WholeHearted Forgiveness

~~~ Daniel 3:25, 34-43 ~~~ Psalm 25 ~~~ Matthew 18: 21-38 ~~~

Forgiveness must come from the heart.

It cannot endure unless it comes from the center 

of your being deep inside.

Peter must have been feeling pretty smug 

thinking if he forgave seven times that was doing well.

The look on his face probably gave away his surprise when Jesus

responded that he should forgive seventy times.

Seventy times is way more than seven.

The point perhaps is we must continue to forgive there is no limit.

Would we want God to be keeping track of how many times 

we must ask for his forgiveness?

I am guessing your answer is 'NO'.

Forgiveness cannot be measured by any of our conventional measures.

Jesus has given us examples of forgiveness time after time.

He must present forgiveness in as many possible ways as he can.

Forgiveness as God wants us to forgive is not easy.

It takes great humility to forgive as God forgives us.

We say this every time we pray the Our Father...

forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

The Prophet Daniel prays with a humble and contrite heart.

'Do not take away your mercy from us...
...with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received...
...we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you...
...deal with us in your kindness and great mercy...'

Calling on God and his heart of mercy
Daniel presents himself humbly before God.

I invite you take these phrases from the Prophet Daniel;
  pray them from your heart.
If we follow him with our whole heart
our depth of forgiveness should
be of the same sincerity and intensity.

Peter is such a wonderful example of we as humans.
Forgiving seven times may be a lot for some people,
but we are called to a higher standard.
A standard worthy of our calling to be holy.
Forgiveness takes a lifetime of practice.
Luckily we are constantly being presented
with opportunities to practice.

Just remember that forgiveness must come from the heart.
It is not a superficial practice.
If you put the frozen dinner in the microwave for three minutes
you are not a gourmet chef.
Surprise! 

Robed in Majesty

~~~ Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe ~~~

 

~~~ Daniel 7:13-14 ~~~Psalm 93 ~~~ Revelation 1: 5-8 ~~~ John 18:33b-37 ~~~

 

 The prophet Daniel is having a sleepless night filled with visions
of Jesus entering into his rightful role as King.

The one like the son of man was presented to the Ancient One,
God the Father,
where he received dominion, glory, and kingship.
God the Father is the one who bestows the title of King upon Jesus.
"...His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed."

All peoples of every nation and language serve him.

He will come in splendor robed...robed in majesty.

He says to all...
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

 

 

Pilate in his ignorance and confusion questions and doubts the kingship of Jesus.

 

Jesus tells Pilate his kingdom is not of this world further

complicating his lack of understanding.

 

Out of frustration Pilate declares Jesus to be a king?

He orders the sign made to on the top of the cross.

 

Jesus, King of the Jews. 

 

Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

 

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega...

The one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.

Jesus is the King of Kings.

 

The king born in a stable, rides in on a donkey and

wears a crown of thorns...

This is who we honor as our King today!

Selfless or Selfish: Which One?

~~~ Daniel 3: 25, 34-43 ~~~ Psalm 25 ~~~ Matthew 18: 21-35 ~~~

"...with a contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received...let our sacrifice be in your presence today...as we follow unreservedly...we follow you with our whole heart..." (Daniel)

Fire consumes and purifies. Fire consumes things that are flammable like fibers, paper, and cardboard. Fire purifies silver and precious metals, but does not consume in the process.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the white hot furnace for refusing to worship the golden statue made for King Nebuchadnezzar. As the three prayed and praised God for his faithfulness, they proclaimed, 'Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.'

They asked God to intervene on their behalf.
Later, after Jesus' baptism, Satan uses a similar argument attempting to manipulate Jesus to respond to his requests. Jesus rebukes the devil, saying, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.' 

Here we have a stark contrast in motivation. Satan is tempting Jesus and the three men in the fiery furnace are surrendering in their supplication to God.  Both incidents use a similar approach in their choice of words.

We can be guilty of the same in our prayer. Do our words always reflect our true motivation? Are we simply using the same words we have used as a child; only now with different motivation?

Jesus was obedient to the will of the Father securing salvation for us. Our salvation was his motivation. What is your motivation in prayer? Are your prayers a reflection of selfishness or selflessness?

God sent an angel to save the three from the fire because their prayer was honest and sincere. They are examples of complete trust in God.

They model for us praying in humility; knowing you have nothing to offer to God for his love.
We have "...no way of paying (it) back..." to the Lord for being spared from the consuming fire. Instead we humbly beseige God to "...be patient with me...". (Matthew)

All that we can give back to God is to be available for him to use...
to be willing to do his will...
to come before him with open palms and a humble heart.

To follow him unreservedly, with our whole heart
is the best we can offer for repayment.

"May the Lord, our God, bless us in all our works and undertakings."
(Dt. 15:10)