Posts Tagged ‘Forgiveness’
Ignoring The Wrongs by Gene McGuire Nov. 1-Nov. 8, 2009
“[Love] is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].” (1 Cor.13:5b Amplified Bible)
COMMENT: I am still in the process of getting things rearranged in my house after the renovation. I’m very fortunate to have a young man named John who has been giving me a helping hand. He’s been available on his days off from his job and has always been punctual. A few weeks ago he really let me down. He had promised to come by at 9 a.m. to cut my grass while I worked on the “mess” in the house. I called him twice, at 10 and 11 a.m, but his cell phone was turned off. Around 5:30 p.m. I received a call from him telling me that he was having a great time at a picnic. I have learned not to speak when I am upset, so I made an excuse to cut that conversation short. I was fuming, thinking of how I could express my dissatisfaction short of fisticuffs.(You see I’m chicken!
)
) Seriously, I went to bed very upset. When I woke up in the morning the Holy Spirit had changed my mind. I was reminded of The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant where his master forgave him of a huge debt, but that forgiven servant had a fellow servant put in jail because of a meager amount owed to him. (Matthew 18:23) I thought about all the sins my Heavenly Father has forgiven me; how can I hold this minor infraction against my brother in the Lord? I immediately called John and let him know that I forgave him. I then told him that I would appreciate it if he would just give me notice if he can’t make any assignment.
SCRIPTURE STUDY:Matthew 6:12, Luke 6:37, 17:3
WISE SAYING:THINK DEEP BEFORE YOU LEAP.
Sincerely Yours, Gene McGuire
Gene McGuire
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The Faith Override by Gene McGuire Wednesday, September 10, 2008
“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.” (Romans 8:28)
COMMENT: Recently I reread the story of Joseph’s early life just to make sure I had come to the right conclusion. As you know, the future #2 man in Egypt had a couple of dreams of grandeur and, in my opinion, he didn’t use wisdom by telling his brothers those visions.
They were already jealous of him because their father showed partiality to his youngest son. I believe that Joseph allowed his mouth to get him into trouble by those disclosures. However, God had a distinct plan for his life and, through all the trials and tribulations, Joseph kept the faith and was delivered. Again, this is just conjecture, but I believe that our hero could have arrived at his designated destination without as much grief if he had been a little more discrete about the future God revealed to him.
My conclusion is that we Christians may make blunders along our journeys which may cause us a few bruises, but if we continue to be strong in faith, God will fulfill the promises made to us.
SCRIPTURE STUDY: Genesis 37:3-11
WISE SAYING: GOD CAN STILL BLESS US, EVEN WHEN WE DON’T BRING OUR “A GAME” WITH US.
What If You Had To Pay A Fine For Your Sins? by Gene McGuire Monday, September 8, 2008
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1&2)
COMMENT: In Virginia where I reside, there is a huge traffic problem The State Legislators came up with a rather unique way of raising bucks to construct roads in an effort to alleviate the horrid situation. Virginia citizens will be charged huge sums of money for different infractions while driving in this state. Speeding, driving without a license, diving under the influence, etc. may now cost offenders hundreds of dollars, a huge increase over the previous fines. This new law took effect the first of July and I have seen the affect it has had on local drivers. The last time I was on the road, I was amazed to see that just about everyone was going no more that 5 to10 miles over the speed limit. In a similar vein, I read an article by David Wilkerson*** in which he puts forth the concept that Christians would strive to get rid of some sinful practice that is clinging to them if they truly understood the “penalties” that would be assessed: (1)The longer you continue in sin, the more you’re in danger of hardening your heart. (Hebrews 3:12-13) (2) If you continue in sin, you’ll face the rod of God. (Heb. 12:6) (3) If you continue in sin, you’ll experience a constant drain of peace and strength. (Psalm 31:10) (4) If you continue in sin, you’ll lose your usefulness to God’s kingdom. (1 Samuel 13:13-14)
**** “Times Square Church Pulpit Series” dated 3/20/2000
SCRIPTURE STUDY: Please read the 4 Scripture references above.
WISE SAYING: WISDOM CONSIDERS HOW MY ACTIONS OF TODAY WILL IMPACT MY TOMORROW.
Sincerely Yours, Gene McGuire
