YOUR LOVE IS AMAZING... FORGIVING...

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

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The amazing love that I see in Hebrews 12:1-3 screams of our Savior's incredible forgiveness for even His enemies. He chose to see through the eyes of love and forgive as He endured.

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What is it that makes it so hard to get along with our fellowman? In the community? On the job? In our schools? In our churches? In our families?

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I have been witness to multiple communication and friendship breakdowns over the years. They are usually not pleasant. Grudges... the silent treatment... gossip... backbiting... and even hatred ensue. We yearn to be understood. Why can we not grant the same grace to our "neighbors"? What does Christ mean when He says in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 5,

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43 "You have heard that it was said,

'You shall love your neighbor,

and hate your enemy.'

44 "But I say to you, love your enemies,

and pray for those who persecute you

45 in order that you may be

sons of your Father who is in heaven;

for He causes His sun to rise

on the evil and the good,

and sends rain

on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46 "For if you love those who love you,

what reward have you?

Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same?

47 "And if you greet your brothers only,

what do you do more than others?

Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

48 "Therefore you are to be perfect (mature),

as your heavenly Father is perfect (mature)."

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Remember what He said a little earlier in His sermon, in the same chapter?

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23 "Therefore, if you are offering

your gift at the altar

and there remember that your brother

has something against you,

24 leave your gift there

in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to your brother;

then come and offer your gift."

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FORGIVENESS IN STONE:

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Today as we "fix our eyes on Jesus and consider Him", think about how He chose to love His enemies. It's a lot like the butterfly transformation in the picture above... the process from being bound to being free to fly! That's what happens when we go from hating our enemies to loving our enemies. What was it that Christ said on the cross? "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!"

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Yesterday, a sister- in- Christ shared this little story with me. I do not know the author. It speaks to us learning to count our blessings and not the offenses against us in order to love and forgive:

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"Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand, "Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

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They kept on walking until they found an oasis where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

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After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone, "Today my best friend saved my life."

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The friend who had slapped and then saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

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The friend replied, "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. When someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

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Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone."

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AMAZING LOVE!

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