A couple Sundays ago Pastor gave a teaching on Reconciliation that was quite the scorcher. He talked about being reconciled with people who may have hurt you. We learned that reconciliation means "bringing the balance to zero." Pastor emphasized how this means letting go of grudges and not expecting the person who's hurt you to apologize and accept that they've wronged you. In essence, there's no score to settle - we just zero it out and call it good.
I literally was saying, "But what if they never say sorry?," just before Pastor stated NOT to wait on someone to tell you sorry, because that sorry may never come.
Sometimes, God's reminders are not beautiful epiphanies. They don't give you warm fuzzies and an "oh that's good" feeling. Sometimes they are just words you hear or read on a page. That's how this teaching affected me. I knew and believed the words were true, but it was something I would have to think about and act on "later." God is so wonderful in the way He coaches us though. Even when His promptings are pushed aside, He graciously continues to send reminders to get our attention. He got mine with Psalm 40:5-6.
Pastor compared the way we forgive to the way God forgives us. Christ died on the cross for all of our sins before we ever asked for forgiveness, and long before we accepted our guilt. Christ brought the balance to zero between us and God, and there was/ is no way we could have ever paid enough to reconcile our debt otherwise.
Psalm 40:5-6 says, "Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required." That word "reckoned," which means "to calculate," got my attention. Even before there was Jesus, King David knew that the types of offerings they were giving to God were not enough compared to what God gives us.
Reflecting on this truth makes it hard to want to hold on to feelings of vindication.
Recently I overheard a conversation about race relations and the common arguments on both sides. Why can't we get along? Can't we see there's still inequalities and animosity? I didn't join that conversation but later was able to talk about the thoughts I've listed here about reconciliation and forgiveness. When we try to forgive and forget or "move forward" according to the methods of society, it breeds bitterness, envy, and trouble. Our human nature wants that apology, wants the payback, needs the vindication. Reconciliation is a foreign concept to our very human heart and it does not seem enough to ease the hurt.
It is only through the gentle cajoling of the Holy Spirit that reconciliation becomes possible. It's when we reflect on the amount of times we've messed up and how we don't deserve salvation, that we readily open our hearts towards reconciliation. We've done very little and are promised forever with God in Heaven. Jesus took on the heavy cost in order to secure our place in Heaven. With this perspective, reconciliation is possible. Giving up the "I'm sorry," is doable. Having your forgiveness taken for granted is bearable.
There are a lot of things that I've allowed the Holy Spirit to work on in my life. For example, my tongue is not as quick to speak in anger as it used to be. This teaching showed me, however, that there's still more to work on. My first step was making the awkward phone call that did nothing to resolve my hurt, but just needed to happen to make peace. None of us like to be hurt, but let's trust in God's better plan. Let's all not wait until "later" to be reconciled with each other.
Have a Happy New Year!
♪♪♪ More, More, More, by Joanne Rosario
I literally was saying, "But what if they never say sorry?," just before Pastor stated NOT to wait on someone to tell you sorry, because that sorry may never come.
Sometimes, God's reminders are not beautiful epiphanies. They don't give you warm fuzzies and an "oh that's good" feeling. Sometimes they are just words you hear or read on a page. That's how this teaching affected me. I knew and believed the words were true, but it was something I would have to think about and act on "later." God is so wonderful in the way He coaches us though. Even when His promptings are pushed aside, He graciously continues to send reminders to get our attention. He got mine with Psalm 40:5-6.
Pastor compared the way we forgive to the way God forgives us. Christ died on the cross for all of our sins before we ever asked for forgiveness, and long before we accepted our guilt. Christ brought the balance to zero between us and God, and there was/ is no way we could have ever paid enough to reconcile our debt otherwise.
Psalm 40:5-6 says, "Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required." That word "reckoned," which means "to calculate," got my attention. Even before there was Jesus, King David knew that the types of offerings they were giving to God were not enough compared to what God gives us.
Reflecting on this truth makes it hard to want to hold on to feelings of vindication.
Recently I overheard a conversation about race relations and the common arguments on both sides. Why can't we get along? Can't we see there's still inequalities and animosity? I didn't join that conversation but later was able to talk about the thoughts I've listed here about reconciliation and forgiveness. When we try to forgive and forget or "move forward" according to the methods of society, it breeds bitterness, envy, and trouble. Our human nature wants that apology, wants the payback, needs the vindication. Reconciliation is a foreign concept to our very human heart and it does not seem enough to ease the hurt.
It is only through the gentle cajoling of the Holy Spirit that reconciliation becomes possible. It's when we reflect on the amount of times we've messed up and how we don't deserve salvation, that we readily open our hearts towards reconciliation. We've done very little and are promised forever with God in Heaven. Jesus took on the heavy cost in order to secure our place in Heaven. With this perspective, reconciliation is possible. Giving up the "I'm sorry," is doable. Having your forgiveness taken for granted is bearable.
There are a lot of things that I've allowed the Holy Spirit to work on in my life. For example, my tongue is not as quick to speak in anger as it used to be. This teaching showed me, however, that there's still more to work on. My first step was making the awkward phone call that did nothing to resolve my hurt, but just needed to happen to make peace. None of us like to be hurt, but let's trust in God's better plan. Let's all not wait until "later" to be reconciled with each other.
Have a Happy New Year!
♪♪♪ More, More, More, by Joanne Rosario
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