Saturday, January 2, 2010

Can You Forgive?

"Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7

I’ve worked with sooo many people who are being consumed by anger, bitterness and rage. Oh, they’ve been hurt. No doubt about that. They’ve been betrayed and abused. I get that.

But to what end is their rage.

There’s a verse in Galatians, chapter 5 I think, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

“But it’s not fair!” is what I usually hear.

I know. I know that it isn’t fair. Some of the people who’ve done wrong to you may never be held accountable. Certainly not in atheist world. On the other hand, neither is it fair that God forgives us. His grace gives us what we don’t deserve and His mercy makes sure that we don’t get what we do deserve.

“When you show mercy to others, mercy to will be shown to you.”

Isn’t that amazing? When we give to others what we have freely received, God’s mercy flows freely and in abundance to us. Life is good.

Laying down our judgement of others as God has layed down His judgement of us is a wonderful gift to the world; a world so full of hatred and bitterness.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May He lift up the light ouf His countenance upon you
And give you peace.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

An eye for an eye makes the world blind.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Jesus is pretty much the only character in the Bible I would even listen to when it comes to ethics. The best doctrine of his philosophy was indisputably non-violence. I think he knew that the foundation of it was in everyday attitudes, with ideas like turning the other cheek and forgiveness. Lashing out at others and holding a grudge are two very negative qualities.

It's a shame these messages are buried under so much garbage in the Bible. They're like diamonds dropped in a sewer.

Thesauros said...

Jesus is pretty much the only character in the Bible I would even listen to when it comes to ethics"

Ah, but you don't. Jesus says that you and I are desperately wicked and in need of forgiveness and salvation and you say, "I'm an ethically good person. I don't need God." Jesus says, "The one who loves Me is the one who obeys Me," and you say, "I'll make up my own ethical standard, thank you very much."

C’mon Ginx, your life is one huge mass of inconsistency and incoherence. Not only don’t you abide by Jesus’ ethical standard. You don’t even live up to your own ethical standard. You know this is true so why do you pretend otherwise.

World of Facts said...

and you say, "I'll make up my own ethical standard, thank you very much."

Makarios, you are dishonest in saying that, and it's kind of sad that you don't realize it.
Everybody, theists and atheists alike, are making up their own ethical standards. We are the ultimate judge, no matter what you think.

Thesauros said...

How is that being dishonest. You may think I'm wrong but dishonest?

World of Facts said...

How is that being dishonest. You may think I'm wrong but dishonest?

Well, you're correct, I guess you are honest when believing in an absolute morality received from God, but the point is that you do not get such absolute morality from anything, surely not from the Bible, so it's either being blind or dishonest, your call...

Thesauros said...

And there is zero possibility that you're wrong?

Zzzst said...

Noone asked me but do I think Rod is dishonest or just blind?

Have you read this blog? It's both.

World of Facts said...

H:the point is that you do not get such absolute morality from anything, surely not from the Bible, so it's either being blind or dishonest, your call...

M:And there is zero possibility that you're wrong?

Personally I never claim to know anything with a literal 100% certainty so of course I could be wrong. But, I am 100% sure, not literally, that there is no such thing as an absolute morality provided by a god through scripture, or inserted in humans' brains by an intelligent designer.