Please Forgive Me

We are now in our third and final week of our Daniel fast. I want to commend you for the effort that you have put into seeking the Lord. Denying the flesh can be hard but I know that God will bless your effort. If you are not seeing the results just yet, hold on because I believe God has a blessing in store for you. The blessing may come today, tomorrow or some other day, but it will come. God honors prayer and your consecration to Him.

We are also approaching the time frame that is leading to what many call Holy Week, the week of passion when our Lord was mocked, beaten and crucified. A perfect man persecuted for such imperfect people, it doesn’t make sense.  Why did He take our place? One word answers that question– LOVE.

The Son of God endured a shameful cross so that we could become the children of God. He paid the price so that we could say those beautiful words “Father”. He had such a great love not only for the Father but for you and me. He could not bear to see us separated from His Father and having to pay such a stiff penalty for sin. He knew we could never do it, so out of his great love he said “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”

Even as He is beaten, bruised, bleeding and hanging on a cruel cross He utters those words ‘forgive them”. Was he talking about the soldiers who had mercilessly whipped him, spit on Him, tore His clothes, pounded those fierce nails into his body, was it the Governor, the High Priest the crowd of people, or was it for you and me?

As the crowd shouted out “crucify him” Jesus calls out “forgive them.”

Maybe we don’t audibly call out those words crucify him like the crowd did but each time we reject Him, each time we walk away from Him and deny Him that is what we are saying, maybe not in words but in actions–and actions speak louder than words.

The soldiers’ actions were understandable; they had to do it they were under orders, but what about you and me? We willfully reject the great love God has poured out through His Son.

Don’t reject His divine Love and his forgiveness. You have a debt you could never pay and Jesus is saying, Father I will pay the debt in full. He stretched out His arms in love, He offered His life for the unlovely, so we could have the right to say “Father”.

Think about that word today “Forgive” do you need to accept God’s forgiveness or maybe there is someone you need to forgive. Let Jesus help you to say those words “Please forgive me”.

When we refuse to forgive or ask for forgiveness the Devil paralyzes us and renders us useless for the kingdom of God.