God's Glorious Forgiveness

God taught me a powerful lesson about forgiveness today. I'm preparing to sing this Sunday at church and I'm going to sing the song, "Stronger." (see the words below) As I'm singing it in the car this afternoon, God hit me square between the eyes and reminded me how He has forgiven me. I left my last ministry position because of sin that I left unchecked and it consumed me and cost me my opportunity to minister. I've asked God to forgive me and I know that He has, but I learned today that I never really let Him forgive and restore me. This song literally brought me to tears today as I sang and thought about the forgiveness that God has poured out on me. It hit me that no matter what I've done, my God is stronger than the sin and He has overcome it. And He gives me the power, through Him, to overcome that sin and it's hold on me. I've lived to long with regret about my past mistakes and not willing to fully accept God's forgiveness. How about you? Do you need to hear the words..."You broke my shame and sinfulness?" How about "Stronger, You are stonger...Sin is broken, You have saved me?" What a glorious thought. Wrap your mind around that for a while and you will not sing but shout "Let Your name be lifted higher, be lifted higher!!!" Praise be to God. Thank you Father for your glorious forgivenss.

"Stronger"
There is Love that came for us
Humbled to a sinner's cross
You broke my shame and sinfulness
You rose again victorious (Back to Intro)

Faithlulness none can deny
Through the storm and through the fire
There is truth that sets me free
Jesus Christ who lives in me

You are stronger, You are stronger
Sin is broken, You have saved me
It is written, Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all

No beginning and no end
You’re my hope and my defense
You came to seek and save the lost
You paid it all upon the cross

You are stronger, You are stonger
Sin is broken, You have saved me
It is written, Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all

So let Your Name be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
Be lifted higher

You are stronger, You are stronger
Sin is broken, You have saved me
It is written, Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all.

Clarification on God's Love

Let me clarify a statement from yesterday's post. Ronnie, you're right, I don't think God gets angry with us, although continued rebellion will lead to anger. I believe that when we sin, God is disappointed with us. This is the same kind of disapoointment parents feel when their children mess up. We don't get mad at first, but if there is no repentance and change in behavior, that disappointment slowly moves to anger. We see this over and over in God's dealing with the Israelites. They were warned to come back to God and when they didn't God had to punish them. In the passage of scripture I referenced yesterday, Zechariah 1, God did have anger that burned against the Israelites when they turned their backs on Him. This is why He sent them into exile for 70 years under the Babylonians and Persians. God even tells the remnant that He had been angry with their forefathers. This passage is a clear call to the nation, and to us today, to return to him by confessing our sins and seeking Him. I hope that explains things a little better.

God's Love

Just got through working on material for our weekly Sunday School teachers meeting. Our Education Minister is going to be out of town tonight, so he asked me to teach. Now as much as I love to teach, teaching teachers can be a daunting thought. And to make matters worse, we're beginning a study in Zechariah. I really struggle with the Old Testament passages-especially prophecies.

Anyway, as I began to study last night and continued on into today, I began to see God's incredible love once again. I was reminded of some very important things that are in the first chapter of Zechariah.

1. God does not want to stay angry with us. Yes, God get incredibly angry when we sin and turn our backs on Him. However, God loves us so much that He will turn away from His anger so that the relationship can be restored.

2. We have to take the step to "Return to Him." We can't stay where we are at. God will accept us with the sin, which He will forgive, but He won't let us stay in our sin. We have to get up from where we are and return to Him. When we return to Him, He will return to us.

3. As I state above, we can't stay where we were. We have to repent of our sins. Leighton Flowers gave the best interpretation of repenting. It's not just turning from our sins, but it's destroying the path way back to it. Repentance is not true repentance if we continually find ourselves returning to the sin. We can't just turn away. We have to destroy all the paths back to that sin. It has to become an island that is impossible for us to get to.

4. God promises to restore us when we faithfully return to Him.

5. We don't have to live in guilt over past sins. Jim Denison write this: "Know that your Father waits for you to return to him so that he can return to you. Name your sin or failure specifically with repentant contrition. Ask your Father to forgive you for it. Claim his promise of mercy and grace...the next time guilt returns, take it to grace. Say to your shame, 'I am forgiven and all my sins are forgotten.'"

That my friends is good news! I have to constantly be reminded of these things. Thank you Lord for making me have to teach this lesson to other teachers so that I can be reminded of your Love, Grace, Forgiveness, and Restoration.

Following God

I think God is in that mode of teaching me something right now. I came to the office on Monday and just didn't want to be there. I couldn't find any joy or excitement about being in the office. The problem is I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with my life right now. On the one hand, I have a degree in Music that I can fall back on if I can find a Choir job. On the other hand, there are some great things about working with Farm Bureau.

Here's what's so hard...God is making me learn to wait on Him. I wish He would just tell me exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. That would make life so much easier. But God never works like that. He wants us to learn to trust Him and to wait patiently for Him. I know that in time, God will open the doors that He wants me to walk through. I just have to learn to do what I'm not very good at....waiting.

Lord, teach me to trust You and to wait for You. I truly want to know what it is You have planned for me. Teach me not to get ahead of You but to walk beside You. Teach me to trust You because You know what is best.