Gracious God, giver of life, give unto this reader that which he or she needs today. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
The first two weights of doubt and guilt have a lot to do with what we do to others. To be relieved of those weights we must offer ourselves as those who have to be forgiven. Today's weight has to do with those who have done something against us and how we handle that. We've all been there. Someone says or does something to us and we have two options, to forgive and move on or to hold on to a grudge. Sunday, I explained a grudge as a barrier or wall we hold up against the person who has harmed us. We even go out of our way to avoid having interaction with them. And many times that other person may have moved on with her or his life and we're the ones holding the weight. And as long as we do, we are denying no one but ourselves the freedom to live full, complete lives.
Paul addresses this in Colossians 3:13, "You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Jesus also said, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone" in the situation where a mob was ready to kill someone. What this really means is, is it really worth it to hold a grudge? Is it worth the pain and weight we place on ourselves because of our stubbornness and our unwillingness to forgive? The answer of course is, no. It is not worth it. We are hurting no one but ourselves. The sign on the billboard says, "Get Over It." I love that ad campaign and I thank whoever is responsbile for it. It's great advice for all of us.
PRAYER: Loving God, grant me the wisdom to learn to forgive and show compassion to those who have offended me. May the fullness of life be restored to me as I quit holding the barrier and allow love to flow both ways. I know it's not easy, so I ask Your help. In Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
TO THOSE IN THE HARLINGEN AREA: Wednesday morning, 6:30 a.m., in our Raimond Christian Center (gym), our Men's Breakfast welcomes Mr. Jerry Grote, the catcher for the 1969 Miracle Mets, winners of that year's World Series. Jerry is a man of God and you will be blessed by his message. It's open to everyone and the food is by donation. We're located at the corner of 4th and Van Burean, right behind our Sanctuary. I hope to see you all there.
