This is an act of His sovereign
choice and power. It is possible because of the grace and work of Jesus Christ
on the cross. ‘I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own
sake, and remembers your sins no more’ emphasises God’s forgiving and
forgetting.
Humanity finds forgetting
impossible.
Memories may lay dormant for
years, then someone presses a certain ‘button’ and up surges pleasant or
unpleasant events. As Christians this can be very annoying, especially in
relational matters associated with worship and ministry. Such a fact of life
can make us feel depressed with our spiritual maturity or lack of it. When we
read Paul’s statement that Love keeps no record of wrongs done against it we
smell failure. Love may want to lock bad experiences, malicious words,
disappointments in a chest and throw away the key, but memory won’t let it.
How impossible this makes the
fulfilling of Love’s desire.
God requires us to worship and
serve Him with a clean relational record sheet. Calvary
is the ground on which grace made such a clean sheet possible. Putting the
cross between our memory and the offending person will prove our memory’s
protection. This is the merciful power of Love. It reaches up for the covering
of Christ, His atonement, to place over our personal hurts. Then by His grace
we can honestly pray for the one or many who have cut our soul. In Christ’s
strength we will wait opportunity to speak with the person or persons
concerned. Then when we worship the Lord in the company of those who have hurt us
we are delivered from hypocrisy. Jesus Christ sees our scars as we perceive His
in the joy of the Eucharist. In God’s sight, scars can be beautiful expressions
of Love. The unhealthy alternative is a festering sore on heart and mind with
its detrimental impact on our worship, witness and walk.
The clean relational sheet is
also God’s way for our spiritual sanity. It protects us from being blackmailed
by past events. This saves our minds from emotional overload, sour
relationships within or outside the Church, and the tendency towards revenge.
Love saves us from such tyranny.
Love’s not keeping record of
offences indicates that the issues have been dealt with biblically. There is no
residue of animosity. Forgiveness has been offered. Reconciliation attempted.
We cannot forget!
We can forgive!
By the atoning power of Love we
can cover our memory’s record sheet. If and when something arouses the matter
again what is our response. Praise the Lord it has been dealt with and settled
in God’s sight. Why do we desire this? It
is what the Love of God has done for us. Applying Love to our own heart and
then to others creates both the healing process and the joy of the Lord to our
hearts. Then we can genuinely care for, worship with, work alongside and walk
in the same direction with those who
have had an unfortunate imprint upon our memory.
Ray Hawkins has a Christmas devotional published by Even Before Publishing called ‘Bethlehem’s Warrior Baby.’
It is a 31-day biblical meditation on aspects of Christmas as written in the Scriptures. It is also available as an Ebook.
Visit Ray's blog or e-mail him.
©Ray (not keeping accounts) Hawkins. http://rayhawkinsauthor.blogspot.com.au
©Ray (not keeping accounts) Hawkins. http://rayhawkinsauthor.blogspot.com.au
Ray, what an insightful post! After the loss of three grandchildren at the hand of their father, I had to come to grips with it completely. Finally I have decided that forgiveness means being able to see the offense without rancor, acknowledging the offender without resentment, and learning to see the offender through the eyes of God: as a beloved child who has strayed and whom you want desperately to bring back into the fold.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a long path, but it leads to great peace.
As always Ray, a great message and one we would do well to pay attention to. Thank you. And thank you Judith for sharing the incredible challenge you faced and how you dealt with it.
ReplyDelete.
Appreciated you sharing your heart and journey Judith. I'd be devastated at not having access to my children/grandchildren. Only the grace of God active within your heart will win the wrestle between the soul and its sourness from being hurt and the mercy of the spirit which not only forgives but rises above vindictiveness. May the Lord nurture you through His Word and Worship.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shirley for the privilege of sharing through ICFW.