Forgiveness Trumps Conventional Wisdom

By Bruce Hebel –

Brad and Molly came to us in crisis. Three weeks earlier Molly had discovered Brad’s pornography addiction and his multiple affairs, including Molly’s best friend, Brad’s best friend’s wife and prostitutes. She was shocked.

A couple of days after the initial confrontation, Brad picked up his Bible. As he began to read, something inside him broke. For two hours he tearfully read the Bible and for the first time, understood the grace of God and the forgiveness provided for him through the blood of the cross. He was dramatically transformed. Heart cleansed. Desires changed.

Molly recognized the change but couldn’t get over the offense. “I thought we had a great marriage. I swore I would not be like my mom, but now I have become my mom because he has become my dad.” She went on to explain how her father would leave her in the car as an alibi while he had affairs with women.

Conventional wisdom wouldn’t give this couple good survival odds, but conventional wisdom doesn’t understand the power of forgiveness. I looked at Brad and asked who hurt him as a child. He described the horrific sexual abuse his sister committed against him from the time he was five years old until he was age eleven. We gently told him, “You must forgive your sister.”

As Brad began to forgive the numerous wounds from his sister, Molly began to weep uncontrollably. Toni knelt beside her and cradled Molly in her arms. After Brad finished forgiving the wounds from his sister, he forgave himself.  I asked him  “How is your heart?” He told us he would never have believed his heart could be any better than the day he trusted the Lord, but in fact it was better now than ever. He was unmistakably free.

Then Toni looked at Molly and said, “You won’t be free, totally free, until you also walk through forgiveness.” After forgiving Brad and her father, the change in her countenance was remarkable and as they stood up to leave, Molly embraced Brad for the first time in three weeks. In fact, on the way home, she unbuckled her seat belt and slid over and snuggled next to him. He almost wrecked the truck! When we saw them a month later she told us their marriage has never been this good. Forgiveness trumped conventional wisdom.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Jesus never let the offence determine whether or not He would forgive someone!

“He himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2 NASB).

Today’s devotional is by Bruce Hebel, President of Regenerating Life Ministries (forgiving forward.com) and Adjunct Professor at Carver Bible College. Bruce is the author of the seminar and soon to be published book “Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution” He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and, along with his wife Toni, has served in pastoral ministry for over 35 years.

Upside Down and Squirrelly

By Hally Franz –

A pesky squirrel raided the bird feeder with amazing fervor and no shame. The squirrel in question was literally hanging upside down, tail wrapped around the branch above, imitating a flying trapeze act. She hung for several moments while hiding feed in her cheeks, and then after a frantic concealing of all the feed possible, turned right side up, took a breath and went back for more.

While hanging upside down may not be a feat for a squirrel, even a squirrel tires eventually. A full breeze kept the poor gal swaying during the whole hanging, grabbing, eating, flipping and breathing cycle. I’m going out on a limb to say this was a female squirrel. After all, don’t we women get ourselves in precarious positions when we’re trying to do too many things?

We try to manage schedules for the family, jobs, the household, volunteer commitments, and needs of children and spouses. We’re often turned around and a little crazy in our mad efforts to get it all done. Sometimes, there’s hardly time for a breath at day’s end before doing it all over again. I challenge you ambitious and conscientious women to step back and consider a healthier, saner way to manage in today’s world. By examining our situations and asking a few questions, we can slow life down, so we don’t feel like we’re barely hanging on.

Make a list of all your big and small activities and must dos. Examine your list and decide which items are important, based on a couple of criteria. Determine which chores give you the greatest bang for the buck in terms of your family’s welfare. Which tasks improve the lives of your family? Which cost you money, and which improve your finances? Secondly, and more importantly, ask yourselves which jobs serve the purposes of Almighty God. At the center of our lives should be the goal of preparing for a heavenly home for ourselves and those we love.

If you’re wondering whether a task is something worthy of your precious time or talent, consider if it’s meaningful to God. If you list “prepare for eternity” as number one on the weekly “to do” list, it should be a lot easier to make and complete the rest of your list, without having to stand on your head and go nuts!

PRAYER: Lord, grant me the discernment and wisdom to make good choices about how to spend my time and talent. Lead me to devote myself to those endeavors that You deem worthy to Your service and praise.

^“But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40-42 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former teacher and high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. She enjoys volunteering at her children’s school, teaching Bible classes at her church, leading projects in 4-H, writing, reading, scrapbooking, and rousing (though, sometimes, not pretty) Zumba classes.

Caught in a Blizzard

By Carin LeRoy –

It doesn’t take long for life to take a turn for the worst. On a recent vacation, everything was going smoothly—the flight, the car rental, and the five-hour drive to the Colorado Mountains. We’d heard a blizzard was on the way, but hoped to reach the cabin before dark. The weather was great, and we were making good time. However, the last 15 miles of the trip the weather moved in fast, and we landed in the middle of a blizzard. On the final drive up the steep mountain road, the wheels spun and the car refused to go. All efforts to move proved futile. We were stuck in a snowstorm.

Finally, my husband said, “We’ll have to walk.”

“What? Are you kidding me? Walk in a blizzard?” I asked. Suddenly, my home in the Florida sunshine seemed way better than this. With no other option, the three of us bundled up and started walking, even though we had no clue where we were headed. With my husband leading the way, he turned onto the first drive he found.

“How do you know this is right?” I asked as he moved ahead without hearing me.

Not wanting to be left behind, I followed…and followed. The altitude of 9,000 feet sucked all air from my lungs as my body screamed to breathe. I trudged up the hill at a Grandma Moses pace while my husband and son marched ahead. We walked what seemed an eternity with nothing but trees and snow in sight. Praying, I hoped we would not end up lost in a blizzard. Finally, a dimly lit house came into view. Slogging through the last of the snow, I reached the front door and pulled the key from my purse. It opened, and relief was evident as we walked through the door.

Life can suddenly change. Instead of normalcy, we find ourselves caught in a huge storm of life. Scared and confused, we head into life’s unknown territory. We may even question God or wonder if we’ll survive the difficulty. All we can do is pray and follow. I am reminded of the verse in Jeremiah 17:7 that says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” Although my husband wasn’t sure where he was headed in that blizzard, we can rest assured that God knows how to lead us down life’s path. Just follow.

PRAYER: Lord, when life’s storms come, help me to keep trusting, praying and following You. Keep me mindful that my confidence rests in You.

“The Lord will continually lead you; He will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water” (Isaiah 58: 11 NET).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale, mother of three grown children and one high school teenager. She has served as a missionary with PIONEERS since 1982. Her passions are family, playing and teaching piano, missions, and writing stories that show glimpses of God.

The Stockings Were Hung

By Carin LeRoy –

As a little girl, my favorite Christmas tradition in our house was the stockings. My Mom made the whole family stockings decorated with different holiday-themed objects sewing on sequins, beads and putting our name on each one. Every December, she would hang them on our staircase. Each year I would anticipate the little gifts I’d find in it. I loved getting up early on Christmas morning and looking in my stocking. We’d find several little treasures hidden inside.

When I got married my Mom gave my Christmas stocking to me. I decided I wanted to carry on the tradition in our family and began to make my own husband and children a green felt stocking, complete with holiday-themed figures. I sewed on sequins and beads and wrote their name in glitter on each of their stockings, just like my Mom did. Even when we lived overseas, I still carried those stockings with me. Although I was thousands of miles across the ocean, those stockings still reminded me of home.

When my daughter married, she took hers and now carries on the same tradition. The only difference is that I’m sewing the stockings for her family. Every time she has a child, she wants me to create another green felt stocking. Three generations in my family have grown up with homemade stockings lovingly made by someone in the family.

As we move into this Christmas season, let’s remember some of the traditions that we’ve grown up with and share them with our children and grandchildren. Christmas isn’t all about the gifts, the busyness or the decorations. It’s about family, tradition and the birth of a Savior. Let’s remember the reason we celebrate in the first place—the miracle of the birth of Jesus and the reason He came to earth.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for this Christmas season. Help us to enjoy our family and traditions, but remember that the birth of Your son is the reason we celebrate.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1: 21 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale and mother of three grown children and one almost-grown teenager. She has been a missionary with Pioneers since 1982. Her passions are family, missions, piano, and writing to challenge others to live faithful lives for God.

She’s So NOT a Material Girl

By Cynthia Ruchti –

One would expect a five-year-old girl growing up in middle America to create a Christmas wish list that would help boost the economies of many local and online businesses, particularly in the toy departments. Or electronics.

But when her mother, my daughter, sat Hannah down the other day to help her spell the words beyond a kindergartner’s knowledge base, the first thing Hannah wanted on her list was toilet paper.

That’s right.

“Why toilet paper, honey?” her mom asked.

Without losing a beat, Hannah replied, “I wouldn’t want us to run out.”

A five-year-old concerned about the family’s toilet paper supply? She didn’t ask for Beat-the-Lottery Barbie, or Spangle-Dangle designer jeans, or the latest attachment for the latest version of the latest techno-game system.

The family chuckled when we heard Hannah’s top item on her wish list. Then we sobered. She’s obviously not a “material” girl. Lord, please keep her that innocent and uncomplicated.

Then the Lord took me past that response to a deeper layer of understanding. It almost seemed silly, at first, that a five-year-old would concern herself with the family toilet paper supply. I imagine her mom and dad assuring her, “Hannah, you won’t have to worry about things like that. We’ll take care of them for you.”

Isn’t that much like what Jesus told all of us? To those who were worried about how they’d feed and clothe themselves and their families, about food and shelter and heat and shoes and coats, Jesus said, “Your Father knows you have need of them.” The basics of provision? The Lord knows we need them. No need to put them on our wish list.

Just our “thank You” list.

PRAYER: Lord, Your provision is so complete. From the gift of life to the gift of abundant life to the gift of eternal life, I am most blessed. Great gift-giving God, thank You for taking good care of me and those I love.

“Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his  righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:32b NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer and producer of the radio ministry THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME and current president of American Christian Fiction Writers. Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—released from Abingdon Press in Spring 2010 and A Door County Christmas released Fall 2010. Cynthia writes stories of hope that glows in the dark. www.cynthiaruchti.com.

Next Page »