Good morning everyone! I hope you had a refreshing weekend and got to church sometime. If not, you should! Going to church is a great way to be refilled and refreshed for the week. I feel today, before we get started, God really wants me to remind everyone that YOU are His child, and He loves you so much. Romans 5:8 says "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." While we were still rebelling against God, spitting in His face, he loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. How crazy is that? Throughout the day, think about this and know that God's love for you is so crazy that You are all He thinks about. Anyways, with that, let's get started.
This morning as I was praying about what I should post, God really surprised me by not specifically telling me what to write like He usually does, but instead bringing people to mind who I had a grudge against. I immediately was reminded of Matthew 5:23-24 which says "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." God reminded me that I needed to be reconciled with a few people before I even started the day. As I talked to these people, I realized I had said in my heart I forgave them, but still held something against them. So many times, I think we say we forgive people in word, but later forget that we've forgiven them! When God says that He has cast our sins as far as the East is from the West, He has set the standard on how we should forgive; casting each other's wrongs just as far. Matthew 6:15 says "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Many people like to read the Bible only when they read verses that make them comfortable, but skip over verses like this one. The truth is, we need to be forgiving our brothers and sisters in Christ, if we want to truly be living the life God wants us to live.
I just recently finished reading a book by Andy Andrews called The Heart Mender and something one of the main characters said stuck out to me. He said "We begin to forgive by choosing to forgive . . . by deciding, not by feeling. Our feelings don't lead us to forgive. Most times, our feelings lead us the other way. That's why a person has to decide to forgive first. Our feelings always follow along behind our decisions.” When someone wrongs me, I don't know if I'm just weird or something, but 10 out of 10 times, I usually don't want to forgive them right then. True forgiveness is not a feeling, but a decision that we have to make. When we choose to forgive someone and let go of what they have done to us, it can free up our lives to where God can work through us. If you hold onto what they have done, it can build up bitterness and hate towards not only that person, but towards everyone around you. It was once said that hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. If you choose to forgive someone, it will allow so much more joy to enter your life and free you from a burden that none can carry by themselves.
Ultimately, we need to be living in the light that if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, He has already taken the punishment for every one of your sins. God has already forgiven every wrong you have committed, and will commit, so therefore we should be acting the same towards those who wrong us If you ask God to free you of this burden, He won't always take it from you, but I know for a fact that He will give you the strength to forgive others.
I really pray that this was a heart check for everyone like it was for me. If you have any prayer requests, or anything you want to talk about, you can message me on Facebook.
God Bless,
Bailey
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