FORGIVENESS

God is always willing to forgive us

How have you experienced God's forgiveness?

Scripture:

Come back to me, and I will heal your wayward
hearts.     1 Kings 19:3-4 NLT

Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and
each time turns again and asks forgiveness,
forgive him.   Luke 17:4 NLT

Reflection:

Since forgiveness is an expression of love, a
person whose life has an endless supply of love
should be demonstrating an endless supply of
forgiveness. We can experience unlimited love
in our relationship with God. It is this resource
that makes it possible for us to forgive others
again and again. First, we recognize that God
forgives us time and time again. Second, we
want to express God's love in a world that
needs desperately to witness it.

adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional
commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers,
Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 904

OVERLOOKED

Scripture:
She looked after the king and took care of him.
1 Kings 1:4

Chosen for her youth and beauty, Abishag found
herself one day the live-in nurse of the great but
old King David. Her job was to keep the king warm.
Within months her patient died. We know little
about their relationship except that they never had
sexual intercourse. She offered David uncomplicated
companionship and human closeness without
agenda in his last days. Little did she know how
complicated her own life would soon become.

Almost immediately after David's death, Abishag
became the bargaining chip in a power struggle
between the king's son Solomon and widow Bathsheba,
and another son of David, Adonijah. For Adonijah,
Abishag was probably little more than a possible
leverage point to renew his claim on the throne of David.
Bathsheba, herself acquainted with being treated as an
pawn, may have been trying to do Abishag a favor as
well as to pacify Adonijah. Her ultimate agenda, though,
was to protect her son, Solomon. Solomon gave his
half brother no room for doubt. He assumed Adonijah
was planning to use Abishag to fight for the throne.
These maneuvers make one fact clear: No one cared
what Abishag thought. She might as well have been
listed with the furniture.

Home and work are both settings in which people are
sometimes treated as objects. You may bear the
emotional scars of past encounters with people who
devalued and abused you. You may be hurt today by
such treatment. Family members may withhold
appreciation. Fellow workers may treat you like just
another office machine. Resist these invitations to
hopelessness or resentment by remembering that God
knows. He knows you intimately, and he will always
treat you as a person of value.

OTHER PEOPLE MAY OVERLOOK US, BUT GOD
NEVER DOES!

(from More To Life weekly devotion)

TAKE TIME TO GET TO KNOW YOU

Scripture:

"But will God really live on earth among people?
Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain
you. How much less this Temple I have built!"
2 Chronicles 6:18, NLT

Solomon marveled that God would be willing to
live on this earth among sinful people. We marvel
that God, through his Son, Jesus, lived among us
in human form to reveal his eternal purposes to us.
In doing so, God was reaching out to us in love.

God wants us to reach out to him in return in order
to know him and to love him with all our heart.
Don't simply marvel at his power; take time to get
to know him.

(Life Application Daily Devotion)

GIVE

The Pig and the Cow

"Why is it," said the rich man to his minister, "that
people call me stingy when everyone knows that
when I die I'm leaving everything to the church?"

"Let me tell you a fable about the pig and the cow,"
said the minister.

"The pig was unpopular while the cow was beloved.
This puzzled the pig. 'People speak warmly of your
gentle nature and your sorrowful eyes,' the pig said
to the cow. 'They think you're generous because
each day you give them milk and cream. But what
about me? I give them everything I have. I give bacon
and ham. I provide bristles for brushes. They even
pickle my feet! Yet not one likes me. Why is that?'
Do you know what the cow answered? " said the
minister. "The cow said, 'Perhaps it is because I
give while I'm still living.'"

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR

(from Lisa Sharon Harper)

 “Some Nights” by Fun has a rocking military beat.
It’s rowdy. It’s fun. It’s creative. And it starts with
an electric choir of voices singing:

Some nights I stay up cashing in my bad luck
Some nights I call it a draw
Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights I wish they'd just fall off

And here’s the part that blew me away…

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh, Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights I don't know anymore...
Oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, oh,
Oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, oh”

Then it breaks into an awesome military beat that
gets you wanting to march through the streets.
“What do I stand for,” cries a generation. “What do
we stand for,” I ask?

Here is my attempt to sing the answer back to our
broken generation. This is what the church stands
for. This is what is worth dying for.

What do we stand for?  What do we stand for?
Most nights … I wonder if we know … anymore, oh!

There was a time when the call was clear.
Wilberforce blew the horn of freedom.
Stopped the slave trade
Dead in its tracks.
But that wasn’t enough—not nearly enough. No!

With an altar call Charles Finney drew
A line in the sand
On one side darkness,
The other side light
He said come get clean
And enter the Kingdom!
And by the way, that means
forsake our slavocracy!

With a booming voice
Sojourner Truth said,
“Ain’t I a Woman?”
Jeering crowds tried to squash her voice
But in the name of Jesus, she stood strong
Shared stories of her slave daze …
And soon tears flowed!
She turned hearts in the north
Then supplied black soldiers—black soldiers
In war, oh!

Then up in the north
After the war
Industry boomed and
People turned into cogs in a wheel
Church pastors stood witness
As steel whips cracked babies’ backs
“Organize,” they cried!
And up came the unions!

That’s what we stood for! That’s what we stood for!
Most nights… I wonder if we know … anymore, oh!

And the church marched on!
Through suffrage and Civil Rights
Vietnam and Afghanistan
No nukes and Great Societies
The church cried…
“Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy is God!”
Oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, oh,

They said, “Hey, Jesus, whatcha think of this?”
He cried: “Feed the hungry!
Clean the water!
Welcome the strangers in your land!”
He cried: “End poverty!
Make the sick healthy
Set the prisoners free!” Oh!

And I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I see for sure what you stand for, oh
If we die on a hill, then we’ll die for this

That’s what we stand for! That’s what we stand for!

Most nights… I pray … that we’ll know…

On Jan. 1 we celebrated the 150th anniversary of
the Emancipation Proclamation. Our forbearers
stood and died for the reform of our nation — a
reform that made us a more holy, cleaner society.
But we are not finished. The job is not complete.
In this anniversary month, feel free to take these
adapted lyrics, set them to music and sing them
in your church. Perhaps, someone sitting there,
trying to discern how they want to invest their life
will catch the vision. Perhaps the Holy Spirit of
God will whisper to them: “The Gospel is bigger
than you ever imagined … and yes, it is worth
standing for.”

Lisa Sharon Harper is director of mobilizing at
Sojourners.

WHAT'S THE DELAY

Scripture:

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert
mind and a thankful heart."
Colossians 4:2, NLT

Reflection:

Have you ever grown tired of praying for
something or someone? Paul says we
should "devote" ourselves to prayer and be
"watchful" in prayer. Our persistence is an
expression of our faith that God answers
our prayers. Faith shouldn't die if the
answers come slowly, for the delay may
be God's way of working his will in our lives.

When you feel tired of praying, know that
God is present, always listening, always
answering--maybe not in ways you had
hoped, but in ways that he knows are best.

GOOD NEWS

Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby
towns and villages, preaching and announcing the
Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his
twelve disciples with him, along with some women
he had healed and from whom he had cast out evil
spirits.Luke 8:1-2

What an honor, privilege, and opportunity these
women had to walk with Jesus, in the flesh, from
town to town--serving him, experiencing miracles,
witnessing to others, and continuing to learn from
him along the way. But what a scandal! It was
unheard of in first century Jewish culture for women
to be taught by a rabbi. These women were not
necessarily among the elite or influential of their time,
either (see Luke 7:36-50).

But infirmity and transgression know no social
boundaries. Neither did Jesus. He crossed those
barriers. He treated all people equally. By doing so,
he demonstrated their significance to the Kingdom.

These females may have come from diverse
upbringings, but there was still a common thread
that bound them: God valued them. Mary Magdalene
is depicted in Luke 8:2 as having seven demons cast
from her. Yet Jesus took her into his closest circle.
She is reported in Matthew 27 and 28 to have
witnessed his crucifixion and was first to discover his
resurrection. Joanna, who was the wife of one of Herod's
officials, would have lived in extravagant surroundings,
but nevertheless required some type of healing. Susanna
is listed, and we know nothing about her, yet God
redeemed and treasured her as well. These women didnt
wallow in inadequacies and limitations. They realized
they were forgiven much, and they acknowledged their
need and love for a Savior. Jesus accepted these women
just as they were, but he didn't leave them in that condition.
He restored them to health.

Not unlike womens involvement in modern day mission
trips and various spiritual activities, these women arranged
their daily routines and family duties to do whatever was
required to aid in spreading the Good News. They may not
have been in the forefront of Jesus' ministry, but their tireless
work for little recognition is an example we all can follow.
These women remind us that effective service for Christ will
eventually mean more than recognition by others.

Your faithful acts of service may not seem to be noticed.
Or they may be noticed and devalued by others. But
remember what Jesus told the woman whose actions
precede this summary of women's roles: "Your faith has
saved you; go in peace" (Luke 7:50).

(Tyndale House Publishers)

ON HOLY GROUND

Scripture:

“‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your
sandals, for the place where you are standing is
holy ground.’” — Exodus 3:5

Why? “For the place you are standing on is
holy ground.” Moses was about to become
the leader of the children of Israel. This was
holy work, and indeed, he was standing on
“holy ground.” God wanted to teach Moses
at the outset that in order to do His holy work,
Moses must remain extremely sensitive.

Leaders can easily fall into the trap of being
out of touch with the people. Most leaders of
nations enjoy luxuries that the general public
does not. It’s easy to become insensitive to
the needs of the common man or unsympathetic
to a poor man’s plight. God, on the other hand,
says “Don’t you dare! My people are my precious
children.” Moses was commanded to remain
as sensitive as he was at that moment until the
day that he died.

Insensitivity is a trap we all can fall into. It’s
hard to empathize with the hungry if your stomach
is always full, or to feel for the homeless when we
are enjoying the comfort and warmth of our own
homes. But, friends, we in service of the Lord are
on "holy ground." We must remain acutely
sensitive to the needs of His children and do our
best to meet them, whenever and however we can.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

FOLLOW YOUR STAR!

"We saw His star as it rose and have come
to do Him homage" (Matthew 2:2).

During World War II, a young bride from New
Jersey followed her soldier-husband to an
army camp on the edge of the California
desert. Her husband had advised her against
going because he knew that living conditions
would be primitive, at best. But she wanted
very much to be with him and he was unable
to change her mind. When the couple arrived
at the desert camp, the only housing they
could find was a run-down shack near an Indian
village. The heat was unbearable: up to 115
degrees in the shade. The wind blew constantly,
spreading sand all over everything. And, for the
young bride, the days were long and boring.
Her only neighbors were the Native Americans,
none of whom spoke English. When her husband
was ordered farther into the desert for maneuvers,
the loneliness and wretched living conditions got
the best of her. She wrote to her mother, "I can't
take any more of this. I want to come home!"
Several days later, she received a reply. In it, the
mother reminded her of the old family placard on
which these two lines were written:

Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw
mud, the other saw stars.

The daughter read these lines over and over again.
She began to feel ashamed of her response to the
situation she was in. She really didn't want to leave
her husband, and so she said to herself, "All right,
I'll look for the stars." In the days that followed she
began to make friends with her Native American
neighbors. She began to take lessons in weaving
and pottery from them. She became fascinated with
their culture and history -- everything about them.
Moreover, she began to study the desert. In the
process, she saw it wonderfully transformed from a
desolate, forbidding place to a marvelous expanse
of beauty. She studied the various forms of cacti,
the yuccas and the Joshua trees. She collected
sea shells that had been deposited there millions
of years before when the sands had been an ocean
floor. Later, she became such an expert on the area
that she wrote a book about it. A remarkable
transformation had taken place. But what had
changed, really, to make that possible? Not the
weather. Not the desert. Not the Native People.
What had changed was the woman's attitude.
Simply by changing her own attitude ("All right,
I'll look for the stars," she said), she had
transformed a miserable life situation into a highly
rewarding experience.

The Epiphany story invites each of us, now, to
follow that same star all the way down to the
center of our being. There, like the Magi, we
will know the true wisdom of the Christ Spirit.
There we will discover that without the Love of
Christ there is neither wisdom nor life. There we
will open our treasures and present to the
Redeemer our very lives, dedicated to His
ministry of loving service. We know our
Redeemer lives, because He lives in our soul!

( excerpts from Sunday Sermons Online)

THE POINT SYSTEM

A man dies and goes to Heaven. Of course, St. Peter
meets him at the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100
points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good
things you've done, and I give you a certain number of
points for each item, depending on how good it was.
When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same
woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in
my heart."

"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "That's worth three
points!"

"Three points?" he says, slightly concerned. "Well, I
attended church all my life and supported its ministry
with my tithe and service."

"Terrific!" says St. Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."

"One point!?!" he moans, now really getting worried.
"I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a
shelter for homeless veterans."

"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.

"Two points!" the man cries. "At this rate the only way I
get into Heaven is by the grace of God!"

St. Peter nods and says, "Bingo, 100 points! Come on in
my son!"

EVERYTHING IS NEW

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Read Luke 2:21.

TEXT: And at the end of eight days ... He was
circumcised (see Luke 2:21).

New Year's Day was always an exciting new
beginning. If the old year had brought us pain
and misery, we could rejoice that it was over,
gone, behind us. And in the dawning of a new
day, there was the hope the New Year would
be so much better.

This day was also a new beginning for the baby
Jesus. Jesus is eight days old, and it is now
time to circumcise Him, according to the Law
of the Lord. This ceremony made Jesus a
member of God's people Israel. It also bound
Him under the Law, obligating Him to keep that
Law perfectly. As our Substitute, Jesus perfectly
obeyed God's Law, so His perfection, holiness
and righteousness might be ours, covering our
failings, our flaws and our sins.

But His circumcision carries with it the reminder
that Jesus will not simply cover our sin, He will
remove it from us-forever. On this eighth day of
His young life, Jesus first sheds His blood for us,
but it will certainly not be the last time He does this.
On a dark day 30-some years into the future, Jesus
will shed His blood and die on the cross to satisfy
God's wrath against our sins.

The symbolism of His circumcision and our
baptism both remind us of God's work, cutting off
our sinful nature or drowning it. In baptism God
makes us new creatures, so we can stand before
Him spotless and pure through Jesus Christ. What
a way to start a New Year!

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, in Your circumcision Your blood was
first shed as our Substitute. Cut the sin from our
hearts, that we may enter this New Year in Your
holiness and purity. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)