WHAT WE EXPECT FROM GOD
From time to time most of us wonder about the things God does and does not do. We ask questions like, “How could God allow…?” and “Why doesn’t he...?” If God was willing to allow his son to die on the cross, why should we assume that God intends to rescue us from every peril? We are not promised deliverance from every trial. We are promised his presence, and that should be enough for us.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – CONDITIONS OF FORGIVENESS
Sometimes I hear discussions about the conditions of forgiveness. Can you forgive if the person who offended you does not apologize? Can you forgive if you have not been able to achieve reconciliation? Can you forgive if the offending party has not requested forgiveness? Personally I have difficulty reconciling the practice of defending the right to maintain a grudge, with the gospel of grace. There’s one thing I know for sure. Refusing to forgive will emotionally eat you alive. On the other hand, it’s refreshing to let go of grudges. Recently I ran across this quotation I thought quite profound, and I wanted to share it. “Forgiveness is a rebirth of hope, a reorganization of thought, and a reconstruction of dreams. Once forgiving begins, dreams can be rebuilt. When forgiving is complete, meaning has been extracted from the worst of experiences and used to create a new set of moral rules and interpretation of life’s events.” – Beverly Flanigan.
Forgiving the Unforgivable.
