Quote of the Day On Forgiveness

Forgive another and I’m set free!  Really?  It’s true and this quote expresses it so well!

When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself.

- Lewis B. Smedes, in ‘Forgive and Forget’ -

Nailed – A Holy Week Acrostic Poem

 

No sin left unforgiven

At the last day

If you but ask.

Let Him fill you with His grace . . .

Eternal life Him.

“Do you love me?” I do.

By Martha L Shaw ©3-26-2013

 

Love and Forgiveness – A Poem and Prayer

 

Forgive me Lord . . .

For the many times I’ve been so caught up

in the new problems of the day

that I never even thanked you,

nor even at first noticed

the answered prayers of yesterday.

I am truly thankful for your love,

Your patience,

Your provision,

And your constant presence.

Teach me to reflect your love in my suffering

Just as you did when you suffered

So much more than I can ever comprehend

Out of your immeasurable love for me.  Amen

By Martha L Shaw – © 2-28-2013

Ashes. An Acrostic Poem For Lent

An ashen heap,

So full of memories burned and gone

However, not truly forgotten, but then:

Enter upon the scene Jesus Christ

Sin forgiven as ashes swept away and treasure redefined!

*

By Martha L Shaw – ©2-13-2013

A Hard Lesson To Learn

I have come to know that this quote is true.  I will admit it was a difficult one to grasp but whether what I needed to forgive was from long ago and between myself and someone long gone from my life or more recent, I must say that holding the lack of forgiveness in my heart truly did cause the wound to become larger and more infected yet releasing this wound and forgiving resulted in immediate healing in me.  Please pray on this.  Forgiveness is life-giving!  Forgiving is an amazing gift to give yourself!  Release it to Jesus who died for all of us!

There is a hard law. When an injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive. - Alan Paton -

A Quote For Thursday On Forgiveness

Gosh, don’t we get mad at ourselves when we fail?  I sure do.  Makes me feel just dreadful.  Sometimes I want to just run off and hide.  My poor choice seems to follow me.  I just can’t let go of it.  But when we ask, we are forgiven.  We can let it haunt us and be miserable, but if God has forgiven us and we keep letting our sin plague us, we’re not accepting His forgiveness.  Let’s not do that!

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1NIV

About Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. – Paul Boese -

 

Enlarge the future?  How’s that?  Truth is, when someone hurts me and a relationship ends, the other person may go away but the hurt doesn’t.  It lodges itself in my heart and takes up valuable real estate.  No matter how often I tell myself the other person does not “deserve” to be forgiven, I have to wonder who’s suffering from my lack of forgiveness.  Truth is, the offender is likely living an easier life than I am and may have forgotten all about that hurt that’s still lodged in my heart.  If I forgive that person, whether directly, or prayerfully between myself and the Lord, I’m the one who is set free!  That real estate the hurt took up is now free and Jesus can fill it with Himself!  Talk about an enlarged future!!!

Good Morning Tuesday Bible Verse!

Well Good Morning!  The Lord is speaking His love to me in so many ways and He seems especially to be revealing the freedom which comes from forgiveness and our forgiving those who hurt us.  Friends, I know how hard it is, especially when we know there’s no mistaking it.  They sought to hurt us, but by releasing them in our prayers to God by our forgiveness, we are able to love the sinner and we are actually setting ourselves free in Him!  We have been set free to love and serve the Lord.  It’s AMAZING!  It is our own self-imposed bondage which so often holds us back.  Let’s say yes to His love and the freedom He won for us out of that great love, shall we?

John 8:36

³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

You Are Free!

Those words may seem unrealistic . . . overly optimistic . . . childish . . . completely outside the realm of reality . . . but they are true.  When human sin took our freedom away from us and we hid from the only chance we had at regaining it – repentance and a relationship with God, He was compassionate and loving and showed this to us by sending us His Son who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.  Our freedom is within us and has been won for us by Jesus Christ.  In living in His great love and accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, that personal relationship breaks the chains of bondage that we placed around our true selves and the eyes of our hearts can then see that the door is not closed and locked.  We are indeed free!  My internet access has been down for days and is supposed to be down right now.  I’m believing that the reason I am able to check my email and be online just now is to read the following quote which I was just sent and am sharing with all of you:

Free your heart from hatred — forgive. Free your mind from worries — most never happen. Live simply and appreciate what you have. Give more. Expect less.

- Stephen Covey -

Jesus died on the cross convicted of our sin.  Forgiveness is hard.  We or I tend to feel so hurt.  I don’t like it, and nor does anyone else.  It’s hard to feel the pain and realize I have to also forgive.  “They” did hurt me.  “They” willfully chose to.  I am a victim, so why should I forgive?  God wants to carry the heavy stuff for us as a shepherd carries the burdens for the sheep in his care, so our Lord God wishes to simplify things in our own lives.  In choosing not to forgive, we are carrying a heavy load which we are so weighted down with that we cannot live into the real and amazing life He has for us.  I know this because I carry pain just as all of you have done at some point.  In forgiving I am not saying “what you did is okay” but only saying “I release this to your loving hands, Lord God.  The life you have for me and my personal walk with you is so much more important to me than this load that’s holding me back.”  The sheep in this world can’t carry their own load.  What a mess life would be without the shepherd.  They’d get into dangerous situations, find no rest, likely be hungry and unable to find food or drink.  What a worrisome life.  But, the shepherd takes it on himself and leads, protects, provides food, drink, and rest.  The sheep trust him, know his presence and his voice, and live in the love and care of a shepherd . . . . free!

In our Lord God, we can be like those sheep and He is our Shepherd.  In releasing our burdens, our worries, our hurts to Him, we are free to live a much simpler life.  The path will not always be green pastures and the waters will not always be still, but we will never be lost for His crook is right with us and when we stray, He will draw us near.  He will guide us through the uneven slopes.  He will feed us and meet all of our needs.  We truly are free – for the freedom we seek is within us.  How can we find it?  He is the Way!

Enable Me – a four stanza Tanka poem

 

Enable Me!

 

I feel your embrace.

One second apart from you

chills me, heart and soul.

Yet, I do wander away

thinking I can handle things.

 

You know me better

than even I know myself

and so you stay close.

Mother, father, brother, friend . . .

you are all of these and more.

 

The instant I stop

and seek you, I find you there

and my fear is gone.

You take it away from me

and fill me with grace and love.

 

I do love you so.

Teach me to reflect your light.

Enable me to lead

your lost children home to you

forever singing your praise!

 

by Martha L Shaw – Copyright June 8 2012