Forgiving as Christ Forgave Me

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

Colossians 3:13



When we can learn not to harbor the root of bitterness (Heb 12:15) God will show us so many wonderful things. Our spiritual garden can bloom with such amazingly brilliant plants. Our hearts can be enriched with His love so that it sprouts kindness and forgiveness in our lives.



Recently someone said something hurtful to me. It was an opinion they had. I was so hurt that when I got alone I cried. It was not a personal attack on me, or my family, but I got so upset about something I could do nothing about and I wanted to 'tell someone' and 'make someone do something'. What that "something" would have been I don't even know. While I was crying and having a 'pity party' about my hurt feelings the Lord impressed upon me that I should pray for this person and not mention the incident to anyone. That is what I did. It was hard... I really wanted to say something... if someone asked me I was going to 'spill it' ... but no one asked me (God must have told them not to )



God is SO good. The very next day that same person came to me and asked me to forgive them. I very happily said "YES!", and "Thank you for asking". I felt so ashamed about the feelings I had had just the day before. I also felt so grateful we have a God that forgives us and that helps us forgive others.



Christ forgave us so much more than we will ever have to forgive others. It should not be so hard for us to show that forgiveness.



"If I never receive another thing from God I have already received far more than I deserve." Pastor Stan Smith

Be Still and Know.....

"Be Still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10



I decided to use this painting because I was thinking of the hurricanes and the people that are in the paths of those storms. While I have never been in a hurricane, I have been in an earthquake, and any place you go there could be some sort of natural disaster.

Our Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church preaches a sermon entitled "Storms" ... "Either you are going into a storm, or you are in a storm, or you are coming out of a storm" It might be a physical storm of bad health, lack of finances, loss of a job/home , etc... or it might the storm of mental distress, emotional loss, spiritual crisis, etc.

Earlier in this Psalm we also read, "God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. ...Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her and that right early." (vs 1, 3-5)

Out of a terrible and fightening 'storm' (physical or spiritual) God's help gushes forth, like the stream that makes glad. God's power is always with us but sometimes in the midst of a storm we don't see it right away. That is why God admonishes us to "Be still and know..." The world might run around in a frenzy looking for the solution, but we can rest safely in the assurance that if we are close to God He is going to be close to us. Next we read, "The heathen rage, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is WITH us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (vs 6-7)

God promises in this Psalm; refuge, strength, help, to be with us, to be stronger than any foe, and to be exalted over the heathen. What more could we want?

When we are in a storm don't think for one second that God is in heaven 'wringing His hands' over our situation. He is in perfect control. He just asks us to 'be still' and let Him be who He is ... our loving, caring and protecting God.