Forgetfulness

I had an interesting conversation with one of my friends the other night. We talked about how people judge you based on your past and even though we are commanded not to judge people because it is not our place, it still happens in the world around us everyday. I think initially as Christians there is sort of a shock factor when we find out things against people and we might tend to judge them but then we have to remember that not one single person is perfect (except Jesus) and that we need to accept the changes they have made in order to overcome the ways of their past. If we hold things against people forever then we can never make any progress with those people and we will always think of them in a condescending way. Now if we meet someone who keeps wronging us in the same way or has not turned from their ways then we do not judge them but we should be careful around them because they can lead us astray. I am talking about people who have made things right with God when it comes to forgetting things of the past and moving forward even when it seems like there is no possible way to. The number one excuse for people not apologizing or asking forgiveness in my opinion is that people simply state "I did not think you would forgive me or I just thought that you did not want to talk to me anymore." This is very sad especially when it comes to people who are talking about not feeling like they would be forgiven by Christians. It should be known and pretty much stated that someone is forgiven if they are willing to ask for it, there should be no timidity on the side of the person asking for forgiveness because they should know they are going to be welcomed with a warm heart. I know it is hard to forgive people for certain things and we can sometimes be filled with anger but we are commanded to love just as God loves us and if we do not show that unfailing love that forgives us no matter what, then are we truly being a servant of Christ?

When I think about things of the past, I wish I could change things but in reality I cannot and I myst learn to live with my decisions. I have made myself right with God and even though I might have hurt myself as well as others who might not even know it or who did not know me at the time, I have to let them know what is up and ask them to forgive me. Secrets are probably the number one killer in friendships, relationships, families, and life in general. When we keep things from people because we do not think it will affect them, then we are just adding to the pain and could be hurting them more than we could have intended. We are told that in Hebrews 10, the Holy Spirit testifies to a new covenant saying in verses 16-18, " 'This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.' Then he adds: 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.' And where these things have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." It is so nice to know that the by the grace of God we have been forgiven if we ask for it and he will remember it no more. Now we do have to account for our actions when we get to heaven because judgement from him still comes into play but as long as we live a life that is pleasing to him and we do not stray from the path, we have nothing to worry about. In the same way, we should be able to go through life and ask for forgiveness from people and receive it. If we are being asked to forgive someone, we should do what we can in order to forgive them just as Christ forgave us and understand that people are human and they DO make mistakes. Forgiving and forgetting is a tough but sometimes you have to look past the surface in order to see the person underneath, which is exactly what God does.

I hope you all had a great day, mine was so so because we had our game cancelled tonight but I know that God is going to do something amazing tonight at Chi Alpha so I am fine with that. He knows what he is doing and knows what he has in store so I am preparing myself for that. Keep praying and trusting God, he will lead you in the right direction.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson