Good morning! “Moreover, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.” At one time, it surprised me to find this verse in the 30th chapter of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy—when the people of God were still required to show their commitment to the covenant of God and Abraham and all his descendants by male circumcision. This ritual "mark" set Israel apart from other people and was a continual reminder that Israel belonged to God and God to Israel. But circumcision alone wasn’t enough, the author of Deuteronomy reminded Israel. It wasn’t sufficient to demonstrate their faithfulness to Him. God wanted their hearts and lives to be focused on Him. They had to love the Lord with all their heart and soul—and their neighbor as themselves. A two-fold promise is contained in Deuteronomy 30, with the command to love God with all heart and soul. One is that the Lord would help them to love by circumcising their hearts for them. And two, their love for God would bring them life! “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.” This encourages me when I consider the deep wounds of the heart that people struggle with today, wounds that make it very difficult to forgive those who have hurt us, as our heavenly Father forgives us. When our hearts are wounded by the world, we have a difficult time loving God and neighbor—as the Lord commands us to do. What would bring about healing for our wounded hearts? Forgiveness, though it is hard to do. But some people ask, “Are we required to forgive people who do not acknowledge that they have hurt us? Do we forgive those who do not seek our forgiveness? Lewis Smedes, author of “The Art of Forgiving,” has heard all the arguments against forgiving the unrepentant, including the Bible saying that we have to repent to be forgiven. But this does not have to do with people who need to do the forgiving, he says. This applies to us—people who seek forgiveness from God. People who wrong God should not expect the Lord to forgive them unless they are sorry for what they have done. We are also seeking reconciliation with God, and we cannot be reconciled with Him until we acknowledge our sin, turn away from that sin, and feel genuinely sorry for our sin. Here are some good reasons why we should forgive even the unrepentant who have hurt us: 1. Forgiving is something good we do for ourselves. We cannot experience healing and be released from our burden of anger and hurt until we forgive. To give forgiveness requires nothing but a desire to be free of our resentment. 2. Forgiving doesn’t mean we are seeking reunion with that person who has expressed no sorrow or even recognition of what they have done. 3. Forgiving doesn’t excuse the wrong that they did. They should still suffer the consequences of their action. Forgiving those who have hurt us frees us to be cleansed of all our unrighteousness; when we forgive, our heavenly Father forgive us! Forgiving allows us to go on with our lives centered on Christ and love and service to the Lord, as we are called to do. Friends, allow the Lord to “circumcise” your heart today! Ask Him to help you to forgive that person who hurt you that has not sought your forgiveness or shown that they are sorry for their sin. Forgive, and go in peace and serve the Lord! Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our many sins that we commit daily. Humble us so that we realize our own imperfections and weaknesses –and help us to remove the log from our own eyes before we point out the stick in someone else’s. Help us to forgive without expecting anything in return. Teach us that it is not our job to judge or to attempt to fix other people who continue in sin. Help us to trust in the Holy Spirit to convict and guide us all to righteous living. Circumcise our hearts, Lord, so that we may love you with all heart and soul and our neighbors as ourselves. We pray in Christ’s Name. Amen! Blessings to you this day, Pastor Karen
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:35:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015