Category Archives: Forgiveness

Bible, Forgiveness, Gifts, Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Scripture, Secrets

HE HAS GRANTED

GALATIANS 3:18

“For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”

Getting something you don’t deserve is nice. It’s especially nice if you receive it in spite of something you may have done. Grace gifts are given that way. Have you ever received a gift like that? I sure have. My wife has forgiven me more times than I can count when I know I didn’t deserve it. She’s that kind of person. How can she do that? It’s only because she knows how much she’s been forgiven.

In today’s verse, Paul makes a statement that needs to be looked at. He says, “God has granted.” That Greek word for “has granted” is “used of God giving His grace to pardon. This is freely done and therefore not based on any merit of the one receiving forgiveness. It is used of God giving His grace to pardon. This is freely done and therefore not based on any merit of the one receiving forgiveness.” (HELPS Word Studies)

APPLICATION

Why did I use such a long quote above? I wanted you to see the full definition of this word. We have been granted our righteousness through Jesus in the same way. It is given to us not based on anything we have done. In fact, we don’t deserve it. We deserve hell. But God saw fit to send His one and only Son to die for us. John 3:16 tells us that.

In 2 Corinthians 9:8 Paul says this, “And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” Don’t you like that? His grace overflows to us. How about Ephesians 4:7? “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” The gift of grace has nothing to do with us and all to do with Him.

Here’s a practical application of this verse. Will you extend grace to someone who doesn’t deserve it? Perhaps they have offended you – give grace. Maybe they have lied about you – give grace. They may have tried to intentionally hurt you – give grace. That is exactly what God does for us. Shouldn’t we imitate Him? I didn’t say it would be easy, but it would be the “grace filled” thing to do.

Father God, give me the grace I need to extend grace to others.  

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Bible, Faith, Forgiveness, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture, Testimony

FATHER ABRAHAM

GALATIANS 3:7

“Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”

Do you remember the childhood song, Father Abraham? The lyrics were:

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord.
Right arm!

You would progressively add the left arm, right foot, left foot, nod your head, turn around and sit down as you did these motions. It’s a fun song to sing with small children. But we often miss what it is teaching us.

In today’s verse, Paul is teaching us this very truth. We, the faithful, those who have placed their faith in Jesus alone are considered to be children of Abraham, the faithful father. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, our righteousness comes solely through our faith in Jesus, not in any works we may do. It is faith alone in Christ alone. Period! Exclamation mark!

APPLICATION

So, what is faith? I was discussing this recently with a friend. He shared how he had this very conversation with his physical therapists. He explained to her that the Greek word for faith, pistis, means to be persuaded by something. We have all experienced that in some way or another. I have been persuaded to get on airplanes and have faith that the mechanic has checked it out completely. Some call that blind faith. Maybe it is.

1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” That is why we can have faith in God – because He is faithful to do what He says He will do. So, it’s not blind faith. He has proven Himself over and over and over. All through Scripture we see His faithfulness. In our lives we have experienced it.

Today, share your faith to someone else. Tell them what God has done in and through your life. Tell them all about your journey with the faithful One. It’s one thing to preach the Gospel. It’s another thing to share life experiences that they can relate to. Be transparent and let God use you to bring others to faith in Jesus.

O Lord, find me faithful as You are. You have proven Yourself over and over to me.

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Accountability, Bible, Cleansing, Fire, Forgiveness, Judgment, Purity, Salvation, Scripture

CLEANSING POWER

MALACHI 3:2

“‘But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap.’”

I have had some pretty, dirty jobs in my lifetime. I grew up in Southwest Georgia and worked tobacco fields on my cousin’s and uncle’s land. There is nothing much dirtier than working tobacco fields in the morning. All that tar from the plants stains your hands, arms and clothes. I could literally come home from work and stand my jeans up because they were so stiff from that tar. We discovered that green tomatoes rubbed on our hands would remove the tar. Nasty, dirty work!

Today’s verse has been often quoted. The Lord is still speaking here and referring to the coming of His Son. Whether this is referring to His first coming or the second, the Lord goes on to say how His conviction for sin “is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap.” What does that mean? Every person will be judged one day. Some will accept His grace and avoid final judgment. Our sins need either a fire to purify us or soap to clean us up. One is harsh, and one is more gentle. One or the other is needed though to take away our sins. Those who refuse this will not be able to stand before Him.

APPLICATION

Albert Barnes says of this refiner’s fire, “But as God is ‘a consuming fire, Who must burn out the dross, unless we be ‘reprobate silver’ which ‘the founder melteth in vain,’ either He must, by His grace, consume the sin within us, or must consume us with it, in hell.” That is pretty much to the point, isn’t it? We either fly or fry, turn or burn, get right or get left. Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.

Seriously, God’s cleansing power is for all people, if they will accept it. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 even tells us our works will be judged by fire. “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.”

This is not a devotional to scare you into repenting. I am simply bringing out the message in today’s verse as it applies to believers and unbelievers. Where are you today in your walk with Christ? Do you need a good scrubbing with landerer’s soap or maybe your sins need the refiner’s fire? Just come to Him.

O Lord, purify me. As James says, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

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Accused, Battles, Bible, Consequences, Forgiveness, God's Will, Innocent, Judgment, Justice, Kindness, Relationships, Scripture

INNOCENT VICTIM

MALACHI 2:14

“Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your marriage companion and your wife by covenant.”

Not many things divide the church like the subject of divorce. Some look at divorcees as having leprosy. They are not allowed to serve in certain areas of the church. A divorced man is instantly disqualified from ministry. I could go on and on. Few people take the time to find out why that person is divorced and if they, like today’s verse talks about, are the innocent victim in their divorce.

Malachi comes down hard on these priests in today’s verse. He plainly says that the Lord has taken up the defense of these discarded wives who are the innocent victims. They had done nothing wrong. They were the victims of their husbands wanting the foreign wives. God will defend the helpless.

APPLICATION

I am reminded of the verse in Psalm 103. Verse 6 says, “The LORD performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed.” We are not always guaranteed justice in a court of law, but in God’s court, justice always reigns. That justice may be a long time coming, but He is always right on time. He is never late in His justice.

Take a look in your own church. How many divorcees are there? How many single moms are the innocent victims of their divorce? How many single men? How many people are remarried after a divorce but are still seen as “guilty” even though they too were the innocent victim. We cannot be too quick to judge, can we?

In fact, Jesus talks a little about that. Luke 6:37 tells us, “‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.’” This comes right after the Beatitudes which most of us are familiar with. Take a few minutes and read that section of Scripture. I promise the words will encourage you.

Lord, forgive me when I judge others without knowing the whole story. Lead me to those who just need an encouraging word.

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Affection, Affliction, Altars, Apologies, Bible, Bitterness, Crying, Emotions, Flesh, Forgiveness, God's Will, Grace, Relationships, Scripture

WHAT A SHAME!

MALACHI 2:13

“And this is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.”

Our sinful behavior has effects on others. Sometimes we are not aware of the effect. Other times we are well aware. We see the damage it causes. We hear the anguish in the other person’s voice. The hurt we cause because of our sins weighs heavy on the Lord. He sees their hurt and holds us accountable.

The Pulpit Commentary says this about this verse, “Not only did they marry heathen females, but they divorced their own legitimate wives to facilitate such unholy alliances.” Thus, the tears that are staining the altar come from the priests’ legitimate wives whom they have divorced in order to marry the foreign, idolatrous wives. It was a travesty that Ezra dealt with earlier, but they had lapsed back into.

APPLICATION

Is this you? Have you caused someone else harm by your actions? If so, repent of that. Ask forgiveness of both God and them. There is nothing sweeter than forgiveness when it is offered and received, when two parties are able to mend their broken relationship. God is pleased by such expressions of agape love.

Look back at today’s verse at the last phrase. It says, “because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.” Our blindness to unforgiveness and unrepentance leads to this. God will not accept our offerings. God will not hear our cries to Him. Our sin separates us from the very One we need most.

If you have ever experienced such an event, you know how painful it can be. To be unforgiven or to be unrepentant can lead to hardness and callousness. Only God can break through this. Matthew 6:14 says to us, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,” We also read in Colossians 3:13 we read, “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Be like Jesus this week. Make things right with someone whom you have offended or has offended you. That makes God smile.

Lord, forgiveness is hard, it seems. But You sent Your Son to die to forgive me. Now, that’s hard.

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Admonished, Apologies, Battles, Bible, Confession, Family, Forgiveness, God's Will, Hurts, Love, Power, Reconciled, Restoration, Scripture

SIN IN THE FAMILY

MALACHI 2:10

“Do we not all have one Father? Is it not one God who has created us? Why do we deal treacherously, each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?”

Family dynamics are hard. Some families seem to have no troubles at all from the outside. But if you were able to peer into the real family, you would see hurt feelings and squabbles. Why? Why do families, who share the same blood, fight and not get along. It’s simple – it’s called sin. Period! Exclamation mark!

Look at today’s verse. Malachi points out the failure of the people. When he says, “Do we not all have one Father,” he may be thinking about the Shema Israel in Deuteronomy 6:4. “Hear, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” They were in the same family – God’s family. God had called them His people. But they were sinning against each other which was in effect sinning against God.

APPLICATION

Isaiah 6:5 says, “Then I said, ‘Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of armies.’” That is why we sin against each other. Isaiah saw it. We are all sinful creatures. In our case, as believers, we have the solution to all this sin – Jesus. He has covered our sins. He has given us the power to stop blaming our sins on someone else.

I believe Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:26 applies here. “And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it.” Just as we all cheer for our family member who gets that award or makes the game-winning score, we also all suffer when one family member is fighting with another. This kind of in-fighting can kill a family.

There is only one solution to this – return to the foot of the cross. Forgive one another. Reconcile the family. When we “deal treacherously” with each other, whether it was intentional or accidental, the wounds are real and must be dealt with. Come together to Jesus. He can heal all wounds because He was wounded for us.

Father, forgive our in-fighting as family. Help us show love and compassion to each other daily.

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Bible, Cleansing, Confession, Defiled, Forgiveness, Repentance, Scripture

NOW THAT WILL STINK

MALACHI 2:3

“‘Behold, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it.’”

My uncle Hugh Lee was a pig farmer. He used to say you could eat everything on a pig except the squeal. He even meant the intestines which we know what is used for. To clean those was a smelly mess because you had to get rid of the fecal matter, the dung, before you washed them and cooked them. I have smelled a lot of these cooking. Let me tell you – I am not sure they got that clean.

The Lord tells the priests that He is going to take that fecal matter, the dung from the offerings, and spread it on their faces. This word for “dung” is used these two times in Malachi and the only other five times in reference to the instructions for making the sacrifices. So, these priests knew exactly what the Lord was talking about. Dung – stinky!

APPLICATION

I hate to ask if you have anything stinky in your life. Maybe you are hiding a secret sin that is starting to smell a little. Others are noticing. Your spouse may be questioning you. Your friends notice a change in you. Listen – sin stinks. It will come to light, sooner the later.

Moses told the tribes that wanted to stay on the west side of the Jordan in Numbers 32:23, “But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure that your sin will find you out.” When we sin, it is always against the Lord. I am reminded of Psalm 51:3-4a. “3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;”

Those sins, my sins, need to be cleaned out. So does yours. We all have those stinky things in our lives that need to be confessed. Join me today and bow before the Lord. Ask His forgiveness. Accept the cleansing that comes and watch that smell disappear.

Thank You, Lord, for cleansing me from all my sin. That cleansing comes with a disinfectant. Praise You!

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Altars, Bible, Blessing, Forgiveness, God's Will, Justice, Sacrifice, Scripture

WHAT’S ON YOUR TABLE?

MALACHI 1:12

“But you are profaning it by your saying, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’

I love a full table. I still have dreams of spending Thanksgiving and Christmas at my Grandma Carter’s house out in the country. There would be an army of relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins) there. And, man, the food was incredible. My Grandma knew how to fill a table with good things for us. Not to mention, her chocolate pie with 3 inch meringue on top. Woo-Wee!

These priests, however, in today’s verse were setting the wrong kind of table. “Table” here referred to the altar where the sacrifices were made. They were allowing the people to present defiled or blemished sacrifices. After all, they priests still got their portion. We should be very careful what we set before the Lord.

APPLICATION

Our “tables” need to be set daily before the Lord. Yes, Jesus paid the ultimate price as the perfect sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath. But we still need to offer our “sacrifices” to Him. Look at Hebrews 3:15-16. “15 Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Our sacrifices don’t require us to slaughter a lamb. No, the Lamb of God has already been sacrificed for us on the cross. Now, it is our turn to offer ourselves to God. Romans 12:1 says it well. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

So, what’s on your table? What are you sacrificing to God today. He doesn’t want just a piece of you on that altar. He demands all of you. You belong to Him as His child. That is a good place to be. So, offer yourselves to Him today completely. It is indeed a sweet aroma in His nostrils.

I give my life to You today, O Lord. Here I am, all of me.

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Abiding, Appearance, Bible, Confrontation, Enemies, Forgiveness, God's Will, Grace, Humility, Kindness, Scripture

THE HIGH GROUND

ZECHARIAH 14:10

“All the land will change into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses.” 

Anyone with any knowledge of battle plans knows the importance of the high ground. From there you can see all around and monitor your enemies. You can defend your camp better from high ground. The downside of that high ground is your enemy can also see you. The high ground has its pros and cons, I guess.

The landscape around Jerusalem is going to change one day when this prophecy occurs. Verse 10 today tells us about this changing landscape. Jerusalem is currently surrounded pretty much with hills. But on this day, all those hills will be leveled a plain. Jerusalem will have the high ground. All will be able to observe the holy city. Jesus, the Messiah, is there for all to see.

APPLICATION

The application for this verse today has to be taken more allegorically. Will you give me some leeway today? Let me encourage you today to take the high ground, the high road, when it comes to conflict. Let your actions in response to your earthly foes be one of above reproach. I am reminded of the question posed by Peter regarding forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-22 tells us this story. “21 Then Peter came up and said to Him, ‘Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.’”

The rabbinical law taught to forgive someone three times, so Peter thought he was going above and beyond by saying seven times. Jesus blew his mind with his answer – 77 times! What?! Then Jesus went on to tell a story about a king and a slave who owed him a great amount. You know the story. I bet Peter got the message.

How about you? Can you take the high ground, the high road? Can you be the one to extend forgiveness 77 times? And if others refuse to forgive you, just keep loving them. Let me rephrase that. Allow Jesus to love them through you. Die to yourself. Give it to Him. He can and will accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time.

Father, I want my life to be lived in such a way that I can be observed as if on high ground with nothing to hide.  

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Abundance, Bible, Cleansing, Flowing, Forgiveness, Salvation, Scripture

FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER

ZECHARIAH 13:1

“‘On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for defilement.’”

Have you ever seen a fountain that is fed by an underground stream or spring? The water flows constantly and is clean and sweet. I have a tendency to want to find the cutoff valve, but this water is ever flowing. The source comes from deep within the earth. It is a source of refreshment for whoever or whatever comes upon it.

The Lord is speaking here in verse 1 of chapter 13. He tells us there would be a fountain for the house of David and Jerusalem. This fountain would be a source for cleansing of sins. We know water was used in the Levitical law for cleansing of sins. Just read through Numbers 19 to see that. There are several ceremonial uses of water for cleansing. The difference here in Zechariah, however, is this cleansing is permanent.

APPLICATION

We are washed by a fountain also – a fountain of blood from Emanuel’s veins. Christ died and shed His divine blood for the remission of our sins. We don’t have to ceremonially wash in water to remove our sins from us. We observe baptism with water to show outwardly what has occurred inwardly.

The priests had to repeat their ceremonial cleansing with water for themselves and the people. Our cleansing is one and done. When accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are cleansed from all our sins – past, present and future. We are free from the penalty and power of sin in our lives. The fountain we run to is Jesus. His forgiveness is ever flowing. It never ceases.

I am so thankful for the assurance of that fountain of forgiveness in my life. I am so glad I don’t have to go back every day for a new cleansing. Now, I do ask for forgiveness for sins I commit because I want to walk in holiness with Him. But those sins are already under the blood. I just have to acknowledge them to Him. His forgiveness is always there. Have you come to Him lately?

There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emanuel’s vein. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

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