(You) got to have faith!

While at lunch I was reading some John Piper Sermons and I decided to highlight the great points. First I will start our with Thomas Watson's definition of forgiveness because I think it is a good reminder. I often don't think about all the things that forgiveness includes. It takes a lot to be able to admit this or seek after forgiving someone. It takes work and strength, strength that we often don't have on our own. But God is gracious and is a good provider.

Thomas Watson's definition of forgiveness includes:

1. resisting revenge,
2. not returning evil for evil,
3. wishing them well,
4. grieving at their calamities,
5. praying for their welfare,
6. seeking reconciliation so far as it depends on you,
7. and coming to their aid in distress

Now, what excuse do we have to not forgive others. That we have to let go of our hurt? That we can't make them feel bad? That we can't have pity parties for ourselves anymore? That we can't be in a grumpy mood that we think we deserve? That we think that the other person doesn't deserve to be forgiven? Those seem like sorry excuses to me for refusing to forgive someone especially when we have been forgiven so much. John Piper says that there are six specific things that God has done for us, three before we existed and three during our lifetime. He goes into more detail in his sermon which you can find here. But I will just list the points.

What God Did for Us Before We Existed
1. God Loved Us with a Special Saving Love
2. Christ Gave Himself for Us as a Sacrifice
3. God Was Satisfied with Christ's Sacrifice

What God Did for Us During Our Lifetime
1. God Put Us in a Saving Relationship with Christ
2. God Adopted Us and Made Us Rightful Children
3. God Forgave Us for Our Sins

So I don't see how I could not forgive anyone. I would really have to be full of it to refuse to forgive someone, no matter how badly they had hurt me. I still have been forgiven so much more than I could ever forgive. God had loved me and given himself for me. He adopted me and has made me more then a conquer. He has forgiven me. Praise God.

Charles Spurgeon says, "To be forgiven is such sweetness that honey is tasteless in comparison with it. But yet there is one thing sweeter still, and that is to forgive. As it is more blessed to give than to receive, so to forgive rises a stage higher in experience than to be forgiven."

I guess I should be praising God that I get to experience something greater than getting forgiven. I know that being forgiven feels wonderful. But the problem I have with forgiving, is that it is a day by day thing. You have to force yourself to think of forgiveness every single minute/hour of every day. I think it is easier to be forgiven. I think it is much harder to do the forgiving. But that is what God is for, right? He gives us the strength to do things that we couldn't in our own power.

And I close with a song that John Piper quotes from that is on this Glad cd that we have around our house and have listened to for years.

Be ye glad, O be ye glad!
Every debt that you ever had,
Has been paid up in full by the blood of the Lamb,
Be ye glad, be ye glad, be ye glad.

Oh and this is a verse that I read this moring that has been stuck in my head. I'll just throw it on the end here.

Romans 3:28 - the Message

"What we've learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade."