Fashion Friday

“He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off – and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man. Even though he’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true. Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. THE PLAN WAS THAT HE GAVE HIMSELF AS AN OFFERING FOR SIN SO THAT HE’D SEE LIFE COME FROM IT – LIFE, LIFE AND MORE LIFE. And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him. Out of that terrible travail of soul, he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant will make many “righteous ones.” Isaiah 53: -11, Message Translation

Some things have come up in my heart lately that I’d really like to shove back inside but I know that bitterness is not the answer.  In fact, harboring bitterness is deadly to our soul and gives Satan a stronghold on our lives and it makes forgiveness so much harder and that is not what the Lord wants because it pushes us away from Him.  It’s so important to forgive others, whether they know they have hurt you or not because it sets you free and pulls you closer to Christ!  It’s not necessarily about them, you need to stay right with the Lord and He clearly tells us in Matthew 6:14, ‘If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you.’  Ahhhhh, that’s HUGE to me!!!  So if I’m harboring bitterness and not forgiving then the Lord won’t forgive me??  Yikes!!!  To forgive means to not seek revenge on the one who has hurt you. It means letting go of the anger we harbor inside of us and allowing God to deal with him or her as He, in His perfect wisdom, sees fit.  This, of course, does not mean we excuse a wrong, it means we are not consumed by anger towards that person.  Instead of anger or saying words we shouldn’t, pray for them.  Let God take care of the rest…  this is the power of the Cross!

Here are some verses the scriptures teach us about forgiveness…

“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)

“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.” (1 Peter 3:9)

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, ‘I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,’ says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you’. Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.” (Romans 12:17-21)

As I look at the cross and think about what it represents I literally cry …  How could you not love and want to please the One who died for you like this…  And in such an awful and brutal way!?  I don’t want to be caught dead living a moment without a strong grasp on my Savior…  It takes tremendous strength to forgive others but that is what we are called to do.  Jesus heals us, and He makes us whole again!  He made us, and we are beautiful in His eyes and no matter what we do, nothing can separate us from His love!

FORGIVEN
by Sanctus Real

Well the past is playing with my head
And failure knocks me down again
I’m reminded of the wrong
That I have said and done
And that devil just wont let me forget

[Chorus:]
In this life
I know what I’ve been
But here in your arms
I know what I am
I’m forgiven
I’m forgiven
And I don’t have to carry
The weight of who I’ve been
Cause I’m forgiven

My mistakes are running through my mind
And I’ll relive my days, in the middle of the night
When I wrestle with my pain, struggle with my pride
Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry

[Chorus]

When I don’t fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere
When I don’t measure up to much in this life
Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘cause
Cause I’m forgiven
I’m forgiven
And I don’t have to carry
The weight of who I’ve been
Cause I’m forgiven.