Forgiveness doesn't come easy, but He gives us what we need...

In Matthew 18:21, Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive a brother who has sinned against him.  "Up to seven times?", he asks.  And Jesus answered him: "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

That sounds like a lot of forgiving. Do you have a hard time with that?  It hurts to be sinned against.  Sometimes the way we're sinned against seems to drain our very life out of us.  Though I have a tremendous amount of friendly and loving experiences in my life to be thankful for, I am not a stranger to being sinned against. I have crumpled to the floor under the weight of very harsh words. I have lived with the shame of feeling like damaged goods because of abuse experienced as a child.  I have been bold faced lied to, cheated and betrayed. We live among brokenness and sin...criticism and bitterness and anger and the desire for revenge is what comes easy.  Not forgiveness.  Is Jesus telling Peter (and us) to do the impossible? 

What does He know that we tend to forget?  Why is it so hard?  Read the rest of Jesus' answer to Peter in Matthew 18:23-35.   "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
 
"But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
 
"So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

As much as we've been sinned against, that isn't the whole story is it?  We ourselves have sinned against God, indebting ourselves to him way beyond our ability to repay, requiring an ocean of mercy.  We don't like to remember that part of the story when we are busy wallowing in our self-justified pain.   The paraphrased version of Jesus' story is this: the first fella was given an ocean of mercy...the second fella needed a teaspoon's worth which the first fella withheld.  Not good.  The lesson: don't follow the example of the first fella.  Instead, remember that YOU and ME owed God so much that Jesus had to bear the full measure of God's wrath in our place in order to forgive us.  Praise His name for doing so!   When Jesus tells us to forgive, He's not asking us to do anything He hasn't already done.  And He much more so.  Let us not confuse our place...it wasn't a teaspoon of mercy you and I needed. 

Sometimes the pain we suffer is so intense we can barely breathe.  But He gives us the next breath, and the next as He reminds us that what He suffered for us cost Him His life. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, our Redeemer. When the pain is real, let us ask God to help us be like Jesus who prayed "Father forgive them..." while He hung on the cross.  Having been forgiven much, let us forgive others freely as vessels of His amazing grace.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!

I love this picture available at John the Baptist Artworks.  

It is titled "Equal at the Foot of the Cross, Equally in Need of Mercy."

Learning to walk

I love watching little ones learn how to walk.  Those first wobbly steps are amazing!  Think of all the coordination, muscle toning, balance and whatnot having to come together to take even a single step.  Everyone present immediately turns their attention upon the little one in the room, cheering him on.  It's so exciting! "Come to Papa...walk, walk...that's the way...yeah, you did it!  Let's do it again :-)."

Everyone knows much practice is needed.  And everyone knows the little one will fall, but they encourage him nonetheless.  People help him up, cheer him on, and over time the falls become less frequent.  Soon enough there is a smooth and steady walker to chase around.  I have yet to witness anyone yelling at a little one taking her first steps, or labeling her a failure as she tries.  Nobody seems to get upset at her for falling down.  Maybe that is because we expect falling down is part of the process of learning how to walk.

Jesus chose me before the foundation of the world to belong to Him, and I woke up to that fact when I was fifteen.  Thirty two years later, I am still learning how to walk as a new creation in Christ.  It is a different walk altogether.  Chris Wilson, one of my pastors and long time friend, talked about how the old man doesn't go down easily in his sermon this past Sunday (you can listen to it here).  My personal experience affirms his point.  I still fall.  That's why verses like Romans 8:1 that tell me there is now no condemnation for those in Christ are precious to me.  They are the words of my Father helping me up, cheering me on, encouraging me to walk again.

Prov 24:16 says; "For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again."  Christians fall down.  And sometimes the harder we try, the greater the fall.  It is incredibly good news that God adopted us based on the sacrifice and righteousness of Christ in our place.  He is our Father.  And He is the very BEST FATHER EVER.  He keeps holding out His grace-filled hands, calling us to "come to Father," and helping us back up when we fall so we can learn to walk. 

Indicatives, Imperatives, Astronomy and God

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

~ Psalm 19:1

We began an Astronomy unit study in our co-op recently, and I began the first lesson by introducing the concepts of indicatives and imperatives.  My students scratched their heads.  I probably would have also, if I were them, but I knew where I was taking the lesson so I encouraged them to hang with me.  What are indicatives and imperatives?  And what do they have to do with Astronomy? 

Indicatives demonstrate or exhibit or describe.  They indicate something. Make something or someone known.

Imperatives assert or command.  They relate to authority and rule.

I talked with my curious students about the book of Ephesians (they were still wondering what this had to do with Astronomy...are you too?).  Ephesians has 6 chapters, and the first 3 have no commands that I've ever noticed.  If you know of one, let me know.  God tells us He has blessed us in Christ, chosen us before the foundation of the world, adopted us to be His kids, forgiven us, and all kinds of other wonder-filled things relating to the power of God and Christ's blood covering us and His love and grace abounding toward us according to His wisdom and rich mercy.  Indicatives.  Describing, making known who He is and what He has done.

Chapter 4 begins with Paul saying  "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called....".  Here come the DO's.  Because of who God is and what He has done, love one another. Because He has mercifully called you and me to Himself, walk as children of light. Because He pursued us in love while we were yet dead in our sins, THEREFORE walk now in a worthy manner.  Husbands, love your wives.  Wives, be subject to your husbands.  Children, obey your folks.  And for 3 chapters Paul gives us a bunch of "do this, don't do that" sort instruction.  Some imperatives.

Do you slow down when reading God's indicatives?  I used to skim over them, to my peril.  True story. I think I have experienced every horrible consequence of skipping straight to the do's and don'ts...things like pride with its various falls, fear, and the nastiness of being critical of others as I thought too highly of myself.  Now I pause and ponder.  I want to know Him: His character and wisdom and love and power and goodness and sovereignty and justice...everything about Him.  I want to soak up His mercy so that when He tells me I ought to be putting off and putting on, I want to.  The "therefore" is there for a reason.  All those indicatives are there to help us know Him and trust Him.  And they help us to know that the imperatives are not a list of rules from an angry guy in the sky that is waiting to zap us the moment we mess up.  They are instructions from our Father on how to live like He does. When we fall, He is there to help us up and to cheer us on.  The indicatives make it clear: We have THE BEST FATHER ever.   And we get to be His kids. What kid on the planet who knows His dad rocks doesn't want to be like him? 

This has everything to do with Astronomy because our Father is the One who spoke this amazing universe into existence.  It declares His glory and proclaims His handiwork...it is a giant indicative!  I told the kids that for the next 8 weeks we were going to get to dive into the WOW factor of God.  Eight weeks of exploring our Father's glory and handiwork is in store and I wanted us to get excited about it.  This isn't just learning the names of planets and facts about how far away the sun is.  Oh no...it is SO MUCH MORE.  Oh that our peeks into His heavens might make us hunger to know our Father better.

Father, thank You for your mercy...thank You for declaring Yourself to us, and making Yourself known in Your word, and in Your creation...thank You for rescuing us and making us Your sons and daughter's by adopion.  Use these weeks of study to cause us to desire all the more to therefore walk in Your ways. 

How far is the east from the west?

Our pastor preached an Epiphany sermon last week which he titled "Arise, Shine, your  Light has come."  The main take away for me initially was the encouragement to live intentionally to make the light of Christ known.  Throughout the day, I was filled with wonder and gratitude as I thought more about the details of the sermon, how they relate to life, and a song by Casting Crowns that "happened" to play on the car radio.

We sang the song "We three Kings"in the service ~ you know, "westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect light." In the context of the message, he talked about various texts that inform us about moving to the east or west.  You can listen by clicking the link above for the specifics, but in short form, if you go east, you move away from the presence of God.  West indicates a return.  So "westward leading" isn't just telling us a direction for direction's sake...it is loaded with the biblical imagery of being brought back from exile; of being guided back into the presence of God.  Such hope is uncontainable!  Such joy has to be sung about! 

He also talked about the two places in scripture where gold, frankincense and myrrh are found together: the temple and in Solomon's wedding cart.  They're found in the place of worship (God's presence), and in the vehicle used by Solomon to bring his bride up from the wilderness.  Think about it.  No wonder these are the gifts that were laid before the Christ child.  He is the Greater Solomon who came to bring His bride up from the wilderness.  He is Emmanuel, God with us.  Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect light indeed.  From the east, from exile...westward leading back into God's presence, His mercy, His light, His love.

Now carry that imagery into daily living.  Like Jonah, we all to often flee to the east.  We need His deliverance.  There wasn't a lick Jonah could do to rescue himself.  And when we find ourselves drowning and crying out, we are as hopeless in ourselves as he was though the billowing waves we face may be more figurative than literal.  But we are not hopeless in Christ.  Will we humble ourselves at the foot of His cross?  Will we see our own daily need for His abounding mercy?  And will we not then extend that mercy to other sinners who, just like us, need His deliverance?  Sometimes we forget our own need for mercy and we become proud, self-righteous, stubborn fools.  Luke 18:9-14 speaks pointedly to this:

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

This is the message God has mercifully been teaching me the past few months.  He has taught me this before, but I needed it again because I had moved eastward, becoming puffed up in knowledge like a good Pharisee and sure of my own goodness.  Ha!  He has been showing me the planks in my eyes and stripping me of my damnable self-righteousness and pride.  He has been showing me how keenly aware I had become of the shortcomings of others.  And though it is true others fall short (we are all sinners), it isn't my place to exalt myself over anyone else...my place is to bend my knee in worship and thanksgiving to the One who is rich in mercy.  From that place I can encourage others to worship  Him too, living lives of joyful obedience and thanksgiving.  Well I moved east from that place and He sent me into the exile of what I'll call a personal black hole in October and November.  Throughout advent, He has been guiding me westward and now there is no place I would rather be than at the foot of His cross, beating my breast and saying "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

I know this post is getting long, but I have to tell you about the Casting Crown song.  I had heard this song before, but this time it struck me more profoundly because of the sermon I had heard earlier in the day.  The whole song seemed more powerful, but this line in particular moved me to tears: "You know just how far the east is from the west, from one scarred hand to another."  It is based on the passage from Psalm 103:

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

12 As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father pities his children,

So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

14 For He knows our frame;

He remembers that we are dust. 

People, no matter how far east, no matter how far away from the presence of God we've tried to go, those nail scarred hands deliver all who put their faith in Him and He mercifully carries us west into His presence.  He is the Greater Solomon who has placed us in His wedding cart and is bringing us back from the wilderness.  He is Emmanuel (God with us), and He has reconciled us to Himself.  And every day, we can again rejoice that He has shown us just how far the east is from the west.

Kutless sings This is Christmas

After writing the post Forget Not, my sweet husband sent me off with his blessings to finish up some Christmas shopping.  Oh what fun that was!  During the various drive times, I kept thinking about this time of year and how so many people celebrate Christmas all around the world.  My mother-in-law and I were just marveling the other day that people who do not even believe in Jesus celebrate.  What they are celebrating exactly, I am not sure, but gift giving and feasting abound under the heading of Christmas.  And as such thoughts ruminated in my mind, this song came on the radio:

It seemed to sing the very thoughts I was thinking.

Just had to share it with ya'll.

Yes indeed, tis a Savior born that we celebrate!

Forget not

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1:15 that "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners". 

Now keep that in mind as we hop over to Psalm 103...the kids and I were reading this yesterday together.  Verses 1 and 2 start with:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits..."

I asked my kiddos, "What is another way of saying 'forget not'?"  Their answer: "Remember."  That's right...we are positively to remember His benefits.  What benefits?  The passage continues...

* He forgives our sins
* He heals our diseases
* He redeems our life from destruction
* He crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies
* He satisfies our mouths with good things
* He brings justice to the oppressed
* He makes His ways known
* and more

Our family just read through the book of Esther together over the last couple of weeks.  There was some serious rejoicing happening at the end because the very real threat of annihilation was met with a very real deliverance.  Now remember how I opened this post...Jesus came to save sinners.  Save?  From what?  Do we know?  Do we understand the very real wrath of God against sinners?  Do we know we are sinners? Do we "get" that Jesus came to save sinners, and that in fact He did! 

It was commanded in Esther that Purim be celebrated year after year as a remembrance...they were to give gifts to each other, feast, and remember the poor.  The generation that lived through the threat did so spontaneously...it was the overflowing response of their joy in being delivered. Did future generations celebrate with as much joy?  Did gift giving come to feel obligatory and bothersome?  Did the feasting requirements become a burden?  Did the poor become neglected?

It is Christmastime...will we remember that Jesus came to deliver us?  He physically took on flesh a couple thousand years ago, but His love is steadfast and His sacrifice was once and for all time.  Remember His benefits....they are graciously being applied to all who have faith today...this generation has just as much opportunity to respond with joy as all those who have gone before us for the deliverance is every bit as much ours. We have experienced an even greater deliverance than the Jews did in the days of Esther! If celebrating the birth of Jesus feels so far removed that you are tempted to feel burdened about gift giving, about feasting, about remembering the poor, then carve out whatever time is needed for you to remember Jesus came to save sinners.  Now.  The rescue is real.  Let us celebrate our Deliverer...may we overflow with joy in Him!

"Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits..."

Easy Slow-cooker Fudge

Slow Cooker Fudge

Taken nearly verbatim from the website: 

http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-fudge/

This is a new-to-us recipe that we tried last week.  We altered it slightly to make use of ingredients on hand...instead of raw mild honey, we used regular clover honey; and instead of sea salt, we used kosher salt.  And being hopeful that it was going to be yummy, we doubled the recipe, which seemed to work dandy.  Also, due to not ever having developed pioneer woman arms, I used the strength of the paddle in my kitchen aid mixer when I got to the instruction to vigorously stir for 5-10 minutes.  That is how I get away with renaming this fudge as "easy."

What was the vote?  Two thumbs up.  It is truly rich and yummy.  We experimented a bit with shaping some of the pieces into balls and rolling it in things like powdered sugar or toasted coconut...we liked it even better that way.  

So for all you friends who may like to try this as fudge, or roll it into balls and call it a truffle-like candy, here you go...we think we will try substituting mint extract for vanilla in our next round.  Hmmm...soooooo many possibilities :-).

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups Chocolate Chips, I used dark chocolate chips because of their health benefits.
• 1/2 cup coconut milk, (canned, not in a carton) Keep in mind the fats from coconut milk are the good kind.
• 1/4 cup raw mild honey
• Dash of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Fudge is perfect for the slow cooker because it doesn't scorch or burn. 

Add chocolate chips, coconut milk, honey and salt, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 2 hours without stirring. It's important that lid remain on during this 2 hours. 

After 2 hours, turn the slow cooker off, uncover, add vanilla and stir to combine ingredients. Allow to cool in uncovered slow cooker, until fudge has reached room temperature...approximately 4 hours. Using a large spoon, stir vigorously for 5-10 minutes until it loses some the gloss. 

Lightly spray a 1 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour fudge into dish, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Cut into 30 pieces. This fudge is very rich and meant to be eaten on occasion as a treat.

Note: Canned coconut milk can be found in the Asian or organic sections of most grocery stores.