Forgiveness this Spring - Emily Carter

Spring is my favorite time of year. I like it because of the green grass, beautiful flowers, and the warmer weather. Recently, as I was walking in my neighborhood, I heard the beautiful song of Spring. The birds were singing praises to the King. They were singing so loudly that I could not hear the song on my ipod. Did God have other words he wanted to speak to me? Was David Crowder to be turned off this fine, crisp morning?

As I walked, I began thinking about a hurt from my past. The Lord had delivered my family through a difficult situation, yet I was holding on to the pain from it. I thought I had forgiven, but I realized that I was still resenting the people who caused the hurt. Ouch! That is honesty for you. I thought I had forgiven the ones who had hurt us so badly. Yet, only these five years later did I realize that the forgiveness was not there, not true forgiveness.

When I think of Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness, three different passages of scripture come to mind. The first was what his words said about forgiveness and the next set of scriptures focuses on his actions. In the third passage Jesus teaches us about the limits of forgiveness.

Matthew 6:12, when Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray he told them, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The Greek word for “forgive” is “Aphiēmi” meaning to let go from one’s power or possession, let go free, let escape. To release from obligation, remit a debt, and pardon or forgive debts or faults. To forgive means to not only forgive in word but in the feelings that we have towards the person or situation. We must let go of the resentment that sometimes comes with betrayal. We must forgive completely and move on towards reconciliation.

Jesus, from the cross, used the same term when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) The forgiveness that Jesus offers is complete without resentment. This week as you ponder the cross and the resurrection remember what has been accomplished. Death has no victory. Forgiveness is available to all.

Matthew 18:21-35 is the story of the unmerciful servant. He receives forgiveness from a huge loan. Then when someone else comes to him and seeks forgiveness for a tiny debt, the servant refuses. The parable closes with this “In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:34-35)

So, I came to the conclusion, as a believer of Jesus Christ who am I to hold back forgiveness. Not that I have attained it, but I am going to press on to this calling that the Lord has placed on my life. I must forgive completely. Then and only then can my heart be made new like the beautiful Spring season that is ours to enjoy.

Livin' the Dream - Jenn Fromke

The waiter approached our table and asked us, “How ya’ll doin’ tonight?” We said, “Great!” and added, “How are you?” His answer took me aback. His face broke into a huge smile and he said, “Livin’ the Dream!”

Now there might have been a tinge of sarcasm in his voice, but as we watched him work that night, we saw that he was mostly serious. He threw himself into the work, his demeanor lifted the spirits of his customers, and he performed every task with flair and skill. The work appeared to give him deep satisfaction, a thing that is visibly missing in too many lives.

How refreshing it was to hear that someone is living their dream! It made me wonder if I am living my dream. And where did the dream come from? And what SHOULD be the dream? And how do I live it? So I decided to dream about dreams a little bit.

I boiled my thoughts down to two simple questions. The first question is this: Am I LIVIN’ the dream, or walking through a nightmare? I think sometimes God dreams a dream for us and He puts us right in the middle of it before we even know what’s going on. Then He walks with us step by step and reveals His plan to us piece by piece until suddenly one day we wake up and realize that everything we are dreaming of is right before our eyes.

Mark 8:22-26 tells a story about a blind man that received his sight from Jesus one day. Jesus spit on his eyes and put his hands on the man, then asked if he could see anything. The guy said he saw people, but they looked like trees walking around. So Jesus put his hands on his eyes again and then he could see normally.

Sometimes it takes more than one touch from Jesus before everything becomes clear to us. A friend of mine, let’s call her Penny, moved away from her hometown, her friends, and family to a new city. Penny knew that God wanted this, but she did not want to go. It all seemed like a nightmare to her at first.

But a funny thing happened. As Penny sought the Lord for comfort and direction, she began to see what good things there were in this new city. After a long process, she came to realize that God had moved her to a wonderful place full of opportunities to serve Him. God revealed his dream, made it her dream, and now she is LIVIN’ the dream that God dreamed for her and it brings her great joy.

The second question about dreams that I have to ask is this: Am I livin’ THE DREAM or just livin’? I think sometimes God will give us a dream and He will guide us step by step in pursuit of that dream until it is accomplished. I think so many times the dream is a part of who we are, it engages our passions, our talents and the spiritual gifts we have received from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we probably don’t even acknowledge that the dream is from God, it just becomes a part of our goals, or gets stuck on the back burner called “maybe someday.”

The thing about those dreams God gives us, is that he intends for us to pursue them. When we are walking with him and seeking him daily for direction, God will guide us toward the realization of that dream.

However, if we have that dream but get distracted by life, work, or pleasure, then we stick that dream on the shelf and work toward other things that are less fulfilling. We settle for less than what God wants for us. It’s like being invited to a banquet, but only staying for the appetizers.
When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he wanted to try, and Jesus told him to do it. But he only took a few steps. I wonder if Jesus would have walked all the way across the lake with him had he not lost faith. I wonder what they would have talked about on that walk. Peter got a piece of the dream, but cut it short.

God gives us big dreams and he wants those dreams to come true because His dreams for us make us into the people we were created to be. I want to do more than just live. I want to pursue and live the dreams God gives me and tomorrow when you ask me how I’m doing, I might just say, “LIVIN’ THE DREAM, BABY!”

Jenn Fromke loves to teach Bible study and currently teaches for the One Heart ministry at Crossroads Church. She writes Bible studies and is currently at work on her first novel. She lives in Concord, NC with her incredibly supportive husband and three amazing kids.

Who Is This? Mark 4:35-40 - Jan Darnell

Let’s go! After teaching all day from a boat on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus summoned His disciples aboard. Let us go over to the other side. A cushion was available in the stern for reclining so the Lord settled in while the disciples loosed the rigging. Most of His disciples were strong, seasoned seamen who handled the surf with athletic dexterity. A trip to the other side of this sea should have been easily managed, despite their fatigue and the pending darkness.

With the sun setting and air cooling down, a gentle breeze beckoned stillness, refreshing the disciples as they pushed offshore. Distributing oars to one another, a discussion quickly ensued over the teaching of the day. Jesus had spoken in parables to the crowd regarding the Kingdom of God while clarifying the significance to His disciples. Still, there was debate over the application. “Where is this Kingdom? What will we do there? Who is the King?” Jesus listened to their conversation before drifting off without reply, taking advantage of a rare opportunity to rest.

Caught up in their Kingdom debate, the disciples may have ignored the cumulus clouds silently moving toward them, cloaking a star lit landscape. When the moon disappeared however, a damp darkness began to penetrate and alarm them. Gusts of wind whistled above them, causing the sails to flap sharply. Swelling waves rocked the vessel, pitching sea water over the sides and filling their boat to a dangerous level.

As if that were not enough, a fierce squall suddenly descended and challenged these seasoned sailors and fishermen to keep their boat afloat. They were blinded by sheets of rain and a stinging spray blown from the rising waves. Fighting for their lives, the disciples probably shouted above the roaring noise of the winds… “We’re sinking! Can anyone see land? We’re sinking!”

Then the story peaks. The disciples awaken Jesus who is amazingly still asleep and they ask, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? An ironic question, don’t you think? Though they didn’t know it yet, Jesus came to be sacrificed so that they and we could be justified, glorified and released from sin. Yet He is being asked this question by His closest friends, Do you not care that we are perishing? True to His faithfulness to respond, Jesus answers their prayers.

Being roused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush, be still. And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Jesus then asks, Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith? Fear had squelched the faith of the disciples and blinded them to a greater degree than even the wind and rain. But Jesus graciously opened their eyes. And they became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” In seeing Him command forces of nature to obey, the disciples realized Jesus to be more than a master teacher, Who is this?

Who then is the King of the Kingdom of God? Our heavenly Father orchestrated these events on the stormy Sea of Galilee years ago in order to answer that question for all of us, “This is He. His name is Jesus!”

Jan’s Biblical training has primarily been through Precept Ministries, International, studying and working alongside Kay Arthur in the research of Bible study materials. Jan has been a Bible teacher for 30 years, married since 1982 and raised 7 children along with her husband, Barry Darnell a nuclear engineer at Duke Energy in Charlotte, North Carolina.