Forgiveness

Each time through the Scriptures I am amazed at how the Holy spirit is at work to make the passages that have been read before, become alive and fresh again. Sometimes I am tempted to think, "I have read that so many times, I should just skip those few verses/chapters and just get to something I don't know!" How proud and haughty my spirit is! God is SO faithful, and truly the Word of God is "Quick and powerful" !

This time in Matthew, I have had so many "light bulbs" in passages that before I have read through and not thought twice about!

Like in Matthew 3:12, where it talks about the wheat and the chaff, and how He will fan the threshing floor, and the chaff will blow off and be burned with an unquenchable fire. Compare that with the verses on the whole armour of God, and how if we have it all on, we will be able to "STAND", and not be blown about- applicable today too! The wheat and the tares are sown together, but only the wheat- the fruit that remains- will be able to stay on the threshing floor to be gathered into the harvest. Very cool!

And in Matthew 5:2 "And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, " why does the Spirit direct Matthew to pen "opened his mouth"? Why not "And Jesus said", or "He spake unto them"? It just struck me as different. Like just by Jesus just opening his mouth the knowledge poured out of him- almost like it was water flowing from a vessel that was so full it was only contained because previously his mouth was closed.

And then in Matthew 6:22-23 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! "

Compare that with a companion passage in Luke 11:34-35 "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. "

From these passages, I think "light" is good or bad. "Single eye = full of light= good" but "Evil eye = Darkness=bad", but the "light" can be darkness if my eye is evil. SO ... is light just that which shines from me, good or bad? Good question. It is not that which goes into a man that defiles, but what comes out... right?


And then in Matthew 8:13, I love when Jesus says "as thou hast believed". What restrictions do I place on God's power in my life because I have not believed as BIG as he is?! I don't even really comprehend all of what that could mean in my life!!

One of the biggest "Oh My's" was from the story of the man being forgiven the huge debt equal to millions of today's dollars but would not forgive the few bucks owed to him. It concludes in Matthew 18:34. "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. "

Wow, what unforgiveness reaps! How many people are delivered to the tormentors of bitterness, shame, hatred, self loathing, anger, regret... because they refuse to forgive. Whether the person needing forgiveness is a parent, an estranged friend, a person who has harmed you in word or deed, or... as is very likely... yourself, YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO FORGIVE!!! Victorious, spirit filled Christian living is impossible while chained up in the bonds of unforgiveness, never loosening the chains of the tormentors. And might I add, by our own choice.

Suffice it to say, all of these questions are good. They challenge my mind and notions that may or may not be right. They remind me that God is very VeRy BiG, and I am not. They also tell me that I need to read every little thing in the Bible as I get to it, because it is alive, and good for food, and water to wash my dirty and corrupt flesh.

Onward Ho! The Scriptures await!