“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing'” (Luke 23:34). What must people around his cross have thought?
Hatred seems to come so easily to human beings. In a tit-for-tat world, forgiveness seems to make no sense. Why should I turn the other cheek after an insult, if I can match his – and go him one better? Why should you overlook her slight, if you can tell someone about it – and damage her reputation?
Why should we not burn down your store and house, if you harm someone of my race or faith group – even destroy our entire community? I’m sure you get the point.
Welcome to Biblepraise
Inspirational writing to encourage you, just because we care!
Why is forgiveness such a powerful thing? In my experience, I have seen people struggle when it comes to forgiving others who have hurt them. How many times have I heard people say, “If you know what he did to me, you won’t ask me to forgive him” or “I can’t ever forgive her for what she did to me, not now, not ever!”
Forgiveness is a core tenet of the Christian faith. You can’t ignore it and you can’t avoid it. Sooner or later, someone is going to hurt you, someone will step on your toes and it will really hurt. For other people, forgiveness might be a matter of choice but for the Christian, it is not a choice really, it is what is expected of us.
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But of you do not forg...
Forgiveness is a core tenet of the Christian faith. You can’t ignore it and you can’t avoid it. Sooner or later, someone is going to hurt you, someone will step on your toes and it will really hurt. For other people, forgiveness might be a matter of choice but for the Christian, it is not a choice really, it is what is expected of us.
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But of you do not forg...
Why did people fall all over themselves to get a glimpse of Jesus? Climb trees to see him? Hang on his every word? It was the beauty of the kingdom of God that Jesus exhibited in his personality and actions.
The gentle humility of Jesus convinced people they had no reason to fear him; he was not about to hurt them. His approachability made them feel welcome in his presence; he would never humiliate them.
They became excited about the things of God because he was among them. Something about the beauty of his life convinced them their lives could become beautiful as well.
Why did the earliest church grow so rapidly? While a preacher or musician...
The gentle humility of Jesus convinced people they had no reason to fear him; he was not about to hurt them. His approachability made them feel welcome in his presence; he would never humiliate them.
They became excited about the things of God because he was among them. Something about the beauty of his life convinced them their lives could become beautiful as well.
Why did the earliest church grow so rapidly? While a preacher or musician...
Peace is an essential commodity. Everyone wants peace but many do not know how to attain it. Many do not even understand what peace is. We think that peace is the absence of violence and if only we can get the formula to stop all wars and conflicts, there will be peace in our world.
I watched President Obama of the United States speaking in Cairo just a few days after being elected into office, reaching out to the Arab world with persuasive and passionate words. His speech was applauded by a lot of Moslems watching and listening to his speech, describing it as a departure from the policies of the former Administration’s policies. Was Obama able to bring about peace in the Middle East? The emergence of Islamic State is proof to the contrary.
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I watched President Obama of the United States speaking in Cairo just a few days after being elected into office, reaching out to the Arab world with persuasive and passionate words. His speech was applauded by a lot of Moslems watching and listening to his speech, describing it as a departure from the policies of the former Administration’s policies. Was Obama able to bring about peace in the Middle East? The emergence of Islamic State is proof to the contrary.
...
The virtues which a Christian possesses is not man-madew neither is it a product of the imagination of men. It is the consequence of a relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Joy is one of the most misunderstood virtues of a Christian. Its expression negates all normal human reactions. How else would you explain the advice of James to the Jewish Christians? Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2)
James was obviously not implying that these people should rejoice because they were facing tough and difficult trials. What He was saying is that they should consider it an occasion to rejoice because these trials are an indication that they are indeed Gods people. If they had any doubts before now, about their pla...
Joy is one of the most misunderstood virtues of a Christian. Its expression negates all normal human reactions. How else would you explain the advice of James to the Jewish Christians? Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2)
James was obviously not implying that these people should rejoice because they were facing tough and difficult trials. What He was saying is that they should consider it an occasion to rejoice because these trials are an indication that they are indeed Gods people. If they had any doubts before now, about their pla...
Patience. This is one virtue often misunderstood in our world. A patient person is often seen as foolish and cowardly because they do not respond to offenses or infringement of their rights in a predictable manner.
Many fights and quarrels would have been averted if one or either of the parties exercised patience. Many of the road accidents happening on our roads are the product of impatience. The vice of impatience has robbed many people of their joy, destroyed marriages and caused untold hardship to others.
If patience is good, how come we find it difficult to exercise it? I believe it is because impatience is the easy way out. It takes a lot of work to maintain an even temperament in the face of provocation. To lash out however, is much easier. We feel better when we have g...
Many fights and quarrels would have been averted if one or either of the parties exercised patience. Many of the road accidents happening on our roads are the product of impatience. The vice of impatience has robbed many people of their joy, destroyed marriages and caused untold hardship to others.
If patience is good, how come we find it difficult to exercise it? I believe it is because impatience is the easy way out. It takes a lot of work to maintain an even temperament in the face of provocation. To lash out however, is much easier. We feel better when we have g...
