Sometimes we strangle ourselves and we aren’t even aware of what we are doing.
Years ago a tree was dying in my parent's yard, and my Dad couldn’t understand why. There weren’t any parasites, it had been getting plenty of water and sunlight.... But still it was dying. As my Dad began to dig the tree up he noticed that it's very own root was wrapped around itself. All twisted and tight and blocking goodness. He was able to unwrap the root somehow and as the weeks past we noticed that the tree was thriving. In fact, nearly 35 years later, that tree is still living in the front yard of my childhood home.
So, as I think about this tree - how its own appendage of sorts wrecked havoc on its life. How on the surface - the vicious tangled mess went unseen but under the dirt- deep down, compressed and silent - the tree's very own ways just about caused its own demise.
In that tree - I see this woman. Me.
Hello, friends!! I mentioned in my previous post that I had been writing notes for my speaking opportunity at the Salvation Army, so I thought that I would scribble out a blog post containing some of my notes on the top that I have chosen-Forgiveness - and I'm here to deliver. I'll post half of my notes today and half on my next post -for lengths sake.
The story above was my intro. May the Lord stir all of us into a deeper, more real, more meaningful and steadfast walk with Him.
(I will ask you in advance to forgive the randomness of these notes. What I have written was meant to be spoken….so it may not flow the way I am hoping it does when I actually share!!!!)
***********************************
*I too have a root that threatens to strangle me....it's called unforgiveness.
*None of us would have to go far for material on this topic. We all know pain. We all have wounds. And we all need healing.
*Unforgiveness has a harvest. It's a diseased and a corrupted one...but it has a harvest. However there is Good News. And what is that Good News? Forgiveness has a harvest, too - a good, fruitful one.
*Hosea 10:12 - Sow for yourselves righteousness. Reap steadfast love. Break up your fallow ground. For it is time to seek the Lord - that He may come and rain righteousness upon you.”
- 'Break up your fallow ground' - that's what we need to start doing right now.
- 'Fallow' in the Hebrew is 'niyr' - it means hard, untilled ground, yes - but iti has NOT been tilled YET, but it still is tillable!
- Notice how the Lord provides. He tells us in the first lines 'sow righteousness, reap love' and then He says, 'seek Me....and I will provide the ability to do that for you, child.'
- His power alone is the only way we forgive....from the heart. The Forgiver Himself, alone.
*I began prepping this talk by asking, "God, what do you want to teach me about forgiveness?" And I instantly got a very clear picture in my mind:
- It was the front of my body....with my torso opened up to expose my heart and belly. And I understood that the heart and belly I saw were healthy. And the Lord whispered, "Kim, I want you to know forgiveness HERE. In your depths. In those places only I can see and only you can feel, child. Through and through. And by the way, the only way you can have this is by ME."
- Forgiveness is a heart issue.
*Luke 6:37-38: Judge not and you will not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.
- Notice the word 'lap'. That's the ESV version. The NKJV uses the word, 'bosom'. Both words are translated from the Greek word, 'kolpos'. (Now keep in mind the vision the Lord gave me before I ever cracked open the scriptures on this topic.) The word 'kolpos' means: the front of the body between the arms. Is the Lord not confirming that He yearns for us to know forgiveness in. our. hearts? In our inner most places? Indeed, He is.
I find this so very amazing….just like God to plant His thoughts into our minds so that when we are reading and studying His Word, that we have this wonderful confirmation. I think of it as His conversation with me….and friends, that is so special!!!
*Luke 6:45: The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
- Notice the 'of the heart' in this verse....the Lord speaking it yet again.
- Before we can mean forgiveness in our faces, before we can speak it with our mouths, we have to mean it in our hearts.
- God's calling everyone to forgiveness - from the heart. He's made it clear.
*At this point you may be thinking, "Okay, I get it. The Lord wants us to know forgiveness in the deep...in the heart. But what does this look like? How do we go about doing this?"
Good question.
Won't you check back real soon for part two? To find out what God has revealed about this whole forgiveness challenge? Oh, please do. Because He has done some revealing, friends! Until then, seek His face and you'll find it.
No comments:
Post a Comment