The Power of Forgiveness 

Forgiving each other, just as…God forgave you.’ Ephesians 4:32 NIV

The power of forgiveness is an awesome thing. No relationship can survive without it, much less thrive. Whatever the issue, forgiveness sets both sides free, takes a weapon out of Satan’s hands, and opens the door for God to go to work in the situation. This is never more so than in your family. The truth is, it’s easier to forgive an enemy you seldom see than a loved one you have to live with every day. But you must do it. A seventeenth century clergyman said, ‘He who cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.’ Paul writes: ‘…Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love…’ (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV) Teach your children how to forgive. If you expose them to your anger, make sure that they’re also around when you show grace. Teach them how to deal with the issue, without attacking the person. Let them know that a difference of opinion can lead to a decision that makes things better for everyone, and that as a family member you can be ‘wrong’ and still be treated right. This may mean teaching them things you were never taught. If so, learn from your parents’ mistakes and don’t pass them on to your children. ‘…Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.’ (Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV) In other words, forgive when you are hurt, and don’t take your resentments to bed.  Bill & Debby Gass

God Finished His Work

The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. (Psalm 138:8)

He who has begun will carry on the work which is being wrought within my soul. The Lord is concerned about everything that concerns me. All that is now good, but not perfect, the Lord will watch over, preserve, and carry out to completion. This is a great comfort. I could not perfect the work of grace myself. Of that I am quite sure, for I fail every day and have only held on so long as I have because the Lord has helped me. If the Lord were to leave me, all my past experience would go for nothing, and I should perish from the way. But the Lord will continue to bless me. He will perfect my faith, my love, my character, my lifework. He will do this because He has begun a work in me. He gave me the concern I feel, and, in a measure, He has fulfilled my gracious aspirations. He never leaves a work unfinished; this would not be for His glory, nor would it be like Him. He knows how to accomplish His gracious design, and though my own evil nature and the world and the devil all conspire to hinder Him, I do not doubt His promise. He will perfect that which concerneth me, and I will praise Him forever. Lord, let Thy gracious work make some advance this day. C.H. Spurgeon

‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Exodus 33:14 NIV

Unless you spend time in God’s presence you will always have an underlying sense of insecurity. There are certain people we draw security from just by being around them; their presence and approach to life make us feel better. Likewise, when you need to be lifted and strengthened you must spend time with God. Being in His presence is like being in a room filled with perfume; you take the fragrance of it with you when you leave. Moses spent a great deal of time with God. He knew that without God’s presence he wasn’t worth two cents. Can you imagine being responsible for the daily care of two million people, getting them out of one country and into another – on foot? It’s mindboggling. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the Israelites spent much of their time complaining about their lot in life and finding fault with Moses. When things went wrong, he was their favourite target. It was an ideal situation for losing your mind. But God told Moses, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ God can give you rest in the midst of trouble, and peace in the midst of conflict. That includes a difficult workplace, or a home that’s in constant turmoil. God’s presence can help you to show love in the face of mistreatment, and patience in times of stress. It can help you to bring positive change without a lot of words, and end up feeling good about the way you handled things. So spend time in God’s presence today. Bill & Debby Gass

The Cost of a God-Given Dream

‘…have suffered the loss of all things…’ Philippians 3:8 NKJV

Stop and listen carefully to what some of the people around you are saying. Many of them express regret because they backed off from their dream of earlier years: a career not pursued, an opportunity left unseized, a relationship allowed to wither and die. Decades later, they come back to it and think more about it. But for some, it’s too late. They can’t achieve their dream at any price. For others, the dream is possible but the price is much higher. In his book, Put Your Dream to the Test Dr. John Maxwell writes: ‘Going after a dream is like climbing a mountain. We will never make it to the summit if we are carrying too much weight. As we enter each new phase of the climb, we face a decision. Do we take on more things to carry, lay down things that won’t help us climb, exchange what we have for something else, or stop climbing altogether? Most people try to take too many things with them…when successful people climb, they let go of things or start changing them in order to reach a higher level…The payments required for reaching a dream never stop. The journey continues only if you keep paying the price. The higher you want to go, the more you must give up. The greater the price you pay, the greater the joy you feel when you finally reach your dream.’ Someone said a task without a vision is drudgery. A vision without a task is daydreaming. But a task with a vision is the pathway to victory and achievement. Bill & Debby Gass

Hope Returns When We Remember God’s Unfailing Love

Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.” – Lamentations 3:21-24 (GNT)

Pain is a natural part of life. You can’t escape it. Broken relationships, missed opportunities, and rough seasons of life will always be with us. When they do come, you can either become bitter or hopeful.

The choice is yours.

Jeremiah faced the same choice. When his world came apart after Jerusalem was sacked in 586 B.C., the prophet wrote the book of Lamentations to share his honest frustrations with God. But he didn’t settle in his bitterness and stay there.

In Lamentations 3:21-24, after sharing his bitter feelings, he wrote, “Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope” (GNT).

In the midst of a terrible situation, Jeremiah changed his perspective. It’s healthy and good for us to be honest with God about our feelings, but you have to eventually change your perspective. As long as our minds are on our pain, we won’t solve anything.

Instead, like Jeremiah, we need to recognize God’s great love for us. Jeremiah changed his perspective and recognized the enduring mercies of God. No matter what the problem, no matter how much anger you’ve spewed at God, he still loves you. It’s a constant you can depend upon – no matter what.

The longer you focus on what depresses you, the longer your depression will last. Bitterness keeps you caught in your own pain. In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah gives you a simple cure for bitterness: change how you think.

In the midst of a depressing tirade, Jeremiah says, “Yet hope returns …”

How can you have hope even in your darkest days? You remember, “The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue.”

You can count on that! His mercies are as fresh as the morning and as sure as the sunrise. -Rick Warren

Your Heart Condition

Above all…guard your heart…it is the wellspring of life.’ Proverbs 4:23 NIV

Heart disease will kill you if you don’t detect it and treat it in time. That is true – physically and spiritually. It’s why the Bible says, ‘Above all…guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.’ Wanting to look your best is commendable. It can enhance your sense of selfworth and improve your prospects in life. But it’s a big mistake to dwell on your appearance and neglect your character. When all is said and done, ‘…Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV) This is where the Bible comes into play. It’s like a mirror; it shows you the condition of your heart at any given moment. So, how’s your heart today? What kind of thoughts are you entertaining? Are you constantly comparing and resenting? Do you get easily upset? When you hear gossip do you silence it or spread it? Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ (Matthew 5:8 KJV) In other words, when you start to see things God’s way you’ll act accordingly. If the water in the well is polluted it will make you sick. Indeed, if you drink enough, it can kill you. What’s the point? Simply this: it’s not enough to try to change your bad habits; you’ve got to go to the heart of your problem – which is the problem of your heart! The Psalmist realised this so he prayed, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’ (Psalm 51:10 KJV) If you want God to prosper you, get your heart right. Bill & Debby Gass

“She bound the scarlet line in the window.”  Joshua 2:21

Rahab depended for her preservation upon the promise of the spies, whom she looked upon as the representatives of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm, but it was very obedient. To tie the scarlet line in the window was a very trivial act in itself, but she dared not run the risk of omitting it. Come, my soul, is there not here a lesson for thee? Hast thou been attentive to all thy Lord’s will, even though some of His commands should seem non-essential? Hast thou observed in his own way the two ordinances of believers’ baptism and the Lord’s Supper? These neglected, argue much unloving disobedience in thy heart. Be henceforth in all things blameless, even to the tying of a thread, if that be matter of command.

This act of Rahab sets forth a yet more solemn lesson. Have I implicitly trusted in the precious blood of Jesus? Have I tied the scarlet cord, as with a Gordian knot in my window, so that my trust can never be removed? Or can I look out towards the Dead Sea of my sins, or the Jerusalem of my hopes, without seeing the blood, and seeing all things in connection with its blessed power? The passer-by can see a cord of so conspicuous a colour, if it hangs from the window: it will be well for me if my life makes the efficacy of the atonement conspicuous to all onlookers. What is there to be ashamed of? Let men or devils gaze if they will, the blood is my boast and my song. My soul, there is One who will see that scarlet line, even when from weakness of faith thou canst not see it thyself; Jehovah, the Avenger, will see it and pass over thee. Jericho’s walls fell flat: Rahab’s house was on the wall, and yet it stood unmoved; my nature is built into the wall of humanity, and yet when destruction smites the race, I shall be secure. My soul, tie the scarlet thread in the window afresh, and rest in peace. C.H. Spurgeon

Walking Sticks and Bedpans

“The Lord said … ‘What is that in your hand?’” Exodus 4:2 NIV

One of the biggest mistakes we make is comparing ourselves with someone else and concluding that because we don’t have their particular talents, we ‘don’t have what it takes’. One day, God said to Moses, ‘What is that in your hand?’ Moses replied, ‘A rod’ (Exodus 4:2). Just a walking stick; no big deal. Really? God used it to dry up the Red Sea! Understand this: God can take something you’ve had all your life and thought was of little importance, and use it to accomplish great things. But that only happens when you are willing to acknowledge its potential, and place it in His hands.

There’s a hilarious story about a couple of nuns who worked in a hospital, who ran out of petrol while driving to work one morning. A service station was nearby, but they had no petrol container. Suddenly, one of them remembered a bedpan in the trunk of their car. The petrol was put into the pan and they carried it very carefully back to the car. As the nuns were pouring the petrol from the bedpan into the petrol tank, two men were driving by. Staring in disbelief, one said to the other, ‘Now, Fred, that’s what I call faith!’ It appeared to be foolish. The trouble was, those doubters just didn’t ‘know the truth’. And were they ever surprised when those two nuns went roaring by them on the freeway!

The Bible says, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God’ (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). It takes faith to see walking sticks and bedpans as ‘the tools needed to do the job!’ But when you give God what you’ve got, amazing things happen in your life. Bill & Debby Gass

God’s Timetable

‘By your patience possess your soul.’ Luke 21:19 NKJV

When God makes you wait for something longer than you want to, He’s teaching you patience. Your emotions are like a wild horse – they need to be reined in. ‘Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.’ (Hebrews 10:36 NLT) Your impatience will just make you and everybody around you miserable, but it won’t rush God. He works according to His own plan and timetable: ‘…In due season we shall reap…’ (Galatians 6:9 KJV) ‘Due season’ is God’s season, not yours. You’re in a hurry, He isn’t. He takes time to do things right. You may not know what He’s doing, but He does. And that’ll have to be good enough for you. God’s timing seems to be His own business. He’s never late, but He usually isn’t early either. He takes every opportunity to develop in you the fruit of patience. But other fruits are being developed in you as well. There are several things that must arrive at the finish line at the same time in order for you to win the race. Developed potential, without character, doesn’t glorify God. If you were to become a huge success and yet be arrogant and harsh with people, that wouldn’t be pleasing to the Lord. So when you get ahead of yourself in one area, He gently but firmly blocks your progress in that area until the others catch up. You don’t appreciate any of this while it’s happening, it’s later on you realise what a mess you’d have made if things had been done on your timetable instead of God’s.  Bill & Debby Gass 

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Colossians 3:1-2