Meet Me At the Cross

BY JESSICA LANDMON

Murder. Selfishness. Adultery. Lying. Pride. Stealing. Gossip. Fornication. Idolatry. Blasphemy. Coveting. Strife. Envy. Greed. Unforgiveness. Drunkenness. Rebellion. Selfish Ambition. Perversion. Sexual Impurity. Disobedience. Witchcraft. Profanity. Jealousy. The list goes on. If you have ever committed any of the above, then you are a sinner, just like me. Sin isn’t measured by size. There is no distinction between a tiny white lie and a big one. It’s all sin. The consequences may differ, but it all separates us from God. We stand guilty.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23

But, because of God’s tremendous love for us, He sent His Son to stand in our place to pay the penalty for all our wrongdoings. An innocent man, God incarnate, hung on the cross – beaten, tortured, and mocked – for you and me. His death was beyond excruciating. It was a physical and emotional hell that He endured for us, so that we would never have to. Eternal condemnation is what we deserved, but eternal life is what He graciously gave.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

The best part of this extraordinary offering is that it is free to us. We can’t earn it, we can’t buy it, and we certainly don’t deserve it. But, it’s ours. And, yet, so many don’t receive it.

Disbelief is one reason, but unworthiness is another. People continue to deny the power of this ultimate sacrifice. “I’ve gone too far,” “My sin is too big,” “You don’t know what I’ve done,” or “I keep messing up” are just a few of the lies that the devil tries to use to lessen the power of the cross. But, what Jesus did that day is powerful enough to cover any sin. Right before He took His last breath, Jesus declared:

“It is finished.” – John 19:30

And it is finished. The power of sin and death was defeated. Don’t allow the enemy to rob you of this beautiful love offering. You may not be worthy. Actually, I know you aren’t. None of us are, but Jesus is.

So this Easter, I invite you to meet me at the cross, where we are all washed clean.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for dying on the cross for me. I accept this beautiful gesture of love. I believe you died and rose again so that the penalty of sin would be paid in full for me – for all of us. Please forgive me for all my sins, known and unknown. I pray for power to defeat this sin in my life. I know it has all been paid for at the cross. I lay down all my efforts and control, and I make you Lord of my life. Amen.

(From the WGR archives, originally published March 23, 2016)

Seventy Times Seven

Hurt. Offended. Betrayed. These three emotions can cause such havoc in your life and mental well-being. They consume your thought life, disrupting your concentration and your focus. They keep you up at night as you rehash and replay the very circumstance that brought the emotions in the first place.

And sadly, it is often the people in your life that are close to you that have the power to hurt you the most. What do you do when people you have confidence in let you down? How do you respond to betrayal? When your emotions feel abused, what should you do?

You forgive.

I don’t mean to oversimplify this act. I recognize how difficult it is to extend forgiveness to people who have wounded you. To make matters worse, many of you have been hurt over and over again by the same person. You might be thinking, “Jesus couldn’t possibly be suggesting that I need to keep extending forgiveness to the same person repeatedly.” Actually, He is.

I love the dialogue recorded between Peter and Jesus on this very subject:

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” – Matthew 18:21-22

Peter thinks he is being so spiritual. The rabbis taught that forgiveness should be extended only three times. Seven times was extra generous. Surely, Jesus would be impressed. But, Jesus quickly corrects Peter, explaining that forgiveness has no limitations. You see, seventy times seven doesn’t represent an actual number. Instead, it represents the unlimited times we need to extend forgiveness to those who hurt us.

Ladies, I know that this may seem impossible and slightly unfair. But, our Heavenly Father continually forgives us for our sins. We offend Him. We hurt Him. And, we certainly have had our moments of betrayal, choosing our ways over His. Yet, His forgiveness is unlimited and so should ours be.

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. – Mark 11:25

Forgive Me?

I don’t claim to be a perfect parent by any means. However, there is one exercise that I introduced to my kids when they were little that I am happy that I started. You see, every time one of my kids hurt, annoyed, or did something to the other that warranted an apology, I would make them say they were sorry and ask the other, “Do you forgive me?” With that, the offended child would reply, “Yes, I forgive you.” And of course, a good, old-fashioned Landmon hug would follow. Sounds simple, right? Well, yes and no. These weren’t just words that I made my kids recite to one another out of duty. I wanted to teach them the practice of learning how to ask for forgiveness, while at the same time, freely extending it. At this early age, I wanted to stress the importance of this freeing truth so that later in life, when the offenses were a little more serious, they would be able to extend forgiveness without hesitation.

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13

Forgiveness is a big deal. In fact, the word forgiveness and similar derivatives are mentioned over 100 times in the Bible. Why? Because God knew how important this act is for the well being of His people. In fact, God not only suggests it, but commands us to do so.

Don’t be confused, forgiveness doesn’t condone or excuse the other person’s behavior. It simply releases the hurt that a person inflicts upon you and hands it over to God. When you hang on to bitterness and resentment, you prevent your spirit from sustaining the life God intended.

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” – Matthew 6:14-15

The reason we forgive is to protect our relationship with God. If we choose not to forgive others, Jesus will not forgive us our sins. Without the forgiveness of our sins, it creates eternal separation from God.

Ladies, I know many of you have been hurt far beyond the trivial dealings of sibling disputes, but the principle remains the same. Maybe you’ve been hurt by a friend, a relative, or even your spouse. You feel betrayed and wounded. Bitterness and anger have risen up inside of you.

You may be thinking it is impossible to forgive what has been done to you. I can assure you that God sees the heartache and the emotional scars in your lives, and yet He still requires you to forgive. But be encouraged. God will always equip you to do what He has commanded you to do if you rely on Him for strength.

Please forgive me for saying this, but it’s time to let go and let God handle it!