but just
inside is still dead bones. Ecch!

Lets see if I understand what Jesus is saying:

1. Everything we do is for show We must really think we are hot
stuff

2. We are far too quick to condemn and way too slow to praise

3. We place a higher priority on serving the church than serving
God

4. Our word is no longer sacred even our contracts have escape
clauses

5. We major in the minors and completely miss the foundations of
our faith

6. We may be clean on the outside but inside we are filthy

7. We may look good on the outside but inside we are dead

No one enjoys receiving a tongue lashing. Especially when those
being lashed consider themselves respectable, law-abiding,
upright citizens. How dare Jesus talk to us like we are common
thugs! Who does He think he is God! Are you beginning to
understand where this is leading? The Pharisees began to gather
in their meetings to talk about how to deal with Jesus. They soon
had an answer Jesus was arrested on trumped up charges, whipped,
beaten and crucified until he died.

Are you beginning to understand why the Pharisees reacted to
Jesus harsh condemnation with rage? Do you also understand that
this response is wrong and not what Jesus wanted from them or
expects from us? This is the crucial part of the story. If the
Pharisees were wrong what is right? What reaction did Jesus
want? What response does Jesus expect from todays church
leaders from you from me? The answers will be in next weeks
devotion but until then, look again at Matthew 23.

Are you filled with a burning desire to express yourself and your
love for God? Maybe, you are a frustrated, unpublished writer
looking for a chance to prove yourself and gain an audience? If
so, try your hand at writing for The Sowing Seeds Ministry third
annual writing contest. The deadline is fast approaching. Click
on www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/writing.htm for more
information.

Sowing Seeds of Faith... Weekly devotions with ATTITUDE, humor,
great stories and a down-to-earth Bible study.

Would you like to receive twice weekly prayer needs from around
the world? Click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
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