Friday, April 22, 2016
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When you are on the way to court with your
adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand
you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be
thrown into prison. Matthew 5:25(NLT)
Yesterday, in Part 1, we talked about receiving
forgiveness, and how that’s everyone’s deepest need. Jesus also said it’s everyone’s legacy.
Your legacy is what you
leave behind.
And in relationships,
both spiritually, and with family and your community, what legacy you leave depends
on the forgiveness you’ve been willing to extend and receive. The judge Jesus mentioned in our
text is not some Superior or Supreme Court judge; He’s talking about the
Father.
When you mention legacy
and forgiveness in the same breath you have to think of Joseph. Joseph was thrown into the pit, and sold into
slavery….by his brothers! In the end he
didn’t spew bitterness, he extended forgiveness.
You also have to think
of Esau and Jacob – but particularly Esau.
When Jacob stole his brother’s blessing and birthright, the anger
welled-up in Esau and he swore he’d kill him.
Twenty years later he had the opportunity, but instead Esau welcomed his
lying brother home with open arms. The
testimony of that was out of Jacob’s own lips:
…for truly seeing your face is like seeing the face of God. (Genesis 33:10 NRSV)
Perhaps the best Old
Testament example of all is the Prodigal son.
In one immature, poor decision he squandered his inheritance and the
family’s good name. When he came back he
deserved to be ridiculed and rejected. If his brother had any say in the matter he
would’ve also been hung!
But the father welcomed
him back from the pigpen with open arms; he put a ring on his finger, sandals
on his feet and a royal robe on his back.
Then he threw the biggest party the county had ever seen. He was forgiven!
Do you think God has a
message in all that for our world today?
What will we DO With the Message we’ve heard?
“Reconciliation” is what
Paul called it; this is the ministry of the church. Forgiveness is the work of this
reconciliation.
Today the world is
anything but reconciled and in peace.
Anger, harshness and retaliation rule the day.
And, sadly, it’s not
much better in the church. No wonder
Jesus wept!
The world needs a
message of reconciliation in this dark hour; we all need to hear how a Savior died
to set us free from the darkness. And if
this ministry of reconciliation is the work Jesus entrusted to the church, the
best chance this generation has of seeing that is in how we treat one another!
So…the questions remain:
What will we do with that?
Will we continue in the dark?
Will we continue our squabbles and anger and
division?
Or will we who are the
church of Jesus Christ offer these hearts of ours to God and each other, with
weeping, tears and repentance at the altar?
For You Today
God is willing to mend
our brokenness; what will we do?
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