Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

They say to forgive is divine. Forgiveness is one of those things that can be a stumbling block. It has been in my life. Without forgiveness how can we be free? Jesus is the greatest example ever of forgiveness on so many levels and in so many ways. He is the sacrifice that God sent in order that we may all experience forgiveness. Jesus himself forgave all those who were against him and put him on the cross and crucified him. Yet he also forgave throughout his life here on earth. He forgave the sins of those seeking healing, he forgave those who were selfish and self-seeking; he forgave his disciples for their unbelief. How then, do we NOT offer forgiveness as Christians if we seek to be like Jesus? In our brokenness we often find it easier to nurse our wounds, to hang on to the pain others have caused us because we then feel justified in our own actions. This leads only to more pain and suffering. It is why Jesus came, why he suffered as he did.

Forgiveness is one of the ways in which we can most show others Christ in us and through us. In forgiving others we forgive ourselves and open the door to healing, peace, love and a greater relationship to the One who forgave us from the very beginning.

Father, please shine your light in the dark corners of my heart and show me the path to true forgiveness of others.

Matthew 17:20

“… Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Do I have the faith of a mustard seed? I was pondering this question this morning after I heard it quoted on the radio program I was listening to. It truly got me thinking about my faith, and oftentimes my lack thereof!

When I keep my eyes on Jesus as I go through my day I fully believe there is nothing that will not be accomplished if I trust in Him to take care of me. But even momentary disruptions can often knock me to and fro and somehow I will lose sight of this and of Him. I then feel as if I am lost and nothing can redeem me or the situation I am in. Nothing will be able to “fix” the momentary problem or those that stem from what is happening just then. I am like Peter when he says “Lord, if it is you tell me to come on the water” When Jesus says “come,” Peter steps out of the boat and walks on the water toward Jesus. But the moment his eyes are off Jesus and distracted by the storm, he begins to sink and cries out to the Lord to save him. Jesus says “you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Why do I doubt so often? Why do I allow myself to be distracted from Christ and His purpose for my life? When I take my eyes from Him, even for a moment, I lose focus and begin to sink. When I realize I am sinking I cry out to Him to save me once again. Always full of Mercy, He reaches for me and pulls me up and out of the pit I have placed myself in. Were I to have just the faith of that tiny mustard seed what amazing things He could accomplish through me!

Father I pray that today I remain focused on You, having faith only in You and know that with You I can accomplish great things for Your Kingdom.

Exodus 15:13

In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling

Often have I simply read the words of the scriptures and set them aside, or ascribed them only to the time in which they were written, or to the action or inaction of those the Lord was speaking to at the time. But if I am to live the way he wants of me then I need to take all he has to say and apply it to my life in the ways he is showing me. His words were not just for a moment in time, they are the living breath of the Lord spoken to us through the bible to show us of His great Love for us.

I tend to go along my own path much of the time, believing I am following the direction I am meant to follow, forgetting that he will guide me and show me the path as I move forward toward all he has for me. Remembering that he is my strength and my guide through this life and onward into his loving arms when I leave this place and finally get to sit at the throne in his Holy presence.

Lord, thank You for your amazing Word that shows us your Love and Gracious forgiveness that I may have everlasting life with you.

Matthew 19:14

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Someone said to me the other day that his wife had a child-like faith in the Lord and he himself was much more analytical. This gave me pause. Do I have a child-like faith or am I always thinking and analyzing all that the Lord does for me? It reminded me of when Jesus told his disciples to “let the children come” when they were trying to keep them from him. Children have such amazing faith and trust before they grow and become adults who are pulled in so many directions and have been through so much in life that they become distracted and torn from that child-like quality of complete and utter faith, trust, and dependence in the Lord. As adults we often lose these qualities, thinking we can do it better. He wants us to be fully dependent on him and to trust him and have faith in him in the way that a child has for their parent.

With too much analyzing and over-thinking and depending upon ourselves we can easily create a snare that will stop us, or at the very least slow us down, from all that God has planned for us. God has a path for us and shows us the way to keep our feet moving forward and not veering left or right as we so often choose to do with our over-thinking. Then we feel stuck and trapped and must once again cry out to him for Mercy and help to get us back on the path he had us on all along.

If we were to simply delight in the Lord and all he has for us, simply follow him with that child-like faith and trust he loves so much, how much less difficult would life seem as we moved ever closer to him and to our final reward?

Lord, give me a child-like faith and trust that draws me ever closer to you!

Psalm 55:7-8

I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.

Many have been the times I chose the desert over the cover of the Lord and closeness of those He placed in my life to uplift and encourage and love me. Why is it that we often choose to run into the desert, into what is truly the unknown, rather than into the safety of His arms? Of course fear is one factor. As broken humans we have fears, both understood and mysterious, that take hold of our thoughts and grow into a giant roadblock that we cannot seem to get around, so we turn back and run to what we think is the safety of the desert, the safety of isolating from others, from pain and fear.

In reality we are simply setting ourselves up for more pain and suffering because while we sit in our desert the roadblock we were afraid to go around, or over, or through, becomes ever-increasing in size as we imagine even worse things that are added to that blockade. Had we turned to God and to those He provided for us to help us get around that blockade, we would have seen the truth of what it was and gained more strength for the next one that will come our way. The more we face the fears of life and turn to God and to our brothers and sisters for help, the more strength we gain along this journey we are on.

While the fears and roadblocks will never disappear, we gain strength and wisdom and understanding as we face each one and learn how the Lord wants us to deal with it and move on in the direction He has set before us.

Father I pray for the strength only You can provide to help me face my fears and stay out of the desert of isolation and pain.