Forgiveness Preceeds Repentance:

An easily typed out title...not so easy to live out. But it is the living out of our faith that is the best indicator of its genuinuity...not the words that spill out from our lips. This world...it does us wrong over and over again, the effects of living within a fallen earth. but that is a statement, not a response. How are we going to choose to respond when we are wronged...better yet...when repentance is not offered? This is the real challenge of Christian growth...the challenge of personal responsibility. For we have been given the ultimate example, the principles of our very faith rest on this foundation: the gospel of grace. In the Christian world, the sinner is accepted before he pleads for mercy. BEFORE. Forgiveness, therefore, is already granted and the sinner only needs to accept it. We have been pardoned without plea-bargaining. How then could we, being pardoned of all sin, hold anything against another? Its outragious. And yet, we are so prone to doing so! We hang on to entitlement...we hold fast to our pride and attending to our own wounds...we are our own god---the judge, jury and decider of justice. We trust no one but ourself...to carry out justice and to repair and comfort our injured soul. Yet, we read that we can not love two masters. God's love rages with jealousy and rightfully so, because we have been bought with a price. The cost was perfect love. Do you think you are capable of perfect love? I sure don't think i am...and so, i will lay down my "rights"...the tainted image of my expectations of what righteousness should look like, and i will choose to trust that my God has the better vision. I will choose to take responsibility in responding like-minded in Christ---choosing to pardon even when it hurts. It is easy, once again, to preach about forgivenes...but are we ready to really walk with Christ? Jesus asks us if we are able to drink of his cup...To take up our cross and put some actions to our words. And i ask myself, once again, who is really Lord of my life?? Let us not allow our lives to refute our faith.