Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven / Henry F. Lyte / John Goss
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
To His feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who, like me, His praise should sing?
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!
Praise Him for His grace and favor
To all people in distress;
Praise Him, still the same forever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.
I’ve just recently gone through a situation in my life where I was called upon to confront sin in someone I love and to forgive someone who had hurt me deeply. By God’s grace I did forgive and will continue to forgive, also by God’s grace. What concerned me most is that this was someone who kept falling into the same pit of sin over and over again. I knew that there had to be a root cause for why he kept going back to that same pit, so I asked him if he would examine his heart before the Lord to see if there were any roots of unforgiveness or bitterness that might be sending him continually back to that same hole.
The Lord reminded me, in the process, of the pits in my own life that I had fallen into over the years, and how he had lifted me out of them. I recalled going through a process of revival and of reading a book called “The Bondage Breaker,” and how I had gone through a process of examining my heart before the Lord and how he had shown me then that I was under the influence of demonic oppression, but that how the Lord had delivered me, especially as I forgave each person in my life who had hurt me, and even those who I perceived had hurt me but had done me no wrong, namely Jesus.
So, my loved one decided to go through the same process of confession and forgiveness so that he could be cleansed and renewed in his faith and commitment to serve our Lord. Praise Jesus!
God is giving me much love and grace and is increasing my determination to live a holy life, as well. I pray that I and those I love will continually walk in humble obedience daily to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; to walk uprightly before Him; and to forgive as he forgives. Lord Jesus, only you can do this amazing work of grace in our hearts, amen!
The Lord encouraged me much yesterday as he kept filling my mind with songs and hymns of praise to Him, of deliverance, of salvation, etc. throughout the day. He, as well, has been filling my heart with his peace and joy.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. See what wicked way is in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening – correct, rebuke, encourage, instruct and train me in righteousness, I pray. Order up my day for me today, I pray in Jesus’ name. I read Luke 17:1-10:
Sin, Faith, Duty
1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
7 “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
My Understanding: I am always amazed at how God knows exactly where I am reading in scripture and how he often even plans out my life’s experiences to coordinate with where I am reading so that he speaks to my heart the words I need to hear for that day that apply to the specific situations I am going through at that moment.
Today was another of those days as I read these words in Luke 17 and realized how they were speaking right to the issue of what I was writing about here in my journal.
Jesus takes sin seriously and we should, too. We should view sin as he does and we should have the same attitude toward sin that he does, too. There are four main aspects of this passage of scripture related to this subject of sin, confession and forgiveness that I would like to examine:
1. Those who lead others to sin – Luke 17:1-3a
2. A brother who sins – Luke 17:3
3. Forgiveness of that brother – Luke 17:3-4
4. Our own attitudes of heart – Luke 17:5-10
First of all, this passage of scripture addresses the thought of those who lead others to sin. It is bad enough to sin ourselves, but how much worse it is if we lead others into sin. The call is for us to “watch ourselves,” so that, not only do we not fall into sin and rebellion but that we do not lead others to follow the same sinful path we have chosen.
Secondly, the writer here addresses what to do if a brother sins. It says we are to rebuke him. Now, other passages of scripture tell us how to do that – with humility, with gentleness, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted, etc., and with the goal to restore the person back to a right relationship with Jesus Christ. The rebuke is not for the purpose of a scolding or a slap on the wrist, and it is especially not for the purpose of giving the person a piece of our minds, but it is to offer the person the opportunity to see his sin and to have the chance to change his course. This should always be our goal. And, we should be willing to stay the course with that person, too, to bring him back and to restore him.
Thirdly, we are called upon to forgive others who have sinned against us no matter how many times they sin against us. Here I have to continually remind myself of how God has forgiven me and that I am so unworthy, and that it is only by God’s grace that I have been set free, so I have no right to ever not forgive another person, because I have been forgiven so much! To forgive someone means to not hold it against them. It does not mean we just give them a pat on the back and say, “It’s ok,” especially if there has been a pattern of sin that must be dealt with. Forgiveness means we don’t want to get even and we are willing to restore that person, but it also does not walk away if there is any way we can help bring that person back into a right relationship with Jesus Christ. To forgive as Jesus forgives can sometimes require that we see the person through to victory, as well. This is not always possible, though.
Lastly, we must examine the attitudes of our own hearts. First of all was the admonition to “watch yourselves,” which means to keep guard of our own hearts, minds, speech, behavior, and attitudes. Then, we are called upon to forgive even if another person sins against us over and over again. We are to forgive them as many times as they sin against us. Next, we are reminded to “increase our faith.” This is especially needed when we are the ones caught in sin or repetitive sin and we need to have the faith to believe that God can deliver us from the control of and the bondage to that sin once and for all. We also need it as the ones who have been sinned against in order to have the faith to believe that God can heal, he can deliver, and he can restore those who are caught in habitual sin patterns of behavior and that they can be set free!
This last section speaks to the issue, I believe, of humility versus spiritual pride. This basically says that when we have done what the Lord has told us to do, we should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” I think the reason for this is so that we don’t take pride in ourselves over another.
I know the pit God brought me out of, and I know I have no right to take pride in myself over another, because it is only by God’s grace that I am where I am in my spiritual journey. I would still be in that pit if it were not for God’s grace in lifting me out of that hole I had dug for myself. So, I am no better. I, too, am a sinner saved by grace, who is so thankful that God forgives me seven times a day if I need it. Lord, help me any time I might begin to take pride in myself above another or to think of myself more highly than I ought, to be reminded from where I came and the pit I was in when your love lifted me up and out and into your arms of grace and love and mercy.
Jesus Paid It All / Elvina M. Hall / John T. Grape
… your sins… they shall be as white as snow… Isaiah 1:18
…For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb…
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
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