Jim Wilson's Blog, page 54

"I Just Can't Forgive Myself"

 

“I just can’t forgive myself.” Have you ever heard someone say that? To my knowledge, the Bible does not speak of the need for or the way to forgive yourself.

What does it speak of?

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

1 John 1:5 speaks of absolute light. Verse 7 speaks of walking in that light with two results:

·       Fellowship with one another

·       Continued purification from all sin by the blood of Christ

Verse 9 speaks of God’s faithfulness in:

·       Forgiving our sins

·       Purifying us from all unrighteousness

What are our responsibilities?

·       Walk in the light.

·       Confess our sins.

What are the results?

·       Fellowship

·       Cleansing from sin

·       Forgiveness of sin

·       Purification from all unrighteousness

 Why does the Bible not mention forgiving ourselves? 

·       Sin is never against ourselves. It is against God. It is a violation of His holiness.

·       We are the sinners, not the ones sinned against.

·       We are the confessors, not the forgivers. If we think we are responsible for assigning forgiveness to ourselves, we have believed the lie of the devil. It is a great sin against God.

·       Refusing to forgive ourselves is saying that we are senior to God. Who do we think we are?

·       Even if it were our responsibility to forgive ourselves, that forgiveness should be based on grace, not merit. No one deserves forgiveness.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

There are two types of sorrow:

1.     Godly sorrow

2.     Worldly sorrow

The first leaves no regret. The second leads to death. If you are not forgiving yourself, you are continuing in regret, which means your sorrow is not godly. As long as you hold onto this worldly sorrow, you are not forgiven by God, either. Thank God for His forgiveness and rejoice in that forgiveness. That is godly sorrow.

Do not look on refusing to forgive yourself as some sort of virtue. It is an awful sin.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Pray for Workers

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:36-38)

A few words stand out to me:

• crowds
• compassion
• harassed and helpless
• plentiful harvest
• few workers
• ask the Lord

Some of us have seen the crowds, but with anger. Others have seen the crowds with compassion, but haven’t seen the harvest. We see how few the workers are and despair. Let us ask the Lord for the workers. He will send them.


This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please jump on in. We would love to have you reading with us. How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Responding to Insults Biblically

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).

We know this applies to us today because the great commission says, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We are to be taught to obey, and we in turn are to teach people to obey. The command here is to “rejoice and be glad.”

My personal experience in contact with other Christians is probably wider than most Christians, but still limited. Keeping this in mind, I know very few Christians who count themselves blessed when they are insulted and falsely accused of evil because of their stand for Jesus Christ. I do know Christians who get angry and want to fight back.

Let us make decisions now that will determine right actions if and when this occurs. Decide ahead of time that you are going to respond with rejoicing.


This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please jump on in. We would love to have you reading with us. How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Stopping Our Ears to the Lord

And now, go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness for ever. For they are a rebellious people, lying sons, sons who will not hear the instruction of the Lord: who say to the seers, “See not”; and to the prophets, “Prophesy not to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no More of the Holy One of Israel.”

Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant: and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel which is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern” (Isaiah 30:8-14).

The first thing I notice is that this was written down “as a witness forever.” The second thing is the unwillingness to listen to the truth even when they know it is truth. “Prophesy not to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions” (v. 10). The third thing is that the uncorrected iniquity does not have immediate judgment. But it is “like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse” (v. 13). The judgment is certain, devastating, and we have an advance warning (the bulging wall).

How does this apply today? We as Christians have two temptations. We want to hear smooth things, so we seek teachers who speak of pleasant things. Paul warned Timothy about this in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.”

The second temptation is the willingness to respond to the demand and become a prophet of “smooth things.” We cannot lay this charge at the feet of liberals. It is a major problem among evangelicals. We want to hear and we want to teach “smooth” things.
How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Merry Christmas!

 

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships