Decision to forgive

When we make the decision to forgive, we have to trust God for the grace to extend it.  It truly is God’s expectation that we will share the forgiveness that we ourselves have been given.  As difficult as it may be to release someone who has hurt us it is part of God’s plan to restore us.  As we forgive and begin to pray for those who have despitefully used us, we see a change in ourselves that can only come from the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we make the choice to be obedient to the Word and forgive, we begin to overcome the injustice we have suffered and begin to be victorious over the plans the enemy had to keep us bound.  Matthew 5:43-44 gives us insight into this  painful issue.  “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I say to you love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven.”  When we intercede for those that have hurt us, we become victorious.  Overcoming unforgiveness with forgiveness is the ultimate deliverance.

Teaching our children to love

Teaching our children to love the Lord is one of the first commandments from Father God.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all your soul and with all of your strength.  And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).  Imparting a godly heritage has more competition now than ever.  In the age of technology that we live in, everything is broken down into sound bytes.  The average child has already spent hundreds of hours in front of televisions, computers and video games.  Our best way of communicating the love of God to our children is to do just that, love them.  As we demonstrate the love of God in our own lives, we are sowing into our children’s lives.  This scripture gives just the right instruction to accomplish this.  We are to teach them, talk about what God has done in our lives, share the Word of God and be consistent.  Every day there are wondrous things to share about the Kingdom of God.  Don’t be intimidated by the world of technology, just plug your children into the Creator of the World.

Learn from Me

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest in your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).  The word “learn” comes from the Hebrew root word “lamad.”  Its meaning is to goad, to teach, become accustomed, seek diligently, expert, instruct, learn, skillful, teach.  Jesus instructions are for us to learn of Him and to exchange our all too heavy loads of day-to-day living for His burden that is light and easy.  “Easy” comes from the Hebrew verb “chraomai” and denotes that which is useful, pleasant, good, comfortable, suitable and serviceable.  Serving Jesus is meant to lift the weight of the world off of our shoulders as we learn His ways.  When we exchange our strength for that of the Lord Jesus, we will truly find rest in our souls.  As we learn from Him, He will continue to teach us to diligently seek His will for our lives.

Plenteous in goods

“And the Lord shall make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give you.  The Lord shall open unto you His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in His season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you shall lend unto many nations, and you shall not borrow.  And the Lord shall make you the head and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if you hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day to observe and to do them” (Deuteronomy 28:11-13).  Even though we do not see our material needs in quite the same way that Israel did, the promises of God are just as relevant today as they were then.  Once we make the choice to serve God with all of our hearts and with all of our substance, He will bless everything that we put our hands to.

We serve a good God who desires above all things for us to be blessed and walking in the fulfilled promises He has given us in His Word.  As we walk in obedience we are laying a spiritual foundation for our children and children’s children.  Preparing the way for a godly heritage insures that not only will we receive good treasure but we will become His good treasure.

His mighty power

“Therefore also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glory of His inheritance of the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of  which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only to this age but also in that which is to come.  And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:15-23).

God’s Presence

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:29-32).  The words that come from our mouths really come from what is in our hearts.  If there are hidden hurts that are causing bitterness then our words are often filtered through that hurt, spilling out onto those we love.  As we daily renew our minds, dwelling on the things Jesus encourages us to think about, things that are good and pure and not of evil; we see a transformation taking place in our hearts.  The Word is correct when it tells us that out of the abundance of the heart will come either good or evil.  It is by daily spending time in God’s Presence that this transformation takes place.  As we exchange our thoughts for His, the things that come out of our hearts will be good treasure indeed.

The days are coming

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of the grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine and all the hills shall flow with it.  I will bring back the captives of my people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.  I will plant them in their land and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God’” (Amos 9:13-15).  The fulfillment of this promise is based on the unconditional mercy and grace of God’s blessing.  Security and stability for the heirs of our heavenly Father are not only for His future Kingdom but also for those serving Him in obedience right now.  God is planting His people.  The harvest we have been sowing for will be so great and come so quickly that we will enter into another season of reaping before the first is completed.  We are supposed to enjoy the fruit of our labor.  The Word of God confirms it again in Proverbs 14:23, “In all labor there is profit…”  Financial provision is only one aspect of the blessings of God.  Our harvest will come as we see sons and daughters saved for the glory of God.  We will reap blessings in our physical bodies as we are healed and made whole.  As captives are set free from years of emotional bondage, deliverance will become their portion and season of reaping.  “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He, who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing His sheaves (His harvest) with Him…weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 126:5-6, Psalm 30:5).