LETTING GO OF GUILT

by Luis Palau

As Christians we rejoice that our salvation is secure in Christ, and that our sins are forever washed away by His blood. We marvel at God's infinite mercy to forgive us even though we don't deserve it. But often we won't forgive ourselves!

Yes, we know that "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). But from sunrise to sunset we needlessly carry the heavy burden of guilt.

For some reason we feel compelled to carry these heavy burdens, even though God never asked us to carry them. Just the opposite! So as God's servants, we need to learn to let go of our guilt.

Sometimes our burden of guilt is nothing more than false condemnation. When I was a youth, my mother absolutely believed the bottom of the theater would open up and drop me straight into the fire of hell if I ever went to see a movie, regardless of its message. I felt bad even walking by a theater. Now that was false guilt!

Paul Tournier, a respected Swiss psychologist, has said, "False guilt comes as a result of judgments and suggestions of men." People sometimes seek to control or manipulate us by inventing rules or regulations the Bible never mentions. As servants of God, not slaves to man-made decrees, we need to carefully and prayerfully identify such false guilt and let go of it.

On other occasions we carry heavy burdens of guilt because we don't deal with it properly. There are at least three inappropriate responses to true guilt.

First, we can repress our guilt. We try to cover it up and deny its existence. We focus on our insignificant faults instead of acknowledging our real guilt. As a result, we lose our peace and often suffer physically as well.

Second, we can regret our "mistake." But merely saying "I'm sorry" fails to acknowledge the seriousness of our sin and our responsibility.

Third, we can feel remorse for our sin. "I'll never do it again," we promise. Judas felt remorse after betraying Christ (Matthew 27:3-4). But he fell one step short of what the Bible calls repentance.

Repentance is the biblical, correct response to guilt. The moment we committed our life to Christ, our sins--past, present, and future--were forgiven. God's righteousness was satisfied. But now we must maintain fellowship with, dependence on, and obedience to God. This necessitates confessing our sins to our Lord as we become aware of them.

C.S. Lewis said true guilt is an inner alarm system that reveals sin in our lives and shows our loss of fellowship with God. The Holy Spirit uses guilt to prompt us to turn from our sin and back to the Lord.

Once we let go of false guilt and properly deal with our sins, we are free from the burden of guilt. Isaiah 55:6 7 gives us this assurance: "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."

Let go of your burdens and turn to God today!

To Ponder: Is there any unresolved guilt in your life? Over what? What steps, if any, have you taken so far to try to resolve it?

In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus promises His burdens are not heavy. It doesn't make sense, then, to carry a load of guilt. Why not?

To Pursue: If you're struggling with a vague sense of guilt, turn that over to the Lord.

Ask God to pinpoint any specific, unconfessed sin in your life. As He does, repent of that sin, remembering God gladly forgives and forgets.


Thought for Today 

"Peter had built his whole relationship with Jesus Christ on his assumed capacity to be adequate. That's why he took his denial of the Lord so hard. His strength, loyalty, and faithfulness were his self-generated assets of discipleship. The fallacy in Peter's mind was this: he believed his relationship was dependent on his consistency in producing the qualities he thought had earned him the Lord's approval. Many of us face the same problem...we try to live so that he will love us, rather than living because he has already loved us." 
- Lloyd Ogilvie in his book, "Ask Him Anything"

Daily Smile:

TEN WAYS YOU KNOW YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION IS A LITTLE SLOW

1. Text on web pages display as Morse Code

2. Graphics arrive via FedEx

3. You believe a heavier string might improve your connection

4. You post a message to your favorite Facebook group and it displays a week later

5. Your credit card expires while ordering from Amazon

6. ESPN website exhibits "Heisman Trophy Winner"...for 1989

7. You're still in the middle of downloading that popular new game, "PacMan"

8. Everyone you talk to on the Skype sounds like Forrest Gump

9. You receive emails with stamps on them

10. When you click the "Send" button, a little door opens on the side of your monitor and a pigeon flies out.


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WHAT IS THE WORTH OF JESUS CHRIST?

          “Then one of the Twelve - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over” (Matthew 26:14-16 NIV).

          Judas Iscariot is known for his nefarious act of betraying Jesus Christ to Jewish leaders for the sum of thirty silver coins only. That was the worth of Jesus Christ to him. He later regretted his action, returned the money to the leaders and went to hang himself.

          The worth of Jesus Christ varied to the other disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. Joseph of Arimathea valued even the corpse of Jesus Christ that he “wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock” (Matthew 27:59-60 NIV). He gave to Jesus was special to him because he valued Him greatly. Mary Magdalene and the other women that had been serving Him before His death were still loyal to Him even after His death. They brought spices and perfume to anoint His body. Paul’s statement about the worth of Jesus Christ is classic: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NIV). Jesus Christ worth the whole life to Paul. No wonder, he later said, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8 NIV). Simon Peter had earlier said similar thing: “We have left everything to follow you!” (Mark 10:28 NIV).

          Jesus Christ does not worth a dime to many people. Like Judas, such people do not care about what happen to Jesus Christ and the cause of the Gospel. Such people may even be so-called Christians. Inasmuch as their interest is not affected, they can sell Jesus Christ for any amount. On the other hand, Jesus Christ is all the world to some people. Like Paul and other faithful followers of Jesus Christ in the Bible, such people are ready to give everything to Jesus Christ and the cause of the Gospel.

          What is the worth of Jesus Christ to you? Does He worth anything to you? What can you give up or give away because of Jesus Christ? Like Will L. Thomp­son (1847-1909), I have the courage to say, “Jesus is all the world to me, and true to Him I’ll be; O how could I this Friend deny, when He’s so true to me? Following Him I know I’m right, He watches o’er me day and night; Following Him by day and night, He’s my Friend.”

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Daily Smile:

Mr. Norton was in the hospital recovering from an operation when the nurse on duty received a call from a man who asked how Mr. Norton was doing.

"Oh, quite well. We expect he'll be released in the morning."
"Very good, thank you."

"May I ask who is calling so that I can tell Mr. Norton?" inquired the nurse.

"This Is Mr. Norton. The doctors don't tell me  anything!"

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Lent '19

Richard Wurmbrand, founder of The Voice of the Martyrs ministry told of seeing Christians in communist prisons with 50 pounds of chains on their feet, tortured with red-hot iron pokers, in whose throats spoonfuls of salt had been forced, being kept afterward without water, starving, whipped, suffering from cold, yet praying fervently for their communist torturers.

Later, as political winds changed, some of the torturers were thrown into prison with their former Christian victims, who, instead of taking vengeance treated them with love and kindness.

Do you wonder what could possibly have motivated those Christian prisoners to love and pray for their enemies?

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:43-45.

Those are the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Do you think He was telling His hearers that the Old Testament says you are to love your neighbour but hate your enemy?

Look at the verses again.

You'll see that Jesus isn't saying the Old Testament instructed people to 'hate their enemies.' His words were, 'It is said.'

Jesus was referring to a false proverb that had been going around.

And He was setting the record straight, bringing back the truth that God has always loved His enemies and expects godly people to do likewise.

What is this 'love' that Jesus spoke of? It is not a 'warm, fuzzy feeling' for your enemy.

The word Jesus used for love means that you have a heartfelt desire for the good of the person being loved.

Yes, even your enemies!

Prayer for your enemies, abusers or persecutors cannot be worked up simply by knowing it is what you are supposed to do.

Maybe you wonder- Are there really any people in the Bible who loved their enemies like this? Jesus, in Luke 23:34. Stephen, in Acts 7:54-60. Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:16;Romans 12:20. Peter, in 1 Peter 3:9.

Is anyone bullying you?

Have you suffered from someone's unkind words or actions?

Are you feeling bitterness against another person?

Is there anyone you feel you cannot forgive?

Do you hate someone?

Do some quiet thinking and praying about what Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-45.

Ask God to give you the right attitude to pray for the one who has hurt you.

Now, pray for that person, believing what the Bible says in Philippians 4:4-7.

Daily Smile:

Don't steal, the Government hates competition!


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Watchman

by Dean Masters

Once I read of a terrible accident in which several youth were killed when their car was struck by a train. At the trial the watchman was questioned: “Were you at the crossing the night of the accident?” “Yes, your Honor.” “Were you waving your lantern to warn of the danger.” “Yes, your Honor,” the man told the judge. But after the trial had ended, the watchman walked away mumbling to himself, “I’m glad they didn’t ask me about the light in the lantern, because the light had gone out.”

God sees it, when our light has gone out. —Selected

This watchman was found not guilty but he is responsible for the death of the youth that were in the car that were killed by the train. Read what God said to Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 3:16-21 (GNB)
16 After the seven days had passed, the LORD spoke to me. 17 “Mortal man,” he said, “I am making you a watchman for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you. 18 If I announce that an evil person is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, and I will hold you responsible for his death. 19 If you do warn an evil man and he doesn’t stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared. 20 “If a truly good person starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins—I will not remember the good he did—and I will hold you responsible for his death. 21 If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn’t sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared.”

Christian, you are called by Jesus Christ to be a watchman. Too many Christians believe that if they just live a good life then others will see Jesus Christ in their daily living. That is like the watchman waving his lantern without a light in it. Jesus calls each of us to be His witnesses to this dying world. WE are to warn everyone He tells us to warn about what their future might be. This may not be easy. The Greek word for “witness” is “martus” from which we get the English word “martyr”. Martyrs are the Christian men and women who have given their lives as witnesses to others for Jesus Christ.

Jesus expects each of us to go make disciples even if it isn’t easy for us to do it . He promised He will be with us when we step out in His name. The Holy Spirit will empower us and give us the words to say.

The blood of the youth was on the hands of the railroad watchman. Don’t let other peoples’ blood be on your hands. Stand up and be the watchman Jesus calls you to be.

Daily Smile:

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted,” Excuse me, can you help? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude." 

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist. 

"I am," replied the woman. "How did you know?" 

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of you, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far." 

The woman below responded, "You must be in management." 

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?" 

"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault!"

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Your Thought for Today 

"It is not because things are good that we are to thank the Lord, but because He is good. We are not wise enough to judge as to things, whether they are really joys or sorrows. But we always know the Lord is good, and everything He provides or permits must be good." - Hannah Whitall Smith


The Response of Praise

by Elisabeth Elliot

We cannot always or even often control events, but we can control how we respond to them. When things happen which dismay or appall, we ought to look to God for His meaning, remembering that He is not taken by surprise, nor can His purposes be thwarted in the end.

What God looks for is those who will worship Him in the midst of every circumstance. Our look of inquiring trust glorifies Him. This is our first responsibility: to glorify God. In the face of life's worst reversals and tragedies, the response of a faithful Christian is praise - not for the wrong itself, certainly, but for who God is and for the ultimate assurance that there is a pattern being worked out for those who love Him.

"Often times God demonstrates His faithfulness in adversity by providing for us what we need to survive.  We are never alone.

Your Daily Smile:

Two buddies were out for a Saturday stroll. One had a Doberman and the other had a Chihuahua. As they sauntered down the street, the guy with the Doberman said to his friend, "Let's go over to that restaurant and get something to drink."

The guy with the Chihuahua said, "We can't go in there. We've got dogs with us."

The one with the Doberman said, "Just follow my lead." They walked over to the restaurant and the guy with the Doberman put on a pair of dark glasses and started to walk into the restaurant.

The waiter at the door said, "Sorry, Mac, no pets allowed."

The man with the Doberman said, "You don't understand. This is my Seeing-Eye dog."

The waiter said, "A Doberman Pinscher?"

The man said, "Yes, they're using them now. They're very good."

The waiter said, "OK then, come on in."

The buddy with the Chihuahua figured he'd try it too so he put on a pair of dark glasses and started to walk into the restaurant. He knew his story would be a bit more unbelievable. Once again the waiter said, "Sorry, pal, no pets allowed."

The man with the Chihuahua said, "You don't understand. This is my Seeing-Eye dog."

The waiter said, "A Chihuahua?"

The man with the Chihuahua said, "A Chihuahua?!? A Chihuahua?!? They gave me a Chihuahua?? 

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