Giving & Receiving Forgiveness

'Be kind and compassionate...forgiving each other...' Ephesians 4:32 NIV

We have all been wounded. Who wounds us? Those we love and those who love us. When we feel rejected, abandoned, abused, manipulated or violated it's usually by people close to us: our parents, our friends, our marriage partners, our children, our teachers, our pastors. This is what makes forgiveness so difficult. It's our hearts that are wounded! We cry out, You, who I expected to be there for me, have failed me. How can I ever forgive you for that? Though forgiveness may seem impossible, the God who lives within us will give us the grace to go beyond our wounded selves and say, In the name of Christ, I forgive you. But remember, there are two sides to forgiveness: giving and receiving. Although at first sight, giving seems harder, often we are not able to offer forgiveness because we haven't fully received it ourselves. Only as people who have tasted the joy of forgiveness can we find the inner motivation to give it. Why is receiving forgiveness so difficult? Because it's hard to acknowledge that without your forgiveness I'm still affected by what happened between us. I need you to help set me free and make me whole again. That requires not only a confession that we've been hurt, but also the humility to admit our dependence on the very one who hurt us. Yet, only when we're able to receive forgiveness, can we truly extend it to others. That's why the Bible says, 'Get rid of all bitterness... Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.'

Your Life Sentence

'Good people live right...' Proverbs 20:7 CEV

Eventually your life will be summarized in a single sentence. What will your 'life sentence' be? If you live intentionally, people at your funeral won't be left to wonder. Will you get it all exactly right? No. But, 'Good people live right, and God blesses the children who follow their example.' Your life is your greatest legacy, and you've only got one, so make it count. Leave a legacy of excellence. In his book Leadership Gold, John Maxwell has a chapter entitled, 'Don't Send Your Ducks To Eagle School'. In it he writes, 'Ducks are not supposed to be eagles-nor do they want to be... Who they are is who they should be. Ducks have their own strengths...' That's where they excel. Leave a legacy of encouragement. It's said, 'Some cause happiness wherever they go; others cause happiness whenever they leave.' Are you the kind of person someone will call 10 or 20 years from now and say, 'Thanks, I couldn't have made it without you'? Leave a legacy of purpose. We're most energized when we're investing our strengths and talents into a God-given purpose. So make your life about something bigger than yourself. You won't live forever, but you can live on through the impact you make now. Leave a legacy of love. Jon Gordon says, 'My mom...passed away a few years ago... I don't recall her faults and mistakes or the disagreements we had. After all, who's perfect? What I remember...was her love. She gave me a legacy of love that'll embrace generations to come.' What will your legacy be? Come join a great team at Calvary. You'll be amazed at what kind of legecy you can leave for others....

Treasure your Family

'...Thus shall the man be blessed...' Psalm 128:4 NKJV

If you're nice to outsiders but not to your own family, you have a problem that needs addressing. So read this: 'The children were loud, cranky, impossible. I was tired and fed up... I decided...to run away from it all and have a day just for me...a day in which I did what I wanted... I was going to live it up and be as greedy as I pleased. I wasn't going to tend to anybody but myself. I zoomed out of the house with $50. There, I did it! I said to myself as I drove to the highway... Well, I drove to a mall and had a wild time in a bookstore and bought the collected poems of Walt Whitman. After that I drove...to McDonald's and ordered two hamburgers, my own large fries and my own large soda. I ate everything without being interrupted, giving my pickle to anyone, or wiping anyone's mouth, nose, lap. Then I bought the biggest chocolate ice cream I could find. I was free! ...So I drove to a movie theatre and watched a movie without buying popcorn, without someone sitting on my lap, without escorting someone to the bathroom. I was a free man. I was living it up-and I was miserable. By the time I returned home everyone was asleep. As I slipped into bed my wife whispered, We missed you.' I answered, Me too. I never ran away from home again!'

The Psalmist wrote, 'Your wife shall be...in the very heart of your house, your children...all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed...' (Psalm 128:3-4 NKJV)

Sometimes it's Easier to Just Reboot

'...Let God transform...the way you think...' Romans 12:2 NLT

Behind everything you do, there's a thought! So if you're serious about changing your life, you must change how you think. That's not easy, and it doesn't happen instantly. Picture yourself in a boat with the automatic pilot set to go in a certain direction, then you suddenly decide to go somewhere else.
First option: willpower. Grab the wheel and force it to go where you want; by sheer willpower, overcome the autopilot. But you'll feel constant resistance. Your arms will get tired, and when you let go of the wheel, guess what? The boat will go the way it's programmed to go. Get the idea? That's
what happens when you try to change your life through willpower alone: 'I'll force myself to quit drinking, cheating, or doing drugs no matter which kind', and so on. Your willpower can only produce short-term change, but it creates constant stress because you haven't dealt with
the root cause and reprogrammed your mind. The change doesn't feel natural so eventually you give up, revert to your old patterns and say, 'I guess this is just the way I am. I'll never change.' Second option: God's power. There is a better way! The Bible says, '...Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.' Change always begins in your mind! The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. You say, 'How can I change the way I think?' By programming your mind each day with God's Word. 'How can a...man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.' (Psalm 119:9 NKJV) So hit
the reboot button and start living God's way....

Interact

'...The words that I speak to you are...life.' John 6:63 NKJV

Don't just read this devotional, interact with it. To get the most out of each day, find an insight and reflect on it; a nugget of truth you ponder throughout the day. Paul told Timothy, 'Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.' (2 Timothy 2:7 NIV) The more you reflect, the more God will reveal. Then, find a verse and memorize it. This verse should encapsulate a truth you've just read. If you want to improve the quality of your life, memorizing Scripture is one of the most important habits you can begin. Write the verse down and read it every chance you get. Like a seed planted, it will produce life in you. Jesus said, '...The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.' Then try to find a question and personalize it. This question should help you to think about what you've read and how it applies to you personally. The question is not just 'What is God saying?' but 'What is He saying to me?' By writing down your thoughts you can find the answer to that question. Finally, find a principle and act on it. Information only turns to transformation when you do something about what you've read. James writes, 'But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.' (James 1:25 NIV) Your life is worth taking time to think about! So when you read this devotional, do these four things. It will change your life!

Insights #2

'The fear of the Lord adds length to life...' Proverbs 10:27 NIV

The secret of ageing well is staying young at heart, staying close to God, and staying fully engaged with life. The mirror isn't your problem; how you see yourself is. Have you noticed how 'young' some older people are, and how 'old' their peers seem? Seeking the elusive fountain of youth isn't the answer, nor is surrendering to time and fate. Rather, do these two things. First, be realistic! Nothing is sillier than a woman made up to re-create what she hasn't been for decades-except an older man in an unbuttoned shirt flashing jewelry intended to recreate the macho image of a lost youth. When you are comfortable with your age and stage of life, others will be too. Solomon points out that age decreases vigor, dims vision, slackens muscles, stiffens joints, whitens hair, and so on (Ecclesiastes 12:1-5). Vitamins, exercise and a good attitude help, but you must be realistic in order to handle ageing with dignity. Secondly, keep giving. 'Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. Divide your gifts among many, for you do not know what risks lie ahead.' (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 NLT) Don't stop investing your energy and resources into God's Kingdom because you think it's time for the young folk to take over. If you do that loneliness and depression will set in, and illness and death often soon follow. When you shut the door, draw the curtains and isolate yourself, you're old at any age. But when you stay in the mainstream, give yourself to God and others, you'll stay young all your life!

Insights

'The fear of the Lord adds length to life...' Proverbs 10:27 NIV

When asked about the benefits of living to be 100 years old, one centenarian smiled and said, 'There's very little peer pressure.' Thanks to medical science we're living to our eighties, nineties and beyond. But living longer means dealing with the realities of ageing. Our youth-orientated culture often gives old age a bad image, but clearly God doesn't agree. To Him, old age is the reward for a life well-lived, a privilege earned, an accomplishment worth celebrating, and wisdom shared to benefit succeeding generations. For the next few days let's observe some things about ageing.

Note how God sees ageing. He views long life as evidence of His favor. He says, '...Through Me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.' (Proverbs 9:11 NIV) Longevity, with all its aches and pains, is a blessing. 'The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of
the wicked are cut short.' You say, 'But who will take care of me when I get old?' Don't worry, God will be there for you: '...I have cared for you since you were born... I will be your God throughout your lifetime-until your hair is white with age...I will care for you...' (Isaiah 46:3-4 NLT) What an insurance policy! Is there proof that He does? Yes, ask the Psalmist. 'Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.' (Psalm 37:25 NLT)