START THE NEW YEAR RIGHT

Here is an excellent New Year’s word posted by Carolyn Spring-Baker. The Carolyn also refers to a YouTube link attributed to Sanctus Real.

 

JRH 12/31/11

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START THE NEW YEAR RIGHT

 

Posted by Carolyn Spring-Baker

December 31, 2011

In Christ Network

 

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”   ~Colossians 3:13~

 

To start the New Year right you must let go of any old grudges that are weighing you down. Philip Yancey describes forgiveness as an UNNATURAL ACT and says, “You don’t find dolphins forgiving sharks for eating their playmates. It’s a dog-eat-dog world…not a dog-forgive-dog world.”

Grudges come naturally when you’ve been hurt, whereas forgiving requires God’s enabling grace.

Jesus said, “If you do not forgive…your Father will not forgive your sin” (see Matthew 6:15).

Humanly speaking, there’s not one single reason God should forgive your sins, yet the offenses He pardons you for every day far outweigh anything you’ll ever be asked to forgive others for.

By forgiving, you change the whole dynamic. You open the door of a prison where you are both prisoner and jailer, setting yourself and the other person free. Grudges not only isolate you from people who were once friends, they actually shorten your life by producing deadly enzymes that contribute to a host of physical ailments.

One man told his counselor, “I wish my brother could come to my wedding, but we haven’t spoken in years.” The counselor asked, “How come?” Pausing, the man replied, “It sounds ridiculous now, but I don’t even remember.”

Drifting apart is the natural result of an unforgiving spirit; forgiveness reverses the trend by restoring and healing broken relationships.

It’s a medical fact that forgiveness adds years to your life. As a rule, when you talk to people who’ve passed the eighty-year mark you find they are at peace with themselves – because they’ve learned to forgive and let go.

Can you FORGIVE AND LET GO?

Thank You Father for the mercy & grace You show to us on a daily basis. Forgiving us for the simplest sins and even when we do what we think is unpardonable. Father I ask today that you will convict the hearts of all who are reading this, let them see what it is that is in need of forgiveness, and then Lord lead them to the act of forgiving everyone that they hold a grudge against. Father this I know You can do as You did this for me the other night, and I feel so much better now and want to see my brothers & sisters in Christ feel the weight of the world lifted off of them. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

“FORGIVEN” by Sanctus Real
http://youtu.be/3F9z54g30Eo

Love to all my brothers & sisters in Christ
Carolyn

 

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