What must I do to be saved?

One day, the Father will decide enough is enough and He will nod to the Son sitting on His right and the Son will stand up and eternity will begin. Jesus is coming back to get His bride, the church. It should always be remembered that Christ promised to prepare a mansion for His bride (John 14:1-3).

To the faithful, Christ has promised to say: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). Don’t forget! “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32).

Family, let’s not forget whose clothes we are wearing!

ISRAEL WAS MARRIED TO GOD:

Israel was spiritually married to God as we see in Jeremiah 3:14.

But Israel could not stay faithful to God; they were absorbed into their religious culture and it led them to disobey God’s commandments. That’s when God said they had committed spiritual adultery against Him. He was concerned, so He announced in Jeremiah 2:13…

The Jews who had become Christians were now married to Christ and they were dead to the Law of Moses (Romans 7:1-4). As Paul teaches in Ephesians 2, both Jew and Gentiles are members of the one body, the church of Christ, spiritually married to their Groom.

DRESSING FOR OUR WEDDING:

Just as nearly every bride and groom dress appropriately for their wedding day, so Christians also must put on the appropriate clothes for the consummation of our marriage to Jesus Christ.

It begins with putting Christ Himself on in baptism: Galatians 3:26-27.

But it also includes the teachings that Christ has given to us through His apostles and prophets: Titus 2:10; 2 John 9. So we can’t alter or defile the teachings of Christ because that teaching is what makes us fit for the coming of Jesus Christ. If someone changes that doctrine Christ has given, then they have forfeited their right to His presence: 2 John 10-11.

Nothing can replace healthy, balanced teaching from the Word of God. So Paul told Timothy: “Preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2). Paul warned Timothy that there would be some – even in the first generation of the church of Christ – who would turn their ears away from sound doctrine and because of “itching ears,” they would turn from the truth (2 Tim. 4:2-4).

People do the same today.

THE CHURCH, THE BRIDE:

We are, then, spiritually married to Christ. In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul talks about the relationship between the bride and the groom.

We must love, honor, and obey Christ who is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:24).

Be married to Christ and submit to Him as the One Who gave His life for you.

Paul Holland

The triumphal entry into Jerusalem begins the final week before His crucifixion and resurrection. Sometimes it is referred to as the “Passion Week.” The word “passion” is derived from a Latin word meaning “suffering.”

The significance of this week in the life of Jesus is seen by the percentage of the Gospel accounts that are related to these seven days… Well over 1/4 of the Gospel accounts pertain to these seven specific days. The “Triumphal Entry” is found in each of the Gospel accounts (see Mk. 11:1-11; Lk. 19:29-44; Jn. 12:12-19).

We can make the deduction that Matthew 17 is on a Sunday morning, the first day of the week. Jesus has arrived just outside of Jerusalem, six days in advance of the Passover Feast (see Jn. 12:1). It has been estimated that there may have been over two million Jews assembled in and around Jerusalem. Certainly, there were masses of Jews pouring into Jerusalem.

You may recall that up to this point in the Gospel of Matthew (and the other accounts), Jesus had actually sought to quiet His identity on several occasions, mainly because this would hasten His death before the time, and hinder His ability to accomplish the will of the Father and fulfill the prophecies made concerning Him (see Mt. 12:16; 16:20; 17:9). But now there is no longer any need for secrecy because His time had come. The “Triumphal Entry” is an ironic beginning to the week of suffering of our Lord.

Read Matthew 21:1-11 and then note a couple of significant points and applications.

1. First, notice the prophecy involved in this account. Jesus sends two unnamed disciples into town to secure for Him transportation into Jerusalem. Zechariah 9:9 had foretold of the coming king coming mounted on a donkey (see verse 5). Zion is a reference to Jerusalem. This prophecy is fulfilled precisely as Jesus stated to the disciples. Although it is possible that Jesus had made this arrangement ahead of time for His transport (perhaps with a disciple of His, since He is recognized as “The Lord” – v. 3), this takes nothing away from the prophecy being fulfilled. The prophecy was made thousands of years earlier, and if Jesus would have been killed one week earlier, it would have been left unfulfilled!

We have every reason to trust every Word of Jesus and Scripture! Proverbs 30:5-6 says, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”

1. Secondly, let’s consider the reception of Jesus as He comes riding on a donkey, specifically, a colt (see Mk. 11:5-7). Before we get into the amazing reception that Jesus receives, perhaps we should note that before His arrival, when He can see Jerusalem at a distance, the Savior mourns and wails over the city and the inhabitants (see Lk. 19). Luke goes on to detail the coming destruction of the great city that would occur in A.D. 70. But as Jesus trod that road toward Jerusalem, the crowds met Him and “laid down the red carpet” for Him so to speak. They welcomed Him into Jerusalem as a great king! In fact, notice some of the things they shouted concerning Him:

(1)  “‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” By crying out: “Hosanna,” they were crying for Him to save them. But they were not crying out for a spiritual salvation, but a physical salvation, from the Romans. The expression “Son of David” demonstrates a belief (at least to a degree) of His Messiahship. But the Jews saw the Messiah as a political savior rather and than a spiritual one.

(2)  Upon His entry into Jerusalem, when some asked about the identity of Christ, crowds of people responded saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee” (v. 11). Truly, the crowds knew many things concerning the Messiah, but clearly they had some serious misunderstandings.

As the “Passion Week” continues, one can only imagine how many of these Jews began to slowly realize that Jesus wasn’t who they envisioned Him to be. He was not a great military man. He was quiet. He was humble. He was weak (in their eyes). Many of those who shouted His praises as He entered into Jerusalem were surely amongst those who chanted, “Let him be crucified,” when He stood before Pilate (see Mt. 27:22-23).

What a powerful testament to how important it is to rightly understand Jesus and the nature of His kingdom! Jesus is the perfect Savior! He died to set us free from the bondage of our sin (see Rom. 6:18).

How do we make certain that we don’t change Christ into our own image? Knowledge and humility will go a long way. And humility enables us to grow in true understanding. Pride and ego often blind one to the reality. So we need to be sure to get off our “high-horse,” and mount our hearts with genuine humility, desiring only to know and live the truth of Jesus. This is vital to our own triumphant entry into His eternal kingdom.

Daren Schroeder

Every country around the world has one great staple in its diet. In much of Europe, and the United States it is bread. In Asia their staple is rice, in New Guinea it is the sweet potato. In Central America the Hispanic diet staple is the tortilla. They have them with breakfast, dinner and supper.

In Israel their diet is centered around bread and has been since manna came from heaven.  Their government subsidizes bakeries, so bread is fresh and affordable to the masses. So it was that Satan invited a hungry Jesus to turn rocks into bread (Mt. 4:3) Jesus taught us to pray for “our daily bread” (Lu. 11:3). Lazy Thessalonians were told to go to work and “in quiet fashion to eat their own bread” (2 Th. 3:12).

Jesus called himself “the true bread out of Heaven.”  He said he was “the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger” (Jn. 6:31-35). It was unleavened bread that Jesus broke during the last Passover saying, “This is my body which is given for you” (Lu. 22:19). We break this bread each Lord’s Day, give thanks for “our daily bread,” and are spiritually filled by the “true bread” of God’s Son.

-Dennis Doughty

One of the most frequently googled questions about the Bible is: What does the Bible say about women preachers? Let’s briefly investigate this matter.

First, it is notable that our Lord selected twelve men to be apostles (see Mt. 10:1-4). I’m not saying that this concludes the matter, but it would be difficult to believe that this was random. That seems about as likely as flipping a coin twelve times and heads appearing each times. (Try that and see how it works out.) But the apostles were trained and taught by Jesus to teach others (see Mt. 4:19). They became preachers, preachers who were guided by the Holy Spirit (see Jn. 16:16; 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:13). Obviously, God chose men to fulfill the role of the apostles.

Secondly, and more directly engaging our question, let’s very briefly consider two passages:

1. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:34, “the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.” The silence here cannot forbid women to utter a sound, or she would not be permitted to sing, and singing is a universal command (see Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19). However, it would be a strange interpretation to say that Paul, by the inspiration of the Spirit, gives the command of God (see 1 Cor. 14:37), that women should be silent in the assembly, and for us, or anyone, to say that women can be preachers.

While I certainly believe that 1 Corinthians 14:34 speaks clearly and authoritatively to the question at hand, if I went to one passage to address this subject matter, it would be the next one. I say that because the passage just noted is in the context of miraculous gifts, which slightly complicates the matter.

The apostle Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” At the outset of this letter Paul reminds Timothy of the charge he gave to him: “remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (1:3). He is also warned concerning those who have swerved from the faith (see 1:6). There is no doubt that Paul is urging Timothy to set things in order, the divine order, as he lives and teaches how one ought to “behave in the household of God” (1 Timothy 3:15).

So, getting back to our text of 1 Timothy 2:12, the divine order of the assembly clearly involves the woman having a more submissive role in the assembly. In this text, the apostle Paul says of her role: “I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.” How could Paul have been any more clear than that? It seems (or, is) arrogant for someone to claim that a woman is free to teach and preach in the assembly (with men present) when the apostle Paul says she may not fulfill such a role.

Perhaps the most common way that some try to get around this prohibition is to argue that women teaching and preaching would have been culturally taboo in first century society. Paul then, is seen to simply be working within that cultural framework, not rocking the boat.

However, even a superficial glance at the context of our passage reveals something entirely different. In the next two verses, Paul states: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (1 Tim. 2:13-14). The word “for” here, as it is used in this passage, indicates why men and women have the roles they do. Paul does not say it is   because of cultural precedent, but because of the order of creation, and also the nature of the sin of Adam and Eve. This is significant because Paul ties this restriction to things that are unchangeable.

Other matters could certainly be addressed (like prophetesses and Phoebe), but those must be viewed in light of, and in harmony with, what has just been noted, and also in their own contexts.

Daren Schroeder

Ueli Steck was a professional mountain climber who had been climbing professionally since he was a teenager. He was from Switzerland and was so experienced in mountain climbing that he often did so with minimum amount of gear and support. He earned mountaineering’s highest award, the Piolet d’Or.

Steck climbed Mount Everest back in 2012 and returned again earlier this year to go up a path that had not been done in 50+ years. If he had gone up that path, he would have reached Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world.

I say “if” because Steck, as expert as he was, died in an unexplained accident on April 30th. He was 40 years old and had been mountain climbing for two decades and more. We do not know what happened to Steck and what caused his death except that it was an accident. It may or may not have been caused by over-confidence.

But the point is, that even experts lose. The New Testament and the Hebrew writer particularly, warns how important it is to stay faithful so that the “expert” Christian does not fall: “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:12-13).

The “deceitfulness of sin” entices the Christian to believe that he/she can stay faithful to Christ without staying faithful in worship and Bible study (cf. 10:25). The “deceitfulness of sin” entices the Christian to believe that he/she can stay faithful to Christ without praying faithfully and studying daily.

You may be an “expert” in Christianity, but you can still fall (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12).

Paul Holland

Jesus, as the sacrificial Lamb of God, is one of the most common pictures people have of Jesus. There are two Greek words for “lamb.” Amnos is the most common word for that sacrificial Lamb, and it only occurs in three passages in the New Testament. First, when John the Baptizer saw Jesus he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) and the next day, “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:36)! Second, when Philip was sent by the angel of the Lord to the road that ran between Jerusalem and Gaza, he found a man riding in a chariot who was reading from Isaiah where it says, “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent” (Acts 8:32). Third, many years later Peter wrote, “You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (I Peter 1:18-19).

    Arnion is another word for Lamb, but is only found in the book of Revelation, except once when Jesus used it when speaking to Peter (John 21:15). (The Lord willing, next week’s article will be about “The Lamb in the Book of Revelation”).

The nature of the lamb: Lambs have always, in every culture, been a symbol of innocence and gentleness, an animal who is unable to defend himself. This of course, perfectly fits Jesus Christ, who said of Himself, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Paul said, “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:1).

The lamb is often the symbol of dependence: In the familiar 23^rd Psalm, God is pictured as the shepherd of the sheep. The psalmist also said, “Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (100:3). Isaiah described, in the most beautiful way, that sheep and lambs depend on God. “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes” (40:11). What a blessing we have if we are one of His sheep who totally depends on God! Jesus is the superb example of a lamb who was dependent on the Shepherd! Jesus portrayed Himself as that dependent Lamb who was totally dependent on God, the Father when He said, “I do nothing on My own initiative” (John 8:28). Later He showed His dependence on God by saying, “I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49). Jesus is the greatest example of one who depended on God even the only time when He did not want to obey the Father because of His coming death. None-the-less He said, “Yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).

The lamb was the most frequent sacrifice in the Old Testament. Barclay wrote, “There was hardly a Jewish sacrifice in which a lamb was not involved” (p. 303). The very first sacrifice recorded in the Bible was offered by Abel and the text says, “Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of the flock” (Genesis 4:4). Every morning at 9:00 and every afternoon at 3:00 a lamb was offered as a burnt sacrifice (Exodus 29:38-41; Numbers 28:1-8) and that was done, basically, for 1,500 years. A lamb was the trespass offering when a leper was healed (Leviticus 14:10-32). The lamb was also connected with the Nazarite vow (Numbers 6). A lamb was what a woman offered for purification after she gave birth (Leviticus 12:6-8). The lamb was part of the offering in the ceremonies connected with the redemption of the first-born (Exodus 34:20). The lamb was the burnt offering at the dedication of the altar of the tabernacle (Numbers 7:15-17). The lamb was used in the Passover meal and seven lambs were offered on each day of the seven days of the Feast (Leviticus 23:12). On and on, one can find references where lambs were offered as a sacrifice. Of course, to the Jew, lambs were the main portion of every Passover they observed (Exodus 12).

Paul clearly says, “Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (I Corinthians 5:7). Not only the Passover Lamb, but all of the other sacrifices of the lambs symbolize that Jesus is the Lamb offered to God for our sins and the sins of the whole world (John 1:29; I John 2:1-2). Truly, Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God.

Wayne Burger

First, the Bible: “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load. The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him” (Galatians 6:2-5).

Too many parents, in my opinion, have focused on teaching their children to focus on themselves and developing themselves, and they have forgotten that the child is also part of a family and part of a church. The last few decades (in particular when “youth ministers” became ubiquitous in the church), the church collectively seems to have decided that “busyness” was the same thing as “faithfulness.” What we got was a lot of teenagers who thought church was all about having fun and when they grew up, church wasn’t fun anymore and they quit.

While parents help children focus on their own interests (such as sports) and talents (such as music), they cannot forget to teach they are also members of a family and a church body. That requires communication, compromise, and cooperation. Chores are an excellent way to help train children to make family a priority. In my opinion, parents make a tragic mistake if they allow children to focus on sports to the detriment of having chores around the house to contribute to the health of the family. Children ought also to be involved in church activities that are not “fun” but necessary, like yard work around the building or cleaning the building or decorating for VBS.

When my parents divorced just shy of their 40th anniversary, my dad was bitter (he initated the divorce) and I grew tired of his bitterness. I wrote him a letter from Romania telling him that the kids did not want to nor need to listen to his bitterness. We had happy memories of our family – doing house work together, growing a garden together, doing church work together, playing games together, going on vacations together, sitting around the dinner table and laughing together. Dad backed off, changed his heart, and lost the animosity he felt toward mom. As far as I could tell, at the moment each of them died, they were friends again.

Children need a sense of belonging to their physical family and to their spiritual family. That takes training, it takes involvement, and it takes communication. I did not like waking up at 3:00 AM when I was in junior high school to help dad, mom, and my two siblings run a paper route, delivering the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. But we were all miserable together!

Paul Holland

Where did the word “father” come from? The background of the Hebrew term (abh) is uncertain, but the Greek term (patḗr) is from a root meaning nourisher, protector, upholder (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). Father can refer to your closest male ancestor; that’s the way we commonly think of it. But it can also mean a more distant or remote male ancestor (perhaps what we call a grandfather or a man with several “greats” before grandfather). The Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well said, “Our fathers” (that is, our ancestors from several generations back) “worshiped on this mountain” (John 4:20).

Most importantly, Scripture uses “Father” numerous times denoting God. We who are blessed to be fathers in the flesh strive to demonstrate those positive qualities of nourishing, protecting, and upholding that characterize our Heavenly Father. Nourishing includes far more than merely providing a balanced physical diet for our children. It involves everything that supports growth; and spiritual growth is even more important than physical growth. God provides the protection His children need from the storms and pitfalls of life. He is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Our children need the same protection from us as their earthly fathers. Our Heavenly Father upholds us when the world would knock us down and when we, through weakness and sin, fall flat on our faces. Let us, as fathers, do the same for our children! “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19). According to some sources, Mark Twain nearly committed suicide at the age of 29. He was deep in debt and hated his job of writing a thousand-word column each day for a newspaper. His first hit as a writer was “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” That success turned his thinking and his life around. Each of us has faced times of darkness and fear in his or her life. What did it take to help us overcome despair? A business turnover with gain? The love of someone special? Good health? A new job? All these things make our lives brighter. However, one soon learns that gains in life are temporary. We can compare our lives to owning a house. As soon as we fix one thing, another problem pops up. Life is never static for good or bad. When life gets tough, we are to “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet” (Heb. 12:12).

God has promised to give us a spirit of power and love and self-control and to be with us every step of the way. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world,” Jesus said in John 16:33. When life is hard and makes us feel helpless and hopeless, we have Someone to turn to. We can flee to Him for refuge. Christ will give us encouragement to hold fast to the hope of heaven. May we always say, “At my lowest, Jesus is my hope. At my darkest, He is my light. At my saddest, He is my comfort. At my weakest, He is my strength.”

“For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10 NAS). The Jews looked down on the Gentiles, the Gentiles loathed the Jews, and the Pharisees despised the Jewish common folk. There was plenty of loathing back then as there is today. But the Lord makes a difference, changing self-loathing people into valued souls. Jesus died for sinners. The Broadway musical Man of LaMancha, with its theme song, “To Dream the Impossible Dream,” featured a ridiculous knight named Don Quixote. He rides through the Spanish countryside mistaking windmills for giants. During his adventures he meets a cheap woman in a tavern. Any man can have this woman for one night, but no man wants her for life. Then Don Quixote rides into town. The people treat her like dirt. But Don Quixote bows before her as though she were a queen. She puts herself down, but he lifts her up. When she finally is convinced that he really believes in her, she begins to believe in herself. She found a friend who says she is priceless even when she feels worthless. This story was told several times at a Marriage Encounter seminar Linda and I attended many years ago; it has left an indelible impression on us. We are here to help others to see themselves as lovable souls and give them hope. We may make a difference in the lives of those who sadly see themselves as losers.  Christians let’s look past the veneer and see how damaged a precious soul is because of his or her past, and see that just a caring, loving helping hand may change a soul’s life for the Lord.

Happy Father’s Day!

Rob Redden (Arroyo Grande, CA)

My roommate in college was named Kippy, from Talledega, AL. Kippy was blind. At least he was mostly blind in one eye – his right eye, he said was 97% blind. His other eye was a glass eye, which he loved to take out and chase people with. One Saturday night, he and I were eating in the cafeteria and he finished and left earlier than me and was jogging across campus when he ran into the metal lid of the garbage dumpster sitting at the corner of the parking lot. Someone had left the lid opened so that it hit him right across the face and because he was jogging, he ran into it hard. It knocked him on the ground and knocked him unconscious. Students called 911 and the paramedics arrived and he was still unconscious. They started testing him and one was using a light to check the dilation of his pupils when he woke up and when they were doing his left eye, the glass eye, he said, “If we’re waiting for you to get a response out of that eye, we’re going to be here a long time.”

In Luke 11:33-36, Jesus uses a healthy eye as a parable for an eye that is focused on Jesus and His kingdom and spiritual things. Let’s take a look at Jesus’ message…

HIS EVIL GENERATION WAS SEEKING A SIGN – 11:29:

What kind of hard heart and closed mind do you have to have to ignore the plain evidence of Jesus Christ right in front of your eyes?

ILLUSTRATION #1 – FROM JONAH – 11:30, 32:

The story of Jonah is, of course, told in the book which bears his name. He is also mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the nation that would invade and carry many Israelites into exile about two generations after Jonah lived (around 770-750 B. C.).

To use Jesus’ parable from verses 33-36 for just a moment, the Nineveites, even though they were Gentiles, had a “clear” eye. They saw the evidence in front of them, they trusted that evidence and they acted on that evidence. Then their whole body was full of light.

ILLUSTRATION #2 – FROM THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH – 11:31:

The queen of Sheba came to Solomon recorded in 1 Kings 10 and also 2 Chronicles 9:1-12. “Sheba” or the “south” was in southern Arabia around modern-day Yemen.

Notice the queen said “I did not believe until I came and my eyes had seen it” (2 Chron. 9:5-6). The message for modern Christians relates to two things: 1) Jesus is predicting His burial and resurrection, which proves that He was a prophet sent by God; 2) Jesus is greater than the greatest persons in the Old Testament.

DO YOU HAVE PROPER FOCUS – 11:33-36?

The problem Jesus’ generation was having was in their hearts. The information that was going into their hearts through their eyes was contaminated by prejudice. This is the message in verses 33-36.

While sincerity alone cannot define Christianity and fulfill God’s expectations, it takes obedience as well, if one has proper sincerity which will be accompanied by humility, then the disciple will trust Jesus’ message, embrace His Gospel, and obey His commands. The life follows the heart’s directions.

Follow and embrace and focus on the Light who is Jesus and His teachings!

Paul Holland

Forgiveness is liberating. When I gave my sermon on forgiveness from Luke 7 a few months ago, it did not surprise me that that sermon was well received.

Jesus came to give us an abundant life (John 10:10) and a part of living an abundant life is forgiveness. We can be free physically but in the prison of our own hurts, or we can be imprisoned physically but free from the guilt of our past.

Joseph was in Egypt, sold into slavery by his brothers out of envy. He had not talked to his loved father for quite a few years. But then the midwife’s voice rang out: “Joseph, it’s a boy!” And Joseph named that little fellow “Manasseh.” The reason is given in Genesis 41:51 – “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” Forgiveness! Leaving the past behind.

What had Joseph forgotten? The abuse of his brothers. The slavery in the house of Potiphar. The lies of a lustful vengeful woman who sent him to prison. The chief butler whose memory was not quite Joseph had hoped it would be. It’s all different now! He’s on top. He’s the boss. Part of the secret of his rise to the top is his willingness and ability to forgive.

Joseph could have allowed himself to fall into the pit of bitterness, retaliation, vindictiveness, and vengeance. Many have. Joseph did not. Joseph was enjoying a real freedom that many people simply do not experience – the freedom within. He was not held back; he was free to rise. And rise he did with the blessings of God.

THREEFOLD FORGIVENESS:

Sin is common to man; if we say that we have not sinned, we are liars (1 John 1:8). Therefore, we need forgiveness from God (Matthew 6:9-12). We need to forgive others (Matthew 6:12). We need to forgive ourselves (Philippians 3:13).

Accept God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Then share it with others, including yourself.

Paul Holland