Deliberately Do

"No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 8: 11-12 (NIV)

Do you really believe that God can forget anything? Anything at all? The passage in Hebrews doesn’t actually say that God will forget their sins. It says, he "will remember their sins no more." It is a deliberate choice. He chooses to not remember.

Love is like that for us. When things happen in life, words are spoken, actions are taken that bring us pain, love remembers it no more.

We are not God. I think that is abundantly clear to all, well at least most, of us. God forgives. Christians are to act in forgiving ways and that requires a deliberate decision - to remember the offences no more.

No, we are not going to have brain surgery to have that portion removed where the memory is stored. We will have the physical ability to remember, but we will deliberately choose not to. We will not rehearse the sin against us, going over and over it until it is etched all the way to our soul. And, yes, we still hold the offender accountable for what they did or said. That may mean the person’s word cannot be trust for a very long time until their broken trust has been mended. We learn there are some people to whom we cannot lend money, or trust someone with a secret, or even trust them with a triumph because it will be trashed under their feet like garbage. But, we can refuse to let them hurt us further by not relieving the personal attack every day, every season of our lives.

We must deliberately do what we do not naturally do. Choose love. Let us pray:

"Father of us all, you are perfect Love and holy above anything my mind can ever grasp. May my heart lead me to you, since my mind is too logical to find the way. I ask that you so fill my life with your love that I may be able to deliberately choose to not remember the wrongs against me. Forgive me when I have used your precious gift of time on your beautiful earth to dwell on that which has harmed me, rather than dwelling on your glorious gift of life. Forgive me for not forgiving others with the same voice I plead for forgiveness for myself. You are the truth of life and that truth is love. In the name of Jesus, your son and my savior whom I follow, I pray. Amen"

Doris
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Copyright 2013 Doris Gaines Rapp
Events: Saturday Sept 14, 2013 1pm - Book Signing at Barnes & Noble, Ann Arbor, MI
Friday Sept. 20, 2013 7:00 pm - Book Signing at Barnes & Noble, Valporaiso, Indiana.

Promote Yourself - a pep talk on self-promotion. To download an eBook go to www.bn.com and www.amazon.com. Also, join the conversation at www.promoteyourself-permitsuccess.blogspot.com
It will be available in paperback by Friday, 9/6/13 at www.dorisgainesrapp.com and www.directbuybooks.com.