COLOSSIANS 3:13

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

TO PONDER

My wife and I have been watching "The Chosen" in the lead up to Easter this year. Just a few nights ago we watched an episode from season 3, it follows the disciples of Jesus immediately after Jesus has delivered his "Sermon on the Mount". It has the most beautiful scene of one of the disciples, Matthew, who in this account of the Jesus story, had been disowned by his Jewish father for turning his back on his people and service Rome as a tax collector being reconciled because Matthew took Jesus teaching seriously and went to apologise and seek forgiveness from his estranged father.

Seriously, if you haven't watched "The Chosen", you really should check it out.

Anyway, what I liked about this episode, particularly in light of the verse for today's devotional thought is that it reminded me of this: We don't often want to forgive. We don't want to forego our right to hold someone to account and demand justice for what they have done against us. But when we take Jesus seriously and actually try to live out the things he taught and asked his disciples to do, that's when we see things happen.

Too often today, we can view Jesus as just an ancient teacher or philosopher who had a lot of good ideas, but ultimately they were ideas that got him killed. This is how many people who don't recognise Jesus as God's Messiah view him today. The problem with this is that this makes us free to dismiss is teaching as old fashioned and a product of a bygone era rather that the divinely revealed and ultimate truth of how things are supposed to work. We have grown up in a society which basically tells us that if we don't like the way something is then we either change it or don't do it.

Not wanting or liking to forgive others is not an optional part of following Jesus that we can just choose to do or not do when it suits us. We fear that if we drop our defences and offer forgiveness, we simply open our selves to be taken advantage of or to be hurt again. Sometimes that may happen. The reality is that Jesus desire to bring forgiveness did lead him to the cross. However, it also lead to the entire world having access to reconciliation with it's creator and Father God.

So who is God asking you to forgive today? Will you trust him and take him seriously and practice what he taught or simply dismiss him as an out of touch teacher who doesn't rally understand how the world works today?

PRAYER: Lord God Heavenly Father, I know that often I don't want to forgive others. It can seem like foolishness at times, to allow those who have hurt or taken advantage of me to ave a second chance. Then I am reminded of all the second chances you have given me. Please help me to grow in my trust in you and everything Jesus taught his disciples. Help me to know and trust that as I practice the ways of Jesus, you will be with me and guiding me into fulness of life with each and every step. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.