Category: Daily Devotionals

3. Forgiveness is ~ Allowing God To Be King.

I know that I am not a citizen of earth, but, of heaven. I know that God is my ultimate authority. I know that life here is flawed and the kingdom of heaven runs perfectly. So why do I look for the affairs of earth to go fairly? Why do I fear God has failed me if a court case doesn’t go my way, or if I’m passed over for a promotion, or if betrayal has become a familiar bedfellow? I should know better than to be rocked by earth’s imperfections. I should know better than to blame God. I live with hope deferred ~ realizing that while sometimes God intervenes and causes justice to prevail here, much of the time, it doesn’t. I am to live yearning for my future home where nothing is corrupted.

When life is unfair, I remember that God is my King. Authorities here are not always going to see things from God’s perspective. Did Jesus have to battle the discrepancies between earth and heaven? Yes. Peter revealed how he handled it.

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while they hurled insults at Him, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to His Father who judges righteously. I Peter 2:1-23

I’m struck by the verb tense in the last sentence. Jesus kept entrusting Himself to His Father. Since He was tempted in every way as you and I are tempted, He experienced similar thoughts of taking revenge and exacting some kind of immediate justice. But being sinless, He stopped, restrained Himself, and left ruling the universe to His Father. He did this at every moment of pain and injustice. Peter enumerates them. If He had to make this his kind of lifestyle, so do I. He didn’t just decide to forgive at age twelve and then never struggle with it again. When his family called him crazy, he had to stop and entrust Himself to His father. When Judas betrayed Him, He had to stop and entrust Himself to His father again. At every turn, the same decision was made over and over.

Allowing God to be King of my life is a moment by moment choice. I decide to lay down my rights to take revenge. I abdicate my rights to decide when someone deserves to be forgiven, or when they’re sorry enough.

Jesus, who knew God’s redemptive plan, didn’t believe He was exempt from suffering. He anticipated it and needed grace, as I do, to withstand the trials that come with living here on a broken planet, with broken people.

Father, just as You infused Your Son with supernatural power to forgive others, even when on the cross, I count on that today in my many disappointments. Amen

2. Forgiveness is ~ A Gift I Give To God.

When I choose to forgive someone, it is as though I am gift wrapping a package in the most exquisite paper and ribbons and then placing it in God’s hands. “Here, this is for you, Lord.” Why would I want to give God a gift that feels so expensive to give? (Forgiving some people is excruciating.) I want to give in response to how deeply He has forgiven me.

Jesus was once a guest at the home of a wealthy man named Simon. Simon and his wife probably had an expectation of how the evening would go since they were the hosts but they couldn’t foresee that a woman would arrive who would do something outrageous. She came to the table where everyone was reclining and began to pour expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. She emptied the jar. The cost to her amounted to a full year’s salary. Simon, the host, thought to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is —that she is a sinner.” Jesus began to tell a parable about who loves more….someone who has been forgiven a small debt or another who has been forgiven a huge debt. Jesus said to Simon, “You did not give me any water for my feet when I arrived. You did not kiss me. You did not put oil on my head but she has wet my feet with her tears, has not stopped kissing my feet, and has poured perfume on them. Her many sins have been forgiven for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Luke 7

According to Jesus, there is a mathematical equation in play. The amount to which I’m willing to forgive others is directly related to how much I have internalized Jesus’ forgiveness of me. If I consider myself a good person in comparison to others, I believe that I don’t need as much in the way of a pardon. I do not see that the ground at Calvary is level. We all come as beggars, condemned, unless we acknowledge our need of a Savior who paid death’s penalty for our sin. If I believe I’m better than most, I will be stingy when it comes time to forgive. I will extend a fist rather than an open hand.

If you feel that there is no way you can forgive a certain person, and you’re just stuck, ask God to show you how much it cost Jesus to save you. I did that and I mourned my sin. Nothing was more beneficial to my heart than that.

If I had lived less than a year, ‘infant Christine’ would have still needed a Savior. God, I know that. I’m a sinner, saved by grace, to forgive others recklessly. But only by the power of Your Spirit am I able. Thank you. Amen

Forgiveness is ~ 1.  A Gift I Give Myself.

It’s easy for me to believe that if I choose to forgive someone, I am giving them the gift. While that may be true, God wants me to also understand that the first person who benefits from forgiving others is me. If I withhold it, I will suffer long-term. If I extend it, I will benefit long-term. Look at Isaiah’s testimony.

It was good for me to suffer this anguish for you have rescued me from the pit of nothingness and have forgiven all my sins. I will sing His praises with instruments every day of my life in the temple of the Lord. Is:38:16-18

Isaiah describes the existence of one who does not know he is forgiven nor does he extend it. It’s called ‘the pit of nothingness’. It’s that place we tend to go to when we’ve been hurt too badly. We swear that no one will be able to wound us that severely again. We take precautions by shutting our heart away. Thick veneers of cynicism guard us and distrust relegates us to a lonely place. In that pit of nothingness, there is no creativity, no artistry. Before I was able to forgive, the piano lid remained closed and my flutes stayed in the closet. Everything I tried to write sounded hollow in my ears. Praise and worship were absent. That’s because praise and bitterness cannot coexist.

It’s hard to evaluate ourselves and our level of abundant life when we are the ones holding on to bitterness. It feels good and it feels justified. So – let’s look outside ourselves. Can you name 2-3 people who live angry and who rehearse other’s offenses from years back? You probably dread being around them. They infect the environment spiritually. Over the years, their faces became twisted. Frown lines froze in place and now dominate their countenance. I often wonder if all the people they rail against are even aware that they have offended them. Let me ask you, ‘Who is being hurt most by the bitterness?’ The ones who hold on to it, right? If they forgave, imagine the spiritual oppression that would leave them.

God wired us to trust Him to rule wisely over our friends and enemies. The problem comes when faith is required to trust a God we can’t see, who has a plan we don’t understand, and whose timetable is much more relaxed than ours. But peace is promised for the just who will choose to walk by faith.

Jesus, delayed gratification is so difficult when it comes to matters of justice. You waited well and are still waiting for end times. Wait with me. Amen

I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.” Ecclesiastes 3:17

By assuming my place on the throne, I set myself up to be king of my world. It didn’t work out well because that’s not how I was wired by God to be at peace. I was meant to be a child in His kingdom, not the pretend-King who failed to bow to the real King of the Universe. God’s message in scripture became very clear ~ Give God back His rightful place, put the fate of those who have wronged me into His hands, trust Him to rule over them, and then live by faith that He will do so with holiness. Daily, I remind myself that my posture and mantra is, ‘Long Live The King!’

What trips up most every child of God is that God can appear inactive and and we wrongly assume that He is also uncaring. He doesn’t appear to love as well as we love our own children. When they hurt, we come running. When they are wronged, we rise to defend. When they cry that something is unfair, we listen and mediate if necessary. Yet, God tells us that He loves us purely and perfectly. He tells us that all His intentions for us are good. He tells us that anyone who messes with us – touches the apple of His eye. How do I believe that when my heart is aching with injustice?

I go immediately to the parallel of Jesus’ life on earth and my life on earth. That’s where I find so many of my answers. He was hunted down by Herod’s henchmen. That was unfair. His ministry was fraught with dangers I can’t begin to understand and God didn’t deliver Him from everyone. Some, yes. Others, no. His suffering was part of God’s redemptive narrative. What was absolutely so stunning about it all was Jesus’ absolute trust in His Father. His love and confidence in His Father never fractured while suffering. He never doubted His Father’s love and favor.

A little further in our study, we will see that Jesus had to trust God to rule righteously when relationships with people, and Satan, got dicey. He had to make the choice to live by faith and He learned this, scripture says, through obedience. His way, His path, is also my way, and my path.

You will make all things right in glory. Yet mercifully, You also do some of that now. When You don’t, I will trust You. Amen

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” Matt. 6:14

Forgiveness. After hearing many sermons over the years and after reading many books on the topic, I believe it should be clear what forgiveness is. The mandate, however, is to just do it. “Forgive and forget.” But having lived through multiple messy betrayals in my life, I discovered that it’s not as cut and dry as often portrayed. Nor is it instantaneous if the hurt is deep and the relationships are ongoing.

God took me on a 5 month journey of forgiveness and it was mostly new territory. I learned what forgiveness is, what it isn’t, and why it’s so hard to do. There were many roadblocks and I found little help in working through them. (Oh, but the Holy Spirit led me safely through uncharted territory.) This series will give me the opportunity to share my own journey through anger, injustice, and then trust and active submission to the sovereignty of God. I can promise you that the devotionals to follow will not contain well worn cliches. I offer nothing that I have not first tried for myself.

There was a day in early May, 1997, that God made it clear through an older woman speaking into my life, that I had not forgiven someone who deeply hurt me over a period of 22 years. I was devastated and went to God about it. I believe I heard Him speak to me deep in my spirit. “Let me show you what you’ve done, Christine. You’ve climbed the steps to the throne, looked right at me and said ~ ‘I want your seat please.’ You put my crown on your head and declared yourself qualified and capable to play judge and jury over the people who hurt you. You will decide when they’re sorry. You will decide when they deserve your pardon. You will decide how long to make them pay. But know this ~ I want my seat back. I made you to be a much loved daughter in my kingdom, not a judge. That’s my job. Put the people who hurt you into my hands and leave them there. I rule righteously and you can trust me.”

That was the beginning of my many discoveries about myself and about my King. I learned that forgiving is not letting someone off the hook. It’s taking them off my hook and putting them on God’s hook. Because He is holy, is not that the best place for them to be? Ah yes. And here’s the thing. No child is meant to wear a crown.

Lord, I pray for each person who is reading this. So many are eaten up with the sense of injustice. Lead each of them safely through these next many days. Give them freedom. Help them trust you enough to give You your rightful seat back. Amen

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How much did you enjoy the story of Esther? How much did it stir your heart to live differently? Have you vowed to be more intentional to find the purpose for which you were created? As you think about her story and how she has impacted your own life, consider these amazing facts ~

The book of Esther was written nearly 2,500 years ago.

Esther wouldn’t have thought of flipping a coin about a life’s decision. Instead, she fasted and prayed.

She was married to someone who did not share her faith and she struggled to know how to serve both her husband, and God.

Her name is recorded 55 times in the Bible, more than any other woman including Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Her great grandfather was Jesse, the father of King David. That makes David her great-uncle.

Esther exhibited love, courage, wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord – all the essential characteristics of a woman who lives in the Gifts of the Spirit.

The name of God is not mentioned in the book of Esther but He doesn’t have to be mentioned to be noticed. He is seen in the light and countenance of those who belong to Him. His Shekinah – His Light – is amplified through you and affects those around you. Xerxes chooses Esther as he is drawn like a moth to the flame of the shekinah surrounding her.

Many critics decry the fact that Esther did not live as a true Jewish woman should, denouncing the fact that she did not adhere to the strict Jewish diet while in the palace. Yet Esther was more about her relationship with God and her soul was not defined by what she ate. Intuitively, she knew this even before Jesus preached it 450 years later in Mark 7:18-20:

“Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart buy his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods. And He said, ‘What comes out of a man, that defiles man. ‘”

Esther’s willingness to serve her God was stronger than her fear of death. Even more so, she understands that perhaps she was born “for such a time as this.” God put her on this earth for a reason, and He was giving her His ultimate purpose for her life. If she was destined to die, then so be it. She had her solid trust, and faith, in God. She took Proverbs 3:5-6 (written by her cousin King Solomon) to heart:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

How glorious and wonderful to know how much God loves you as much as you love Him, and to know that He made you exactly the way you are, and the time where He placed you, for His glory and for His purpose. You are special to Him just like Queen Esther– don’t ever forget that. His purpose for you is to further His kingdom, and He has put you where you are, with specific people surrounding you, for a reason and for a purpose. And He will lead you to it, if you only ask.

Taken from a great online article. https://womeninscripture.com/esther-a-woman-born-for-such-a-time-as-this/

Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people. Esther 10:3

The book of Esther concludes with a twist. Esther, the heroine, is not on center stage anymore. It is Mordecai who enjoys the spotlight.

His love for people has shaped his style of leadership. He knows that just because a person has the clout to make others fear him doesn’t mean that person should use it.

There are people in government who enjoy the heady feeling they experience when they write new laws. To imagine millions under their control, following their regulations to the letter, inflates their sense of importance. It’s the fodder of Pharisees.

Parents also bark orders and cause children to cower in submission. A mother or father who experienced helplessness as a child often makes the most dangerous kind of parent. The wrong kind of power never buys love. Others obey out of fear but love and respect are absent.

Mordecai was a type of Jesus. He was not self-obsessed. He rose to power only because his love for others was stellar. He was a forerunner to Jesus who came to serve mankind. Jesus showed the power of restraint. Instead of assuming a throne and using His muscle to force the world to bow at his feet, His power hid behind the face of tenderness. He declared His love, proved it at Calvary, then asked us to willingly kneel at His feet. Causing us to tremble and simply give lip service was not His style.

Today, every person in the Trinity still rules with the power of love. They call to us to intimacy, hoping we’ll take them up on their invitation. Today’s verse could be re-written. “Jesus is held in high esteem by his many followers because He works for the good of His people.”

I will use power over others today. Will I serve them or use them to feed my anemic ego? Make me like You, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes–words of goodwill and assurance. Esther 9:27

“You’re going to be fine!” is wonderful to hear as long as this news is coming from the right person. A doctor may speak them following a high-risk surgery and if I’m the patient or a family member of the patient, I breathe a sigh of relief. However, when they come from someone who has a history of dismissing my pain, the pronouncement is hollow. The power of the words depends on the credibility of the speaker.

The last letter that had gone out on royal steed to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes delivered news of doom. I can well imagine that the mood of the people, when the second letter arrived, was one of anxiety. Perhaps trembling hands held the document. The people anticipated an announcement that would end their world. Instead, they received a pronouncement that they were a blessed people; ones who would enjoy favor, prestige, and unlimited power.

I look forward to my time of writing every morning. It’s my chance to share words of goodwill and assurance. They don’t originate with me, for who am I? I’m just the King’s messenger. He, however, is all-powerful and trustworthy. You can take God’s messages as Gospel truth. Dare to rejoice! His Word to you is clear.

He is not mad at you.
He longs for your company.
He is waiting to forgive your sins.
Your soul can live in peace.
You have a glorious future.
He does not play favorites.
And you are the daughter, or a son, whom He loves without reservation.

If I’m not moved by Your words, my heart is ailing. Heal it and soften it so that my joy may be full. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. Esther 9: 20-2

Mordecai had supernatural eyesight. He was able to see thousands of years down the road. Because he declared the day of Jewish freedom a holiday, he invented an annual party. To this day, the Jews tell the story of Esther, Mordecai, and Haman to their children and they celebrate the deliverance of their ancestors.

“Review and Remember” is a continual theme throughout scripture. We are to commemorate the moments of God’s faithfulness with joyful celebration. We’re encouraged to tell others the stories. I can imagine that Jacob told his children, and his grandchildren, the account of the incident at Bethel. It became a familiar bedtime tale. The Jewish people of old did not need to fabricate fairy tales to entertain their children. Instead, they related the narratives of their own lives. Interesting plots were plentiful.

I recall the many years I had little news to tell. My spiritual life was uneventful. I knew theology and could certainly talk about that but passing along theological information divorced from the context of a personal relationship with God is always as dry as dust.

John Wesley said, “I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians of England.” Each of us has a story. There should be at least a handful of life- defining moments spiritually. Does anybody know yours? We should invent some personal holidays, invite our extended families to the party, and start telling the stories of our lives. The point is not to make myself the hero! While I’m certainly one of the main characters on stage, God is the star of the show. The glorious moments He revealed His hand and left His fingerprints are the point of it all. May our descendants ‘remember and review’ our spiritual legacies for the sake of inspiration and instruction.

It’s time to open my mouth. May I not go to the grave silent and rob my family of knowing Your power and glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.