You are merciful, and you treat people better than they deserve. So please forgive these people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.
Then the Lord said to Moses:
In answer to your prayer, I do forgive them. But as surely as I live and my power has no limit, I swear that not one of these Israelites will enter the land I promised to give their ancestors. These people have seen my power in Egypt and in the desert, but they will never see Canaan. They have disobeyed and tested me too many times.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I saw a Facebook post from one of my cousins that said that her church is beginning a 90-day “read-through” of the Bible. Those participating will read the entire Bible in 90 days. She is excited to participate in this study. Several years ago, I attempted to read the entire Bible. I used a study guide that suggested a passage each day from the Old Testament, New Testament, and a Psalm or verses from Proverbs. I’ll admit...I only made it to the month of May before I allowed other things to swallow up my time - and that particular study fell by the wayside. But I’m determined to try this again someday, because this “parallel look” at the Old and New Testaments was incredibly revealing.
For the first time, I truly came to understand why and how the passages of the Old Testament have relevance for us today. If nothing else, these chapters illustrate to us how dramatically – and completely – Jesus changed everything when he came to earth and subsequently died on the cross for our sins. No longer do we have to kill our best fowl and livestock and offer them to God as living sacrifices for our sins. While we should confess our sins daily and strive to humbly repent, Jesus settled the debt...we don’t have to look over our shoulder and wonder if THIS is the time that God says, “That’s it...you’ve crossed the line this time! I’m done with you!” From the Old Testament writings, we learn that there truly is nothing new under the sun...except the unfailing forgiveness and redemption of Jesus Christ. And I, for one, am so very glad to have it!
I have spoken for several days about forgiveness. Understand that these posts are as much for me and my own life as yours...because I am as prone to anger, name calling, frustration, and grudges as the next guy. There are times when each and every one of us wishes for even a single minute of revenge...a desire to make the other person suffer just a smidge of what we are feeling - or to know the insults, exasperation, and/or pain that they have inflicted upon us. We are – and always will be – human beings...and this means we will never be perfect! We will never be 100% like Jesus...but we must always keep trying to do better.
With all of this talk about forgiveness, I feel I must also address a question that arose recently about forgiving such things as human atrocities. How do we forgive the torture and slaughter of others in the Middle East...the slavery and persecution of people in African countries...cruelty to animals...physical abuse of children and adults? How do we pardon those who have repeatedly lied to us, cheated us, and taken advantage of our Christian grace and mercy at every turn? How long and how often do we “turn the other cheek”?
I have given this a lot of thought and prayerful consideration. In recent weeks, I’ve read several books that address this subject in detail, and I believe that God has used these writings to show me many things.
- There are no perfect decisions.*
- “No!” is a complete sentence...and sometimes, it’s the best response.
- God doesn’t want us to sacrifice our physical, mental and spiritual well-being at another’s expense. I’m not saying He doesn’t want us to put ourselves out there – to take risks and boldly share the love of Jesus with others in all sorts of ways. But He doesn’t want us to be doormats, either! Sometimes, we are called to create a safe distance between ourselves and others...and then to forgive them from afar.
- God has the last word. We must stay in constant communication with Him, so that we know when He is telling us to boldly step forward...and when to safely love from a distance. There will be times when the “best yes” is a no...and when the most loving and merciful thing we can do for someone is to gracefully step aside and let them learn to lean on God for themselves.
©2014 Debbie Robus
*The Best Yes - ©2014 by TerKeurst Foundation – published by Nelson Books. Available at Walmart and other major retailers. www.thebestyes.com #TheBestYes
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