Coffee With The Lord

What if God decided to forgive some people for their sins, but just decided not to forgive others?

And what if the criteria He used for forgiving us was, “If you forgive those who sin against you, I’ll forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, I won’t forgive your sin!.”

Oh, you mean that’s how it works?! That’s what Jesus actually said?! (Check out Matthew 6:14-15) …Scary, eh?!

Don’t know about you, but I’m grateful He forgives all who come to Him for forgivness in repentance! And I am really determined to forgive others just as He has forgiven me!

“Promises! Promises!! Promises!!!” A figure of speech I’ve heard spoken with scorn and derision! It points out the reality of human limitation and failure – even when the promises are well intentioned! I’ve gotta tell you… I’ve got a list of broken promises – a list of promises that were made to me that were never kept… And I’ll bet you can recall a few as well! (In fact, you and I may have been guilty of breaking a few!)

NOT GOD!!! He’s is going to do what He has said! He will fulfill His promises! You can use this figure of speech confidently… “Bank on it!”

Here’s what I read in the Bible during my devotion time that I call “coffee with the Lord”…

God has given both His promise and His oath! These two things are unchangeable BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE! Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a STRONG AND TRUSTWORTHY ANCHOR FOR OUR SOULS!!!” (From Hebrews 6:18-19)

I’ve seen it happen… maybe you have as well: A hard, God-rebelling, Christ resisting, Christian hating, Bible rejecting person suddenly changed, transformed by the message of the Gospel and God’s grace! And what is interesting is that in many of these cases it takes place somewhere, sometime, even in an unexpected context. The hardened person happens to hear God’s word preached, or they picked up a Bible and just began to read it. The message of Scripture supernaturally penetrated their heart, they turned from their sin and rebellion, and embraced Christ as their Savior and Lord! A group of wonderful laymen who place copies of the Bible in hotel rooms and in the hands of anyone who will receive them, the Gideons, have thousands of wonderful stories like this to tell! The power of the gospel! A dynamic encounter with the Word of God changes lives!

I thought of that this morning as I read these words from Hebrews during my time of “coffee with the Lord”…

“For THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND POWERFUL! It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. NOTHING in all creation is hidden from God! EVERYTHING is naked and exposed before his eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable! (Hebrews 4:12–13 NLT)

The passage just before this begins with individuals determined to go their own way, seeking “rest” in all the wrong places and the wrong ways. They reject God… God’s word… anything religious, in self pursuit – their quest for “rest!” And then, a Holy Spirit initiated and generated, encounter with God Himself, though His word! Their lives are transformed and the elusive quest for “rest” that they pursued so diligently and feverishly is found by laying down their self-pursuit and trusting Christ! It’s a miracle! Praise God for the power of His Word!