Come now, let us reason together

‘Come now let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be white as snow.’ Isaiah 1:18

I love the book of Isaiah because it is the most prophetic of the books of prophecy in that it predicts and foretells the word of God in extraordinary ways.  Isaiah lived during the time of the Assyrian attacks against the nations in the region including taking Israel into captivity. However he predicts the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians which did not happen till over a hundred years later and the return from exile by the hands of Cyrus, nearly two hundred years before the event. He also prophesies the coming of the Messiah and prophesies his character and wonderful redemptive work not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles.

The verse above is a favourite of mine because when we first visited Uganda many years ago we went to a small rural church thatched with banana leaves. Here we were introduced to a man called Come Now. When we asked why he was called this he said his mother had read this verse on the morning he was born and that is why she named him Come Now. You don’t tend to forget things like that.

In the same way we don’t tend to forget how wonderful God’s forgiveness of our sins is. Isaiah was promising the rebellious nation of Judah that if they would only repent and turn from their wicked ways then God would forgive their sins and they would be white like snow. I am sure you have looked over a snowy landscape and seen the beauty of it. All the humps, bumps and imperfections are covered in a beautiful layer of snow. As my son once remarked, ‘even bags of rubbish look beautiful covered in snow.’

This is the same as our sins when every imperfection is forgiven and covered over with the layer of grace and mercy and we can see them no more. When God forgives our sins we must let go of them and not hang onto them in any way. They are gone forever, never to return. God remembers them no more and neither must we.

Do you truly love me

Sometime after the resurrection of Jesus and before his ascension into heaven, Jesus met the disciples one morning after they had come back from an unsuccessful night’s fishing. Jesus was standing on the shore but they did not recognise him at first. He told them to let down their nets again and when they did so, they got so many fish that it filled two boats.  John immediately recognised that it was Jesus on the shore. Impetuous Peter then grabbed his outer garment and jumped into the water to be the first to get to Jesus.

Now I know that if I had denied Jesus at the very moment when he needed me most, I would not have been in a hurry to meet him again. I would have been so embarrassed and ashamed but that shows I do not know Jesus like Peter did. It is almost certain that this was not the first time that Peter had been with Jesus since he had betrayed him but the enthusiasm with which he leapt into the water would suggest that he knew he was forgiven. Luke and John’s gospel tell us that Peter was one of the first disciples to go to the tomb to see if what the women had said about Jesus being alive was true. He certainly wasn’t hiding away in disgrace.

Peter was forever running ahead in what he said – speaking before he thought but he was also the first and only one out of the boat when Jesus was walking on the water. Peter seemed either to get it very right or sometimes very wrong but he knew Jesus loved him despite his shortcomings and failures. He had no difficulty running to the tomb or jumping in the water. He knew Jesus would not be cross or angry with him nor would he reject him. He would embrace him and then put right the wrong that had happened which is what Jesus did after breakfast that morning.

Three times he asked Peter, ‘Simon son of John do you truly love me more than these?’ Peter answered that he did. The third time Peter was upset about being asked the same thing again but it was important that for every denial there was a confirmation of his love for his Lord. Jesus then tells Peter something of what will happen in the future.

When we make a mess of things, God does not want to leave us there, feeling bad about what has happened. He certainly does not want to reject or leave us. He wants to reaffirm us by putting things right and to reinstate us to his calling. Let God’s forgiveness and love wash over you afresh today and let God confirm again your calling as his child and the plans He has for your life. 

Consider it pure joy

‘Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ James 1: 3 – 4

There are several times in the Bible when the believer is encouraged to rejoice in the face of trials or testings and persecution. For some this may be the very real possibility of losing their job, being ostracised from the family, being beaten, imprisoned or killed for their faith. When Peter and John were imprisoned and threatened by the Sanhedrin they came away rejoicing that they had been considered worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5: 41).

Most of us will not face these kinds of threats or persecution but we can nevertheless learn how to deal with our own difficulties.  The one thing we tend not to consider when we face trials is pure joy. The first thing tends to be anger, disappointment and frustration or irritation. We rail against the instrument of the trial whether that be a person or situation and probably have a rant and rave and if the person is close, we may then do the stony silence routine. There is definitely no rejoicing!

I have learned over the years that after the initial anger or frustration that I feel, I then ask God what is going on and what can I learn from this?  This takes things away from me and how I feel. Sometimes the devil is behind it and what looks like a person being mean, unkind or inconsiderate is actually the devil using a situation which we may have played a part in to bring division, discord and disharmony – his stock in trade.

Other times it is the weakness of the flesh, mine or another’s but nevertheless there are lessons to learn and fruit to grow. Our friend forgiveness opens the door to turning a horrible experience into a situation that develops faith, perseverance and brings us to maturity. Having forgiven and been forgiven by God, we can then attack the enemy, tell him to get off the situation and ask for healing and restoration.

I have seen many domestic tiffs miraculously turned around by this. Having dealt with your own frustrations and anger and asked God’s forgiveness, we can then go and apologise (often regardless of the rights and wrongs).  The transformation can be rapid and we will have grown in maturity. Instead of a stony silence and ‘I am hurt and you’re not helping’ attitude, normal service is resumed and we will have learned valuable lessons in love and grace. We will have stepped up from ‘poor me’ or worse still self righteous indignation to becoming mature men and women of God.

Sometimes of course the situation is more serious but the same principle of not feeling sorry for ourselves but looking to God to bring healing, restoration and spiritual growth in our lives is the same. There have been a couple of times when our pastors (of many years ago) treated us quite badly and were quite inconsiderate and hurtful. I felt so let down and disappointed but managed to find forgiveness and let God heal my heart. At the time a friend told me that in years to come, I would be glad about what had happened which seemed unbelievable at the time. Now looking at the situation, I can rejoice over what was so painful and over which I shed many tears. I learned so much about trusting God not man to bring good out of situations. I have grown and so has my perseverance and faith.

Several times Jesus and the apostles talk of rejoicing in difficulties and trials because of the maturity they bring to our faith. When we face trials, let us use them as a step up to greater levels of grace and maturity and let us see them not as an obstacle but as an opportunity to grow into Christ like character.

Forgiven so that I can forgive

Forgiveness is the greatest gift we can receive and the greatest gift we can give.  There is absolutely nothing one can do to earn it and to give it requires the greatest generosity and grace.

Forgiveness though is one of the major components in our walk to freedom because forgiveness breaks the bondage of sin in our lives.  It starts first of all when we ask for and receive God’s forgiveness.  We were destined for death and eternal separation from God ‘because the wages of sin is death BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ Romans 6:23.  Christ took our sin on the cross and died in our place and by faith we ask for and receive his forgiveness. The power of sin and death in our lives is broken.  We are free.

However what God has freely given us, has to be freely given.  As Joyce Meyer says, ‘if you want to walk the love walk, you must walk the path of forgiveness.’  We cannot love and be loved by God and hold others in bondage to our unforgiveness. If we only realised the damage bitterness, grudges and offence does to our souls we would forgive much more readily.  Unforgiveness is like a poison that damages our whole lives.  Forgiveness does not just release us from the poison, it causes our lives to blossom and flourish. 

In the UK there were two parents who lost their children in tragic circumstances.  One lost a son to a child murderer and one lost a daughter to an IRA bomb. The one who lost their son was a bitter, resentful person for years.  The one who lost their daughter to the bomb went on television and publicly said they forgave the bombers.  God used him greatly to spread the message of peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.  He travelled the world bringing a message of hope based on forgiveness.  The other lived out her days eaten up by resentment and unforgiveness.

Forgiveness is not easy.  It does not mean nothing happened or that we pretend nothing happened.  It is not saying that it was not important or that it didn’t hurt us deeply.  It requires us to look honestly at a hurt, offence or misdeed and say I choose to forgive.  I choose to give someone a gift they do not deserve and I am going to let them go free from my criticism and judgement.  Forgiveness is a choice and has nothing to do with feelings.  We may forgive and still feel angry and hurt but as we continue to forgive and declare the other person free from our judgement and offence, our feelings will follow. 

Be quick to forgive so the devil cannot build a stronghold of offence and unforgiveness in your life which is much harder to demolish. 

   Today I encourage you to forgive those who have hurt and offended you or those whom you love.  Jesus exhorts us to show the same forgiveness that we have received from God to others (Matthew 18: 21 – 35).  Give them the same free gift that God has freely given you.

Redeemed by the blood

I am redeemed by the blood

In the Bible it tell us that ’without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness’ (Hebrews 9:22).  It doesn’t matter how sorry we are for the things we have done wrong, unless someone’s or something’s blood has been shed, there is no forgiveness.

In Old Testament times the Jewish people had to sacrifice bulls and goats every day.  Blood was smeared and sprinkled upon the altar but this imperfect sacrifice could not adequately take away sins.  Now though through the perfect sacrifice of the wonderful blood of Jesus shed for us, all our sins have been forgiven. 

When Jesus hung on the cross his blood was dripping down from his back tattered by the brutal flogging he had received, from his hands and feet and from his head where the crown of thorns had been pushed cruelly onto his head.  It was this precious blood that Jesus took into the eternal tabernacle to make a way for us into the Father’s presence. 

It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses our guilty consciences and the blood of Jesus that gives us access to the Father.  We need never hold back.  We can come right up to our loving heavenly Father by the precious blood shed for us and offer thankful hearts to him ‘that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrew 4: 16).