Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” This leads to the question, “Do I sin because I am a sinner, or am I sinner because I sin?” This is like the old question, “which came first the chicken or the egg?” If you believe the account of Genesis 1-2 the answer is obvious . . . . “the Chicken!” God created all the animals first, then came children. The problem is that God created man as sinless, and then he chose to sin! So it would seem that we are sinners because we sin, except for the clear teaching of the Word of God. David says in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” and in 1 Corinthians 15:22 we are told “In Adam all die.” The answer Biblically is we sin because we are sinners. Why is it important to understand this point? This answers the question of why death and destruction affects all humans, because we are conceived as a sinner, and therefore, are subject to the consequences and battle with sin from the beginning of our lives. We … READ MORE

Once we have chosen to forgive someone, how do we live in that forgiveness consistently? Allow me to suggest some steps: 1. It is wise to explain to the person who wronged you why you may have a difficult time moving forward initially. This gives them an understanding of the emotions that you have to work through as your heart catches up with your head. 2. Renounce sinful attitudes and expectations. Many withhold forgiveness because they believe the offender must earn or deserve our forgiveness, Remember forgiveness is passed on repentance not guarantees, once a person has expressed repentance for an action, we do not have the right to let our fears of the future delay our actions in the present. 3. Assess my contribution to the problem. In many situations, our sins may have contributed to a conflict (Matthew 7:3) Self evaluation is the key to understanding the circumstances and leads to an easier recon ciliation. As we remember our sins it is easier to forgive others of theirs. 4. Recognize that God is working for the good in my life (Romans 8:28-29) As we understand that the person who has sinned against us is being used as an … READ MORE

While most of us understand that we are to forgive others for their sinful words and actions against us. Many of us do not know what that looks like. We have heard the adage “forgive and forget,” but when we attempt to forgive we find that forgetting is very difficult if not impossible because of the emotions that are involved in the incident. Today, I want to encourage you with the knowledge that forgiving is not necessarily forgetting (although with time that can happen), forgiveness is primarily a choice not to hold someone accountable for their words and actions. We are choosing instead to treat the person as if they never did or said those things. In Psalm 103:12, God reminds us that “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” We also read in Jeremiah 31:34 that the Lord says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” The point here is that when we are tempted to dwell on the sin of others against us, we choose not to allow our thinking to go there, we remember that we have extended to the … READ MORE