Twice yearly I post my Mother's devotional guides which prepare us for Easter and Christmas. I have no idea how many people really read them this year -- my app for assessing reader activity has changed and I can no longer see it. I do hope that Mother's words written ten years ago have resonated with readers today.
Scripture is like that, you know. It was written hundreds of years ago. Yet the Holy Spirit uses it today to teach us and direct us just as mightily as He did when it was first penned. Take Romans 5:8, for instance.
"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
Last week a close friend of mine did something that frustrated and angered me tremendously. With clenched teeth and squinted eyes, I processed Mother's post for the next day -- a message about the Christmas baby being our sacrificial lamb. And it occurred to me that this issue with my friend was going to eat me alive unless I did what the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do. So with great resolve and then relief, I asked for God to forgive my friend for the offensive behavior and me for being so angry. My friend has not apologized -- and probably never will -- but I have done what Romans 5:8 says that I should do. Forgive. I don't deserve the Lord's forgiveness yet he freely gives it anyway.
Lord, thank you for Scripture. Thank you for the Savior who is the Word Incarnate. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who shows us how to apply the Word to our lives. And thank you for loving us so much, that you forgave us before we even knew we needed it.
No comments:
Post a Comment