John 20:19-23
Later on that day, the disciples
had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the
doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to
you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.
The disciples,
seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated
his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”
Then
he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy
Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good.
If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
There's a funny thing about
kids…they never want you to throw anything away. So they are devastated
when they find “artwork” in the trash…or you gather toys they no longer
play with to share with a younger child. I’ve even seen our children
cling to clothing that they had outgrown. I’m particularly remembering a
pair of “Ninja Turtles” pajamas that were far too snug and short (both
in the leg length and the “stride”) for Timothy – and then Nathan – and
both boys INSISTED that these still fit and fell apart when I mentioned
giving them to a younger friend. I cannot count how many times we have
had to do a little “purging” when the children were gone… and just hoped
that they didn’t ask about the “missing” items!
You and I hang
onto things, too…just open any closet or drawer! But we also cling to
grudges…offenses…and memories of things that happened so long ago that the
details are incredibly fuzzy to everyone – except us! As Christians, we
are called to forgive…to let go of these things and move forward. As
Jesus put it to the Disciples...if you don’t release old baggage, what
will you do with it?
Some of us try to “wear” these old sins
like the too-small pair of Ninja Turtles pajama pants. And I’m here to
tell you, the look ain’t pretty! More importantly, it does not properly
represent our relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The same
deep breath that Jesus breathed into His Disciples, He breathes into
each and every one of us who surrender to Him. He fills us with His
Holy Spirit. But it is up to us to receive Him and recognize His
presence…to fully operate under His guidance, wisdom, grace and mercy -
each and every day.
So “out with the old…in with the new!” Think
about what you need to let go of today…who you need to forgive…where
you should release old grudges, insults, offenses and heartaches, so
that the Holy Spirit has room to fill your heart with His joys and
abundance. Don’t be afraid to get rid of the baggage and move forward
with Christ. It’s time to truly trust Jesus to do what He has
promised…and to extend His peace and love to others. Now ready…set…GO!
©2016 Debbie Robus
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