“Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you.” Luke 6:37
I have been reading devotionals, my bible, and listening to sermons this last week about forgiveness. Tonight in my CR 12-step group we will be discussing and sharing our experiences about forgiveness. The bible has a lot to say about forgiveness, and for good reason. Imagine what your life would be like if Christ had not forgiven your sins on the cross.
Or the question could be, if we don’t accept his forgiveness how are we doing in this world today? How can I really forgive another or myself if I have not accepted Christ’s forgiveness? There was a time in my life that I didn’t and my world was in constant turmoil, filled with fear and resentment and relational sickness. It wasn’t that I didn’t know about his love and forgiveness; I was convinced I was too damaged for Him to accept me. But that wasn’t the truth; God sees things much differently than we do, his love and forgiveness is all encompassing.
Let go and let God is trusting that God is God and he can and will restore us. Offering forgiveness to someone who has hurt you deeply isn’t letting that person off the hook, it’s letting you off the hook from the power they have had over you! We are not all we can be unless we accept God’s forgiveness and offer forgiveness to others and be open to receive forgiveness from others, including forgiveness of ourselves. When we continually practice this in our life our relationships change dramatically!
I love Billy Graham’s statement about forgiveness: “There is only one sin God cannot forgive – and that is the sin of refusing His forgiveness. No matter who we are or what we’ve done, God still loves us, and He promises to forgive us – totally and completely – if we will turn to Him in repentance and faith.” Amen to that!
“In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God’s grace.” Ephesians 1:7
Love God, love people, Jesus first!
Dana Cramer // Celebrate Recovery at Crossroads
Celebrate Recovery at Crossroads Church Calendar
May 22-28, 2017
Friday May 26th: Celebration Night
- 6 pm: Our Hospitality Team is preparing a wonderful dinner for you. Please join us for food and fellowship.
- 7 pm: Please join us as we Celebrate God through worship and testimony. It’s Celebration Night, if you have a recovery birthday please celebrate it with us.
- 8pm: Open Share Groups
- 9 pm: Solid Rock Café
Questions? For more information, contact
[email protected], or call the church office at 970-203-9201.
