Sunday, March 18th, 2012
“For You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive,
and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”
Psalm 86:5
We have been going through a few Psalms on Tuesday nights in the women’s Bible study. This last week we were in Psalm 86. This Psalm is listed as a ‘Prayer of David”. We don’t know what the circumstances were when David wrote this Psalm, but it would seem that he was in some sort of trouble. This Psalm is David crying out to God to save him. David seems pretty confident that God will do just that.
David says for “you are good and ready to forgive”. David knew first-hand the goodness of God – and His ability to forgive. That phrase “ready to forgive” makes me think of an expectant waiting. God is just waiting for us to ask so that He can forgive us! That is a hard thing for us, as humans, to get our head, or heart, around, because we so often aren’t “ready to forgive”. It can sometimes take a while for our hearts to soften to be able to forgive someone, and we think it must be the same with God toward us. I like what one commentator says, “Many wait to repent and ask forgiveness because they think that time might make God more forgiving. That isn’t possible. He is ready to forgive now” (D. Guzik).
God is ready to forgive, right now! It doesn’t matter how we’ve sinned or how many times we’ve sinned, He is ready to forgive, and not only that it also says He is “abundant in mercy to all those who call upon” Him.
How about me? Am I ready to forgive? It isn’t always easy, and seems harder, to me at least, to forgive those closest to me. There are times that I don’t want to let go of the hurt, I want to punish them for hurting me, by not forgiving. But if I do that, then bitterness will take root and it will be even harder to let go and forgive. I pray that God will not only teach me how to be ready to forgive, but also that He will remind me that He is there ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy, when I ask.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1John 19
by Becky Pham
Sunday, March 11th, 2012
Last weekend at the women’s conference Pam Markey taught on pilgrimage using Psalm 84:5 as reference, which says, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You. Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.”
What is a pilgrimage? The dictionary defines it as “a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion.” I know that when I think of a pilgrim I envision someone who has packed up a few precious possessions – only what they can carry – and left their native home in search of a better life somewhere else. They know there will be difficulties, but they are willing to face the challenges, looking to the end, their new home.
That is what our lives as Christians are like. When we give our heart to the Lord, He sets our sights on heaven as our new home. This world becomes our ‘native home’ and we set off on our pilgrimage to heaven. We will face many challenges along the way but, OH our new home, what a reward!
There is a danger though of being nomads instead of pilgrims. A nomad is someone who wanders somewhat aimlessly. They don’t have a permanent home and they don’t have a goal where they are going. They simply wander from place to place seeking the best they can get in each place before moving on.
We as Christians shouldn’t be nomads, we know where we are going and we can be confident that we will arrive there someday. Jesus said “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Not only do we have a destination, it has been prepared for us by Jesus Himself!
So let’s travel our pilgrimage with purpose, and encourage one another along the way, especially when the road is not so smooth.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Philippians 3:20-21
Becky Pham
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012
‘According to the Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a height of 100 feet [30.5m] is composed of less than one glass of water. That amount of water is divided into about 60 billion tiny droplets.’ – Source Unknown -
I read this somewhere but can’t seem to be able to substantiate it 100%. I have read elsewhere that one cubic mile (1.6 cubic km) of fog contains only about 2-4 liters of water! Isn’t that amazing! So little water can totally obscure our view of our surroundings.
I remember driving in the mountains once in fog so thick and dense that I had to slow down to about 5 kph and follow the painted center-line just to stay on the road! And this with the mountain face on one side of the road and a drop-off of about 100 meters on the other! I literally couldn’t seem more than a meter in front of the car
Isn’t that the same in our lives at times? Isn’t it so easy to let little things in our lives, those miniscule droplets of trials and hardships to completely cover us like a wet, depressing blanket?! Even though it’s a small, insignificant thing, we allow it to grow into something enormous that obscures our view. And this blanket of depression puts out the flame of faith, love, passion and service in our hearts and lives. Amazing that such a small thing can do this!
Perhaps this speaks to you – have you let something small grow out of proportion? Maybe it’s something someone said or didn’t say? Or a co-worker who did something that offended you? Or worry, anxiety, fear. Or maybe it’s shame and humiliation over something small? Or maybe it’s a little seed of doubt, bitterness, unforgiveness, unrepentance that grow into huge vines that choke out joyful life. Maybe it started out as molehills, but now are mountains. Don’t let those little things turn into mountains – take heart…
Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
