There was a man who had a difficult upbringing and over time had built quite a reputation for himself. There were addictions, illegal behaviours, self-centred pursuits that were all a part of defining him to the community around him. The more he was defined by his actions, the more he believed them and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He literally became even worse than others could have imagined. One day, he found himself at a crossroad. He had fallen on very hard times, his fortunes had dried up, the so called “friends” he had disappeared and he found himself in a very deep hole physically, mentally and spiritually.
At the deepest of times, God sends a messenger to come
alongside and help. In the days of old, the Roman Empire ran roughshod over the
land and God sent His Son. He lifts us from the depths of the darkness and the
Light shines through us, washing us clean. For this gentleman, the messenger
was a man named Glen. When John got to the point of no return, Glen came by and
planted the Seed, the message of love and forgiveness. His message was this;
look deep within and forgive yourself then ask Jesus to lift the burden of sin
from your life and then seek His guidance moving forward in a new life. Glen
was with John every step of the way and was available to help when he slipped
up. Over time, John began to more fully understand and fully trust in God and
others who were also walking in Christ’s footsteps. Unfortunately there were
still those who remembered John’s past and continue to throw that in his face
but Glen shared this with him hold onto
Matt 18:21-22
Then Peter came to him and
asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven
times?”
“No, not seven
times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven
True love is expressed in one’s ability to forgive like
Christ does. To forgive is love, to choose to forget is agape. When we hold the
past over the head of someone who wants to make a change and move forward, are
we really displaying agape (google it)? We will be looking at the prodigal son
this week in the service.
This weekend, we continue with the miniseries on Grace. We
invite you to join us online Sunday at 10:30 AM MST. Click on either link below
to join us live:
https://www.facebook.com/main.ave.31
YouTube Live – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs9LIkN_QTdVM6eVXEgy9QA
See you all Sunday.
Blessings
Pastor Todd
www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca
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