Colossians 3:13 ~ "...bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."

Perhaps the most expressive quality of Christlikeness is forgiveness.

The question comes in the minds of many of God's children, "How much must I forgive?" This is derived from the idea that there comes a point when someone has wronged us so much that we are convinced their sins are beyond forgiveness. Humanly speaking, it may be true. For our human condition is such that once we become the determiner of the depths of another's sin, we can then determine if someone is "worthy" of receiving forgiveness.

But that does not hold in the economy of God.

Consider our text. We are to forgive as Christ forgave us. Do you know the depths of sin that you have committed against the Lord? Can you fathom the full measure of how much you needed forgiveness? It was seen on the cross. Your forgiveness is paid in full through the wrath-bearing death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And your life is secured in His resurrection. I can confidently say, no one has sinned against you greater than you have sinned against God.

How can you know that your heart has been touched to the core with God's forgiveness? It will be seen when you are willing to love and forgive with the same love and forgiveness you yourself have received from Christ. John writes in 1 John 3:14, "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death."

When Jesus met at a Pharisee's house, a woman came in with a depth of sorrow for sin that she could no longer endure. She said nothing, but washed the Lord's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair (see Luke 7:36-50). Then Jesus spoke to the Pharisee and said, "Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

This woman, so grieved by her sin, so completely repentant and sorrowful, could do nothing but love the Lord Jesus with her tears! The Pharisee would have rejected her--in fact, society probably did reject her. But her life was transformed and it showed in the way she loved the Lord Jesus. The Pharisee, on the other hand, did not have the same level of love that the woman displayed. Thus, because his love was so shallow, it demonstrated that he understood little of the forgiveness which he needed. Perhaps the Pharisee did not even consider that he needed to be forgiven at all.

We all need forgiveness, for all of us have sinned against God. Our wicked crimes against the Almighty Judge deserve the severest of punishments. But God, who is rich in mercy, offered us grace in Christ who took our sins upon himself. Our forgiveness cost the suffering and death of Jesus. In Matthew 18 Jesus spoke a parable of an unmerciful servant. The crux of the issue comes in the statement of verses 32 and 33, "Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’"

And there is our command: forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.

It will be the highest expression of your Christian walk when you can live out the forgiveness you received in Christ through your willingness to forgive others. It brings a genuine freedom and it supplies a generous dose of God's mercy. Open your eyes and your heart to the magnanimous value of God's grace upon you... for you will then be able to dispense it abundantly to all.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

I need a catharsis. Everyone does. There are those things that we keep inside our souls, deep in the recesses of our hearts, that weigh down life and prevent us from having the buoyancy needed to continue sailing in the ocean of God's grace and love. Hebrews 12:1 calls them "...every weight, and sin which clings so close." They are the dross of life that needs to be burned up and purged away.

Years ago, doctors would give people a mixture of rather unsavory tonic to cause them to "purge." Today it's known as Ipecac and it does the same thing--as every parent is probably aware. The ancient Greek physicians would call it "kathairein" and it would mean to "make pure" or to "cleanse." It wasn't pleasant... but it was purifying.

Today, people seek for those cathartic moments, experiences and situations that would help them purge away the emotional baggage from their souls. However, rather than purging themselves of the sinful nature they run to that very nature in hopes that they will soon feel the release from the demands of their conscience. If only they could feel comfortable in their own skin and not have the burden of a continued sense of guilt. It would be like a person dying from ingested poison, only to seek out more of the poison in hopes that their body would soon get used to it. 

It's foolish. But it is happening all around us.

However, it doesn't change the need for a catharsis. The weight of burdens and sins that cling are still there. What does it take for us, for those who believe on the Lord Jesus for salvation and yet still carry the burdens of past failures, present sins and personal griefs, to experience that catharsis? 

We must come to Jesus.

As Jesus washed the disciples feet in John chapter 13 He said this in verse 10, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean." That is to say, those who have come to the Lord Jesus for salvation (bathed) still walks through the dirt of this world and needs to have their feet washed. There are still things we pick up along the way, sins from which we still struggle to be free, and past failures that still weigh us down with sorrow. Ignoring them does not cause them to go away. He has already invited us to come in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

So, how do we come to Jesus? 

Our Lord answered that very thing--we come to Him by faith through His word. John 15:3 Jesus said this, "Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." That cleansing, that purging that is so desperately needed is going to be found through the Word of God. It is the "tonic" that the Great Physician has given so that all who drink deep of His water will discover a well of everlasting life. 

An interesting illustration of this, and I use this ONLY for the illustration, is Revelation 10:10. "And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter." And so it goes with much of God's medicine of His word. It is sweet to us, we desire it for we know the cathartic properties it will provide. Yet it is bitter and will cause us to grieve and sorrow. But consider the words of 2 Corinthians 7:10, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." It is the very thing God has given to us in order that we should be purged of our burdens and sins.

But it's not magic. You can't just read the Scriptures and walk away thinking that somehow it will magically transform you. It is to be ingested... made a part of you... obeyed. The Word of God must become the living and active experience of your life (Hebrews 4:12-13).  James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." 

All of us need catharsis. All of us need that cleansing and purging of sins and past weights that cause us to sink into personal sorrow. Will you pick up the "tonic" of God's word and begin to drink deep of His remedy? I will too.