How does one find it in their heart to continue to forgive repeat offenders?  It’s a difficult question to answer.  And it’s definitely one that requires a heart-inspired response.  And perhaps a story about repeat offenders might trigger our sensitivity to how God responds to us.

       A pastor's son and his mom had been to a shopping mall and the boy had acted badly, wanting this and that, running off, etcetera.  As they were driving home, he could sense her displeasure and said, “When we ask God to forgive us when we are bad, He does, doesn't He?”  His mother replied, “Yes, He does.”  The boy continued, “And when He forgives us, He buries our sins in the deepest sea, doesn't He?” The mom replied, “Yes, that's what the Bible says.”  The boy was silent for a while and then said, “I've asked God to forgive me, but I bet when we get home, you're going to go fishing for those sins, aren't you?”

         Forgiveness doesn’t come easy for many of us, especially when we’ve been offended repeatedly.  And it’s a good thing to always ask God’s forgiveness for those things we do wrong.  God is the Master Forgiver of repeat offenders.  It’s how God deals with our sins.  But it’s also important to ask those we’ve offended for their forgiveness as well, no matter how many times we’ve offended them.  Asking for forgiveness often alerts us to our own shortcomings and may be a motivating factor to do better.  But it also allows those we’ve offended to know that we haven’t taken them for granted.  Their lack of apology opens the door for us to “go fishing”for sins that God has already buried.  And it’s more difficult for us to forgive sins, when there hasn’t been any acknowledgment that a sin has been committed.  Heart inspired forgiveness is most sincere when a sin has been acknowledged and asked for rather than taken for granted that it’s already been given.

• What makes asking someone besides God for forgiveness so difficult when we have to ask them several times?
• How can we make it easier for someone to approach us to ask for our forgiveness?
• What can make it easier for us to approach someone whom we’ve offended repeatedly?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, your mercies and forgiveness have been extended to me, a repeat offender. Fill my heart with Your mercy that my ability to forgive those who repeatedly sin against me comes from my heart.

         We’ve heard most of the old clichés about revenge: “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”; “Revenge is sweet — sweeter than flowing honey.”; and “What goes around, comes around.”  We’ve also heard those clichés about forgiveness that encourage us: “Forgive and forget.”; “Let bygones be bygones.”; and “To err is human; to forgive — divine.”  And all of those comments can be used to suit whatever occasion a person feels is appropriate to their state of mind.  It can become a calming or satisfying justification for their actions or it can be used to fuel the fire of their anger.  But while they become common justifications, they also lack the empathy that generates mercy, and at the very least, a motivation for forgiveness that comes from the heart.

         Someone once said, “There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.”  If revenge is to be sought, then the revenge that seeks forgiveness seems to be an appropriate type of revenge that is inspired from within the heart.  And it comes as close to the heart inspired forgiveness that Christ encourages us to offer to others.

         We’re always able to forgive in our heads — to forget from time to time when we’ve been wronged.  But forgiveness from the heart removes the thought of the wrong against us from our heads and opens the door of mercy in our hearts.  It lets in understanding, grace, and the Holy Spirit of God as motivating forces for us to forgive.  It also frees us and those who have wronged us from the prison of resentment, pain, and injustice.  Then, forgiveness becomes a form of justice in and of itself.  Ultimately that is what heart inspired forgiveness is.  It’s a God inspired system of justice that sets free the initiator of the sin as well as the person who was sinned against so that they may both be free to love each other as God loves us all.

• What would encourage you to forgive someone from your heart other than the fear of not being forgiven by God?
• Why is heart inspired forgiveness is more complete than forgiveness that is spoken but not fully meant?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, grant me the ability to forgive others with a mercy inspired from my heart. Teach me the liberating power that forgiveness brings when I am able to forgive others and myself.

         Professional athletes are famous for their branding.  Those athletes who are considered ‘superstars’ are paid a lot of money by the sponsoring agency for sporting a particular brand.  Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors has been known for his connection to Underarmour sportswear.  Nike paid Michael Jordan a significant amount of money for sporting the Nike swoosh symbol on almost everything he wore, but especially his shoes.  There are other athletes who cash in on contracts with clothing companies to wear their hats, shoes, golf gloves, play with their tennis rackets which connects them with the company that brands them.

         Paul said to the Roman and Colossian churches — and to us as well — that, as God’s chosen people, we are supposed to clothe ourselves with Christ.  In other words, we are to dress head to toe in Christ’s wardrobe.  Since we represent Christ’s brand, we’re to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  And above all, clothe ourselves with love.  Clothing ourselves with Christ is not something we do when we enter the church on Sunday morning.  It’s a garment that we wear — a living garment of attitude, respect, honor, and love that we put on everyday telling those who see us that Christ is the one who has sponsored us, so we’re wearing his brand.  That’s the ideal role and goal for those of us who are awake, paying our debt of love to those who don’t know about our Christ.  We must remember that Christ paid a significant price for us to be a part of his brand.  Shouldn’t we wear the clothing of Christ as proudly as professional athlete’s wear their sponsor’s garments?  I doubt that they paid nearly the price to acquire their athlete’s support as Christ paid for ours.  Jesus paid it all!

• How do you work to wear and sport the wardrobe of Christ in your life?
• What areas of your life are still underdevelopment as you awaken to what God requires of you?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, while others choose their wardrobe based on the latest fashions, help me to “wake up and stay woke” to my responsibility to clothe myself in Your Spirit and love — a wardrobe that will never go out of style.