Today I broke down the myth of “Forgiving Means Forgetting“. It was a message with a lot of points and ways I could go with it. Sometimes, as a pastor, you wonder if you were able to get all you wanted out in a concise manner. Here’s some left over thoughts from today.

-I think Forgiveness can really get used as a way for Christians to sit back and do nothing. Sometimes God desires us to rise up against the forces that try to put us down. Of course God commands us to forgive but do we sit back and allow the evils of the world to continue to get their way….heck no. There are times to stand up and say, NO MORE! To say God says to “turn the other cheek” to injustice is just not bibically correct.

-I love the fact that God DOESN’T FORGET our past or even our sins…but he does choose to not respond to us in light of those sins…how powerful is that?!?! To forget is an easy out…to CHOOSE to look past them and still love me and use me is AMAZING!

-King David is such an amazing & encouraging story about the power of God’s forgiveness.

-Love this quote – “Healing takes time…Forgiveness is a decision lived out as a lengthy process.”

-Although we suffer the consequences of our sin, God will give us 2nd, 3rd, 4th…chances. When you’ve been given a 2nd chance you realize how amazing this is.

-Don’t seek revenge….Read Romans 12:17-21 and you will see how amazing our “defender” is.

-One way to think about Trust is that it takes so much time to get it back….remember that next time you are ready to make a dumb decision.

-Love this quote as well – “Remember Christ died for sins he never committed to forgive people that had no right to be forgiven.”

-I’m glad God remembered and added the stories of David’s, Paul’s, Adam’s, Moses’s sins in the Bible. I’ve learned so much from what they have done wrong. Make that your mission as well. Although you’ve messed up, use it to help others not make the same mistakes. That’s one of the keys to “all things work together for good to those that love Him”.

-Watch out for Alexander the Metalworker!

-I hope this series challenges everyone to read the Word and find out what God really says. If you don’t agree with something, get in the Word and see what God’s thoughts are on it. Don’t just take my word for it…and if I mess up…I hope you Forgive me!

M