Quote from Forum Archives on October 8, 2002, 8:17 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to learn how to
forgive others. Now, on one hand, we don't have to go to
ridiculous extremes to be personally set up and abused, over and
over again. That's not what this is about. Yet anyone who has
lived for very long at all will find at least some things that
happen that must be forgiven. Even if we have been deeply
wronged and hurt by others, we continue to hurt ourselves even
longer if we choose not to forgive. Jesus made this so clear
that forgiveness was a major message that He taught, right up to
His final words on the Cross!

Larry Davies has a great message about dealing with resentment
and forgiveness in his message this week. I pray that you will
give his message prayerful thought and make a choice to forgive
all who have offended you. If you're holding anything against
anyone (either for an instant or for a long time), for God's glory
and for your own eternal peace, let go of it right now and send
it to the Cross where it belongs!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Resentment... Forgivenss... and an almost auto accident make for
an interesting story and a powerful lesson.

Sowing Seeds of Faith...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on a mission
trip? Come along with me to Haiti through my daily photo uploads
as I visit indigent orphanages and celebrate Christmas and the
love of Christ with these precious children. It will be an
experience you will never forget! Visit
www.TheMissionary.Net/haiti/haiti.html for all the
details.

"Jerks & the Secret of Sturdy Faith"
Larry Davies

Imagine driving to work on a busy highway, minding your own
business. Suddenly, to your right, someone runs a stop sign and
with squealing tires, zips in front of your car, forcing you to
slam on the brakes and pull off to the side of the road. As you
try to calm your nerves, the jerk in the other car never seems to
acknowledge his mistake and speeds on down the highway.

How would you react? Would you scream, cry, shake your fist,
curse him and all of his ancestry? Would you spend the rest of
the morning, describing what happened to your coworkers? Would
your day be ruined, all because of the senseless, irrational, act
of a stupid jerk who thinks the open road is paved for him? And
another thing, "I am sick and tired of being the patsy!!!" (Oops!
Calm down, Larry.)

(Okay... I'm calm now.) Yet, the other driver... the jerk who
caused all of your suffering is merrily going on with his life
having no knowledge of what he did to you. Think about it. The
other driver was responsible for the near-accident but your
reaction was not his fault. It was yours. The real damage was
entirely self-inflicted. In a word, it is called: resentment.

One definition of resentment is to re-feel the pain. Resentment
is like accidentally cutting your hand with a knife and then
deciding to avenge yourself by stabbing the other hand. Ouch,
that hurts!

The disciples were asking Jesus how to strengthen their faith.
Jesus said: "If your brother (or sister) sins, rebuke him and if
he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a
day and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,'
forgive him." (Luke 17:3,4)

Does this mean we have to forgive the jerk that tried to run over
us? No way! Anyway, what does this have to do with faith? This is
exactly what the people listening to Jesus asked and He answered
them:

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to
this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it
will obey you." (Luke 17:6) What? What does that mean?

The mulberry tree has extensive roots that run deep into the
soil. It's nearly impossible to uproot. Resentment has extensive
roots that run deep within our soul and is nearly impossible to
overcome. Forgiveness is a process that begins as a tiny mustard
seed. As the mustard seed of forgiveness grows the roots of
resentment, like the mulberry tree are loosened and our faith is
strengthened.

Do you want to strengthen your faith? Then, learn to forgive...
. A spouse or former spouse who hurt you deeply.
. Maybe a boss or fellow worker who stepped all over you.
. A trusted friend who violated your confidence.
. A parent or relative who abused you.
. And usually... you need to forgive yourself.

Does this kind of forgiveness sound impossible? Sure it is...
without God. Yet, one psychiatrist wrote that 75% of his patients
could walk out of the hospital if they could truly understand
what it means to forgive and be forgiven. Such is the power of
grace. Let me give you an example:

In 1660, John Bunyan was thrown into prison just for being a
Christian. He could have let the experience ruin him but instead
chose to forgive everyone involved and used the isolation as an
opportunity to write Pilgrim's Progress, one of the most
influential Christian books ever written. The power of learning
to forgive can produce that kind of sturdy faith within you.

Does an attitude of forgiveness ever come easy? Never! It's a
process that we must work at continually but God makes a clear
promise that your willingness to forgive will give you a faith
that will move mountains and change your life. Great! "Now if I
can only forgive that jerk on the highway that almost killed me!"

If you like this devotion you will love the book: "Breaking the
Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a Better Life"
now on sale only through this website. Click here for more
information: www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

Join our prayer ministry by clicking here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

Jesus said: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your
light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine
for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This mailing proudly powered by Subscribe Me(TM) Professional -
Enterprise Edition www.subscribemepro.com

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

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More
faith.yahoo.com