Post by Messenger on Aug 12, 2005 20:22:35 GMT -5
I would like to talk about forgivness today!
Forgivness is at the very core of what Christianity is all about! It is Christ Jesus forgiving our sins, when we come to that very special relationship with Him, by receiving Him as our Lord & Savior!
But forgivness goes far beyond that! Forgivness goes also to our realtionships with our Brothers & Sisters in Christ as well! The must not be ANYTHING between us, if the Body of Christ is to function properly! There must NOT be any divisions!
I would like to tell you of an instance a couple of years ago, that is just as relevant to today, as it was back then.
We were rehearsing for our annual Christmas production at my church. Where I was working, I wasn't feeling that well at work, but my day was made better, by finding 2 Brothers in Christ at work! Well, at church, we were fine-tuning a skit that I was in, when something horrible happened! Just as I was about to say my lines, the rest of the cast echoed what I had just said-AND MY MIND WENT TOTALLY BLANK! I COMPLEATLY FORGOT MY LINES, BECAUSE I WAS THROWN BY THEIR REACTION TO MY CHARACTER! I stood there for a minute, & then said-"Oh, H**l!" It was bad enough doing it in front of everybody else in the skit, doing it in front of our director, Julie, (who just happened to be our pastor's wife ohmy.gif ), but I was even more horrified, because I had done it in my church! After we finished our rehearsal, I immediatly asked forgivness from Julie for what I had said, & she DID forgive me. That should have made me feel better, but it didn't! I was devestated all that night, & did not get what one could call a restful night's sleep, to say the least!
I KNEW that I had to find the other members of the cast as well, & ask their forgivness as well. This is where we TRUELY see the love of Christ come in!
I went over to my church, to talk to our assistant pastor & his wife, (who were also in the skit). She wasn't there, but I DID have the chance to talk to our assistant pastor. I told him how terrible I was feeling about what had happpened the previous day, & only could ask that he & his wife would forgive me for what I said. I told him that I was devestated by what had happened, & that it was compleatly said without any thought! He forgave me, & said that knowing his wife the way that he did, he was sure that she would forgive me as well. That was really a load off my mind! (I had asked God to forgive me the previous night!)
Well, it turned out that the other cast members forgave me as well!
This little episode, really taught me a very important lesson about maintaining good relationships with my fellow Brothers & Sisters in Christ! Something that happens, something that interferes with our relationships with other Believers-MUST be corrected ASAP! The longer that you wait, the longer the hurt will stay inside them, & it will eventually turn into something MUCH WORSE!
Mark 11:25 says-"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."This verse also acts in reverse as well! If there is any sin that you have commited against a Brother or Sister in Christ-IT IS ABSOLUTLY VITAL THAT YOU SEEK THEM OUT IMMEDIATLY, & ASK FOR THEIR FORGIVNESS!, so that the fellowship you had with them can be restored! Paul said to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 12:13-".......Forgive me this wrong! We too, when we wrong each other, must ask forgivness of them as well!
Be Blessed!
Bill
Forgivness is at the very core of what Christianity is all about! It is Christ Jesus forgiving our sins, when we come to that very special relationship with Him, by receiving Him as our Lord & Savior!
But forgivness goes far beyond that! Forgivness goes also to our realtionships with our Brothers & Sisters in Christ as well! The must not be ANYTHING between us, if the Body of Christ is to function properly! There must NOT be any divisions!
I would like to tell you of an instance a couple of years ago, that is just as relevant to today, as it was back then.
We were rehearsing for our annual Christmas production at my church. Where I was working, I wasn't feeling that well at work, but my day was made better, by finding 2 Brothers in Christ at work! Well, at church, we were fine-tuning a skit that I was in, when something horrible happened! Just as I was about to say my lines, the rest of the cast echoed what I had just said-AND MY MIND WENT TOTALLY BLANK! I COMPLEATLY FORGOT MY LINES, BECAUSE I WAS THROWN BY THEIR REACTION TO MY CHARACTER! I stood there for a minute, & then said-"Oh, H**l!" It was bad enough doing it in front of everybody else in the skit, doing it in front of our director, Julie, (who just happened to be our pastor's wife ohmy.gif ), but I was even more horrified, because I had done it in my church! After we finished our rehearsal, I immediatly asked forgivness from Julie for what I had said, & she DID forgive me. That should have made me feel better, but it didn't! I was devestated all that night, & did not get what one could call a restful night's sleep, to say the least!
I KNEW that I had to find the other members of the cast as well, & ask their forgivness as well. This is where we TRUELY see the love of Christ come in!
I went over to my church, to talk to our assistant pastor & his wife, (who were also in the skit). She wasn't there, but I DID have the chance to talk to our assistant pastor. I told him how terrible I was feeling about what had happpened the previous day, & only could ask that he & his wife would forgive me for what I said. I told him that I was devestated by what had happened, & that it was compleatly said without any thought! He forgave me, & said that knowing his wife the way that he did, he was sure that she would forgive me as well. That was really a load off my mind! (I had asked God to forgive me the previous night!)
Well, it turned out that the other cast members forgave me as well!
This little episode, really taught me a very important lesson about maintaining good relationships with my fellow Brothers & Sisters in Christ! Something that happens, something that interferes with our relationships with other Believers-MUST be corrected ASAP! The longer that you wait, the longer the hurt will stay inside them, & it will eventually turn into something MUCH WORSE!
Mark 11:25 says-"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."This verse also acts in reverse as well! If there is any sin that you have commited against a Brother or Sister in Christ-IT IS ABSOLUTLY VITAL THAT YOU SEEK THEM OUT IMMEDIATLY, & ASK FOR THEIR FORGIVNESS!, so that the fellowship you had with them can be restored! Paul said to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 12:13-".......Forgive me this wrong! We too, when we wrong each other, must ask forgivness of them as well!
Be Blessed!
Bill
