Forgiveness is Meant to Work Both Ways

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

Before you read on, look at that sentence one more time. Think about what it says. There are two parts to it. The first half of the sentence is a request which is based on us doing something in the second half of the statement. If you are scratching your head at these words of Jesus, that’s good because they can be confusing. “Does Jesus mean that God’s forgiveness of our sins is based on our forgiving other people? So if we refuse to forgive a friend or relative, then God will refuse to forgive us? If that is what he means, who in the world can be forgiven? Has anyone ever forgiven fully and freely during his/her entire life?”

This Sunday we’re going to be looking into what is called the 5th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. It is all about forgiveness. And it is very clear that Jesus means for forgiveness to work both ways. There’s no room in Jesus’ teaching for a cheap grace that sucks up God’s undeserved love but refuses to give any of it to other people.

The forgiveness of Jesus Christ is meant to change us radically – and the place it begins is the hardest – being able to forgive other people.

Don’t avoid the hard sayings of Jesus. The ones we like the least are also the ones which we need to most learn.

Saturday night service: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning services: 10:00 am

How Much Stuff Is Enough

“Nobody knows but it sure is fun trying to find out!”

While most people will admit that money and material things don’t necessarily lead to happiness, deep down the response above reflects the way people live out their view of what we affectionately call “stuff”.

Stuff can even be a dangerous trap for Christians. Unlike so many other temptations, the fine line between a Christian understanding of stuff and a selfish view of the things we have is often very difficult to identify. It is very easy to subconsciously let our stuff become more and more important and without even realizing, it becomes the god of our lives.

In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus mentions stuff only once and in almost a passing way. He tells us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” It’s a pretty simple prayer isn’t it? “Lord, please give me what I need each day to get by. That’s all.” An easy prayer to understand, a hugely difficult prayer to pray sincerely, especially for a culture in love with shopping.

How much stuff is enough? An excellent question. A soul searching question. A painful question. And above all, a question between each of us and God. No one can answer this question for us. It’s got to come from within.

Join us this Sunday. Start asking the questions about stuff so that God can lead you to personally answer the question, “How much stuff is enough in my life?”

Saturday night service: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning services: 10:00 am