Today we enter into the second week of Lent
and we consider Jesus’ second statement from the cross.

Week 2
Word of Assurance: 
Jesus answered him,
“I tell you the truth,
today
you will be
with me
in paradise.”
Luke 23:43

Assurance: a positive declaration intended to give confidence

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:11-13

   The Apostle John understood that we might have days when doubts creep in and niggle at our minds. “Am I really saved?” “What if I missed a step?” “How do I know it’s all true?”

   So John presented his testimony, as under oath in a court of law. He broke it down into four parts.

1. God gave us eternal life.
2. Eternal life comes through Jesus, God’s Son.
3. If you have Jesus, you have eternal life.
4. If you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have eternal life.

     Any questions?

  John’s letter addressed the problem we often wrestle with: we believe in Jesus, but we wonder if we’ve done enough, prayed enough, been good enough. Is it possible to know for sure that we are going to spend eternity in heaven? John says, “yes”. We can know, that we know, that we know.

  Salvation isn’t based on how many Bible studies we attend, if we discover and use our spiritual gifts, or even if we are immersed in baptism. Salvation isn’t about what we bring to the table. It’s about what Jesus accomplished on our behalf. The only question is: Do you have Jesus?

 Do you believe Jesus died in your place to pay for your sins?
 Do you believe He conquered death and rose from the grave?
 Have you surrendered control of your life to Him?
 Are you living for Him and His glory?

If you can say “yes” to these questions, then you can say along with hymn writer Fanny Crosby, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.”

Lord, thank You for these words of assurance. I’m grateful salvation isn’t complicated or confusing, but straightforward and certain. I believe, but help me in my moments of unbelief.   

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my many transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:1-2

  There’s a difference between being sorry, and being sorry you got caught. King David got caught. He was confronted by his friend Nathan, who revealed the truth about David’s secret affair with Bathsheba. It was painful, but it opened the way for forgiveness and healing.

  David wrote down his prayer and the insightful words in Psalm 51 have much to teach us about repentance. First, David called out for God’s mercy and appealed to His Father’s unfailing love and great compassion. Second, he admitted that he was well aware that what he did was wrong, even though he tried to cover it up. Third, he recognized that his sin not only affected the lives of others, but also hurt the heart of His God, who saw it all.

  It’s always easier to pinpoint the sins in other people’s lives than to take a truthful look into our own hearts. David wrote, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” (Psalm 51:6) It takes real bravery to be honest about our “inmost places”.  As Curtis Zackery wrote in his book, “Soul Rest”, “When we are honest with ourselves about the tensions that exist in our hearts, we can begin to take steps toward finding restoration and healing.”

  If you can, set aside some time today and invite the merciful and compassionate God into the inner parts of your heart as you read Psalm 51. Pray along with David, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

 Thank you, Lord, for leading me to be honest about myself. I know I cannot fake it with You. Help me to pull off the masks and other things I hide behind. I want to be all You created me to be.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 3:19

 Back when I was a teenager and my fresh faith set me on fire for the Lord, I wanted to share Jesus with everyone I possibly could. This led to some innocent but questionable witnessing tactics. For instance, when I would visit a public restroom I would take a Sharpie marker out of my purse and add to the graffiti in the stall. Right above the roll of toilet paper, I would solemnly write, “Let Jesus wipe away your sins.”

 This method of evangelism was shady, at best. First, writing on public property was vandalism. Second, it was borderline offensive. Third, I doubt if there was any real soul searching as a result of my appeal.

 Peter’s appeal in Acts 3, however, was extremely effective. Peter ended up in jail for preaching in Jesus’ name, but over a thousand Jewish people came to believe that Jesus was indeed the Christ. People responded to Peter’s call to repent and turn to God.

 Repentance is defined as “a change of mind that results in a change of action”. Primarily, it is a change of mind about sin—no longer is sin something to toy with; it is something to be forsaken. It is also a change of mind about Jesus Christ—no longer is He to be mocked, discounted, or ignored; He is the Savior to be clung to, worshiped and adored.

 What good news it is that our sins can be wiped out! Like marker on a whiteboard — one swipe and the marks are erased! How refreshing!

Lord, I turn to You today. Wipe away my sins and send much needed refreshment to my spirit. Change the way I think about sin. Open my mind to understand Your truth.  

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

  In a survey taken a few years ago, the hardest English word to pronounce correctly was determined to be “Worcestershire”, as in Worcestershire sauce. I couldn’t agree more. I routinely get ridiculed for turning the word into a four syllable utterance: “war-ches-ter-shire”. Evidently, the correct pronunciation is “wuss-ter-sheer”. In a language full of challenging words (myrrh, anemone, otorhinolaryngologist) this one is definitely not easy to pronounce, but it is not the hardest of words to say.

 I was wrong. I am sorry.

 Now, those are some truly difficult words.

  Confession is important because it acknowledges the reality of our sin and our need for help in dealing with it. Admitting we are wrong is hard on our pride and requires humility. It means owning up to the fact that we make mistakes, do careless things and have a bent toward rebellion against God’s law. Confession is agreeing with God over what sin is and then recognizing it in ourselves.

   Our God stands ready to forgive, if we would just say those hard words. Our confession does not initiate a long lecture from our Father, nor any heavenly “tsk-tsking”. God rushes to grant mercy when He hears our sincere expression of regret or sorrow. He forgives and cleanses us from all of our junk, giving our hearts a fresh start.

  Dear God, it’s time I confess some things to You. I long for freedom from these sins. I am quick to recognize the shortcomings of others, and slow to see my own faults. Come, clean me up and create in me a clean heart.

If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, “I repent,” forgive him. Luke 17:3-4

 Suppose someone you work with says something unkind to you as you walk into your office at 8:00 a.m. In a few minutes, that person knocks on your door and apologizes for being rude and you forgive. Suppose that same person makes a cutting remark at 10:00 a.m. and then again over lunch at noon. Both times, the person seems truly sorry and you say, “It’s ok. Forget it.” Then at 2:00 p.m. it happens again. As you leave the office at 4:00, there is another insulting comment. Again, it seems there is genuine regret and you let it go. By the time you go to bed, there have been two hurtful texts, followed by two requests for pardon. How long do you put up with that? Seven times? In one day?

 A close look at this passage reveals some conditions. First, this scenario takes place between two believers. Second, we are given permission to rebuke (to warn or correct) only if the brother is doing something sinful, not for an irritation or unintentional offense. Third, we are commanded to forgive only if he repents. But if he does repent, we must forgive — over and over and over.

 Why does Jesus ask us to be generous in forgiveness? Because He has put no limit on the forgiveness we so desperately need from Him. Every single time we turn to God in true repentance, we can count on His forgiveness — even if we turn to Him every two hours, all day long.

Lord, would You please put it in my heart to be a generous forgiver? Thank You for not treating me as my sins deserve, but instead, always being compassionate and gracious and abounding in love.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

 Sometimes we need to forgive each other and sometimes we just need to bear with one another. There are things that even the people we love do that can irritate or annoy us. Personality differences can produce a rub that chafes. Those are the kinds of things we need to patiently overlook and gracefully accept. In other words, sometimes we need to put up with each other.

 The word “grievances” is not found anywhere else in scripture. It means little complaints or faults. It seems God is calling us to forgive people who simply rub us the wrong way or people who we just don’t “get” — not because they are intentionally sinning against us, but because they seem to bring out the worst in us. We need to forgive people for being creatures with quirks and faults and aggravating habits. That’s all of us!

 As a way of putting this into perspective, the Apostle Paul added a zinger. “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” The Lord’s forgiveness for us is in past tense. It has been signed, sealed and delivered by the blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary. The charge Paul gave to believers was to forgive — in the present tense. The word means to forgive and keep on forgiving as a continual practice.

 How does the Lord forgive us? Completely. We need have no fear of God bringing up past sins or pointing out our old failures and mistakes. He doesn’t “rub it in” when we struggle with recurring sins. There is no guilt-inducing raised eyebrow directed at us. In the same way, we are to imitate the Father as we deal with people.

 Is there anyone in your life who needs your patient grace?

Lord, You know I have a hard time with some people. Help me to remember that they are also Your sons and daughters. Give me strength to extend the same grace to others that You continuously offer me. Thank You for putting up with me and loving me completely.

Today is the beginning of Lent. I invite you to come along with the good people of my church and spend the next six weeks at the cross. We are going to listen to Jesus’ last words and let them sink down deep. Every day until Easter there will be a verse and short reflection, based on the seven last words of Christ. I pray they are a blessing to you during this special time of year.

Week 1
Word of Forgiveness:
“Father, forgive them
for they do not know
what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34

Forgive: to grant a pardon, to cancel a debt, to cease to feel resentment against

“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 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 sin, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:12-15

   A four year old girl who was learning to recite the Lord’s Prayer was heard saying, “Forgive us our trash baskets, as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.” That’s actually a very wise interpretation. We all have trash in our baskets, both our self-made trash and garbage that’s been tossed in there by others. God is always willing to “take out our trash” and forgive. Can we do the same?

   Jesus didn’t sugarcoat the importance of forgiveness. In fact, the pardon we receive from Christ is inseparably linked to our willingness to forgive others. It’s a package deal. Thankfully, His example teaches us that forgiving others and receiving God’s pardon are matters of prayer. God will help us with this when we go to Him.

  Let’s begin this Lenten season by letting our gracious Father empty out our trash baskets. Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there an offense you need to confess to the Father? Don’t delay!

Lord, today at the start of this Lenten journey, I want to come clean and confess some things to You. And also, I ask You to lift the burden of my unforgiveness toward others. Help me to release them into Your hands, even as I take hold of Your gracious pardon.